Recipe: curry with chicken drumsticks

Chicken is the most widely eaten meat in the world. Our favorite chicken recipes are chicken satay, roast chicken, chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, chicken schnitzel with halloumi and chicken bastilla. But we’re happy to expand our chicken repertoire with this Indian curry with chicken recipe. Chicken drumsticks are one of the cheapest cuts of chicken, but they also contain the most flavor. Win-win!

Dan Toombs, better known as The Curry Guy: ‘I saw this dish being prepared in the Indian state of Kerala and enjoyed it so much that it was one of the first curries I made when I got home. Of course, you can use other cuts of chicken for this popular curry, but traditionally it is made with drumsticks. It will certainly get messy, but that’s part of it.’

• Mix the chicken drumsticks well with the turmeric powder and set aside. For the spice blend, add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon stick and peppercorns to a frying pan and toast over medium heat until the spices feel warm and release their aromas. Make sure they do not burn.
• Grind the spices in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle into a fine powder. Set aside.
• For the curry, blend the garlic with the ginger and jalapeño peppers with a little water in a food processor until smooth. Set aside. Blend the onions and tomatoes into a smooth paste as well and set aside. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat until bubbles form on the bottom of the pan, then add the mustard seeds. As soon as the seeds begin to pop, stir in the curry leaves.

• Fry for about 30 seconds, then add the garlic-ginger paste with chili pepper. Stir in the ground spice mixture and Kashmiri chili powder and fry for another minute.
• Fry, stirring, for about 30 seconds, then add the onion-tomato paste. Fry, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes, until this base masala has become a few shades darker.
• Add the chicken drumsticks and toss well. Add the chopped coriander, followed by the coconut cream. Bring slowly to a boil and place a lid on the pan. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• Remove the lid and reduce the sauce until you are happy with the consistency and the chicken is cooked through.
• Season with salt if necessary. Garnish with a handful of fresh curry leaves, if desired, and serve with rice and lime.