Dishoom’s chicken ruby curry is everything: spicy, sweet, savory, and utterly addictive. A lot of people think the best Indian food in the world is in London, and it’s probably true. It’s also probably not at Dishoom, which is kind of like a local casual-fine chain. But because the bar is set so high in London, Dishoom manages to be both really good and very accessible. And man, is Dishoom ever good. Steph and I love it there: the fun atmosphere, creative co*cktails, and of course the food, which is carefully tuned to be just a little less authentic: not too spicy, not too extreme. We’ve made many of their recipes and they’ve all been hits. Strangely however, we’ve never made what is arguably their signature dish, until now.
This ruby chicken was awesome and so easy to make. It’s like the next step in Indian curry chicken. If you like butter chicken or chicken tikka masala, you’ll love this: still sweet and a total crowdpleaser, but a little more complex and satisfying and adult. We had it with homemade cheddar naan, but it would go great with just about anything: basmati rice, garlic naan, or even more chicken via Dishoom’s chicken biryani (biryani is like a mixed rice).
The chicken all by itself is amazing. We had a few pieces fresh off the grill and it was mind blowingly good. It’s like an even easier chicken tandoori. If you’re feeling lazy, you can totally skip the whole curry part and just marinate and grill the chicken to eat with just about anything. It’s some of the best grilled chicken – from any cuisine – I’ve ever had. If you do go just chicken, you might want to pull back a bit on the spice. Indian chili powder can be pretty over the top spicy, depending on which one you use.
Cooking Notes
The original recipe contains sugar and honey. I omitted both because the cherry tomatoes I used were plenty sweet, but if you like sweetness, you might want to add a tablespoon of sugar back in. I also skipped the dill and kasoori methi (aka fenugreek) powder, and combined the two cardamoms into one, because I didn’t want to buy herbs & spices just for one dish. The deggi mirch chili powder specified in the OG recipe is just a mild variety of indian chili powder; I subbed the standard (spicier) one we have at home. Last but not least, the ginger garnish is really really good, don’t skip it.
This was an awesome and really delicious curry that was mostly hands off and totally foolproof. It looks like a long ingredients list, but it’s mostly duplicates between the chicken and the curry, and it looks like a lot of time, but it’s just an overnight marinade. The actual cooking was more like an hour. I highly recommend doubling or tripling this recipe. I’m definitely going to be adding this one to our dinner list, especially that awesome grilled chicken.
Curry for life! Mike
Serves 2
4.62 from 142 votes
Prep Time 1 hourhr
Cook Time 1 hourhr
Marinating 6 hourshrs
Total Time 8 hourshrs
Ingredients
Chicken
1lbboneless skinless chicken thighscut into 2” chunks
In a medium bowl, mix the marinade ingredients together, then toss chicken until evenly coated. Wrap and store in the fridge to marinate 6 hours to overnight.
Making the curry takes about 45 minutes. Start by crushing or finely dicing the ginger and 2 cloves of the garlic. A mortar and pestle is ideal. Set aside.
Roughly chop the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Add the 1/2 cup oil to a large pan and set over medium high heat, then add the garlic. Cook garlic until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't burn.
Remove the garlic with a skimmer or slotted spoon and set aside. Add the bay leaf, cardamon, and cinnamon. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the cinnamon stick opens.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the reserved ginger-garlic paste from step 2. Cook until paste has browned a little, about 5 minutes, then add the blended tomatoes, being careful of splattering. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced about 2/3 and darkened, roughly 15 minutes.
Add the butter, chili powder, garam masala, cumin, the reserved crispy garlic from step 4, and a pinch of salt. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until sauce has reduced by about 1/2, then stir in the cream. Cook for another 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside while you make the chicken.
Preheat your grill on high. Oil the grates well, and then skewer and and cook the chicken until charred and just cooked through, 8-10 minutes. If you don't have a grill handy, fry the chicken in 1-2 tbsp oil until just cooked through.
Add the chicken to the curry and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring evenly to coat.
Plate and garnish with ginger matchsticks and cilantro (optional).
Curries can be bland if you haven't used enough of the base aromatics of garlic, ginger, and onion. The onion should be caramelized in oil until well browned and flavorful. Spices should not be old enough to lose potency and preferably should be toasted and ground yourself.
Another simple way to improve the taste of bland curries is by adding some slightly roasted onions, garlic, ginger. You can toss or caramelize them separately and add them to the curry and simmer for sometime so that it can absorb the flavours.
Transform your curry with a simple topping! Toasted sesame seeds, desiccated coconut or a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate adds another layer of depth to your creation. Leftovers: Make curries go further by adding pulses like chickpeas and yellow split peas.
Plant-based patrons might opt for a vegan naan roll made with sausages designed with Chef Neil Rankin. Our all-day menu is Halal, with our lamb and chicken coming from certified suppliers, and the animals are humanely stunned before slaughter.
Whether you may be familiar with the differences between curries from various countries, such as Indian versus Japanese curry, and perhaps even know how to make them at home, there's a special flavor enhancer that you may not have thought to add: honey.
Overcooking: If chicken is cooked for too long, it can become tough and rubbery. This can happen if the chicken is added to the curry too early, or if the heat is too high. 2. Lack of moisture: If there is not enough liquid in the curry, the chicken can become dry and tough.
Let it cook for as long as possible. Simmering a curry allows time for the flavours to infuse; a long, slow simmering time generally produces the best curry. Flavours will continue to infuse even when the curry is taken off the heat, so do allow time for the curry to “rest” and cool down before serving.
The curry base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and garam masala. I prefer to go with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower, corn and bell peppers. Though you can use other veggies like baby corn, sweet potato and broccoli, the curry will have different flavors.
Onion, Garlic, Ginger: This trio adds depth and forms the foundational flavor of the curry. Chicken Broth: Forms the savory base of the curry sauce. Cornstarch: Used to thicken the sauce. Frozen Peas: Add color, texture, and sweetness to the dish, offering a nice contrast to the savory and spicy elements of the curry.
This Indian spice is what people say "smells like curry." Of all Indian spices, this spice may be the most essential. You may use up to a few tablespoons in a family size dish near the end of the cooking process, but start with a teaspoon. Fenugreek seeds also have many health benefits.
A curry mix has a warm, robust spicy taste as a result of combining roasted and grounded coriander seeds, turmeric, cumin and chili peppers. Other spices commonly found within the blend are fenugreek, clove, mustard, black pepper, nutmeg or ginger.
The actual sweetness and creaminess of such curries meanwhile, usually comes from fried onions and either cashews and/or dairy products. Instead of (or in addition to) onion, ground coconut may be used. White poppy seeds and/or watermelon seeds are also used in some creamy sauces.
During a rugby game, most players will burn between 1500 and 200 calories. Preparing for this kind of energy depletion should take place well in advance of kick off. We recommend increasing your calorie intake on the Friday before your rugby game. This doesn't need to be a major change, just an additional snack.
NUTRITION INFORMATION: Typical values 100g powder: Energy 2074kj/ 495kcal; Fat 25g, Carbohydrate 60g, of which sugars 57g; Fibre <0.1gg; Protein 8.3g; Salt 0.33g.
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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