RECIPE: Rec: Country Captain...the thread on curry reminded me of this. I finally bought the book so I

RECIPE:
C

curious1

Well-known member
could make this recipe. It's really delicious. I did brine the chicken, but didn't make the curry powder, I used Penzeys

Country Captain 4

Though its exact origins are unknown, this traditional curried-chicken dish has long been associated with Georgia - Savannah in particular, since it was a port for the spice trade. Good spices are the key to a great Country Captain, and we have our own formula for Curry Powder. Be sure to use fresh whole spices and grind them just before mixing. Country Captain is a good dish for entertaining, because guests can embellish their dinner with an assortment of condiments and garnishes, including currants, peanuts, crumbled bacon and chutneys. Coconut Rice is our preferred accompaniment, though plain cooked rice is good, too.

1 3 1/2-lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces and brined for 8 to 24 hours (brining directions follow)

1 tsp dried thyme, preferably Spice Islands brand

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 slices bacon

2 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery, preferably with leaves

2 cups diced green bell pepper

1 Tbs finely chopped garlic

2 cups drained and chopped canned tomatoes

3/4 cup tomato juice, reserved from the canned tomatoes

2 Tbs unsalted butter

2 Tbs plus 2 teaspoons Curry Powder (recipe follows)

1/3 cup currants

2 bay leaves

salt to taste

Condiments for Curry

crumbled bacon

thinly sliced green onion

currants or raisins

toasted coconut

finely chopped white of hard-boiled egg and the sieved yolk of same, served separately chutney, l or more varieties

chopped peanuts

1 Rinse the brined chicken pieces, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with dried thyme and 5 or 6 grinds of black pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until quite hot but not smoking.

2 Place the chicken pieces in the hot oil, skin side down, and cook, turning once, until a deep golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside. Pour out the cooking oil from the sauté pan. Return the pan to the stove over moderately low heat, and cook the bacon slices until deeply colored and quite crisp. Remove bacon and reserve for use as a condiment in the finished dish. Add the chopped onion to the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chopped celery and bell pepper, and continue cooking for approximately 5 minutes longer. Stir in the garlic, and cook 2 to 3 minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes and reserved tomato juice. Cook at a low simmer, partially covered, for to minutes, stirring often.

3 Heat the unsalted butter in a small pan until hot and foaming. Stir in the curry powder and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes. Add the cooked curry powder, along with the currants and bay leaves, to the simmering tomato-vegetable mixture. Season well with salt and grinds of black pepper. Simmer, tightly covered, for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4 When the sauce has finished cooking, taste carefully for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Spoon about 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of an ovenproof casserole or baking dish that is just large enough to hold the browned chicken pieces comfortably in a single layer - it's all right if they touch. Arrange the chicken pieces over the sauce, then spoon the remaining sauce over all. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the chicken, and a single laver of foil directly on top of the parchment. Put the cover on the baking dish or a double thickness of toil, sealing tightly. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for approximately 1 1/2 hours, until chicken is quite tender. Taste sauce again for any final seasoning adjustments.

5 Serve the chicken hot with the sauce spooned over it, along with rice and four or more curry condiments.

Curry Powder

1 Tbs ground ginger

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or less if desired

1 Mix the ingredients together, and store in a small, tightly sealed jar. Make in small batches as needed for a fresher, more vibrant flavor.

Brining for Poultry

1 Brining poultry - that is, soaking it in a saltwater solution before cooking - serves a twofold purpose: it helps the flesh retain moisture and seasons it all the way through. To make the brine, stir kosher salt into cold water until dissolved, in the proportion of 1/4 cup salt to 1 quart of water. (Don't use table salt in this formula, by the way; it will be too salty.) Mix enough brine to cover the poultry or meat completely in a (nonreactive) bowl or pot. Store refrigerated for the times specified below:

2 Cut-up chicken (Country Captain): brine for 8 to 12 hours

Servings: 4

Recipe Type

Chicken, Main Dish

Recipe Source

Author: Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock

Source: The Gift of Southern Cooking

 
Since we're sharing, here's our "go to" REC: Tomato-Beef Curry

Tomato-Beef Curry

1 lb Beef Flank, sliced thinly into 1"x2"x¼" pieces
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Sherry
1 tsp MSG (optional)
1 heaping Tbsp Corn Starch
dash Tabasco

2 Tbsp Peanut oil
1 large Green Pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large Onion, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp Water

2 large Tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Chinese Curry Powder
¼ cup Oyster Flavored Sauce
¼ cup Ketchup (yes, ketchup!)

Cilantro

Mix soy, sherry, msg, corn starch and tabasco in a medium bowl and add the beef; in a separate bowl, combine the tomatoes and brown sugar. Let these all marinate about 1 hour.

When the meat is ready, heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a wok or large frying pan. When oil is good and hot, toss in the green pepper and onion. Stir-fry until peppers turns bright green. Pour in the water and cover your wok for about 30 seconds. Remove the lid and stir until liquid has pretty much evaporated; remove the vegetables to a bowl and reserve for later.

Re-heat the wok, add the other Tbsp of oil and when it is very hot, add the curry powder. (It will smoke a bit so have that ventilator on overhead.) Quickly put the beef and accompanying juice into the pan and stir-fry until it is brown. Then add the tomatoes and their juice, the oyster sauce and the ketchup. Stir a couple of minutes until the sauce begins to boil. Return the pepper and onion to the pan and stir-fry 2-3 minutes to heat through. Serve this over white rice and garnish with cilantro.

 
And here's my curry REC: Curry Chicken Stir Fry

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
cut into 2" pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

2 small zucchini
1/2 lb button mushrooms
1 small head broccoli
2 carrots

3/4 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water

In a medium bowl, mix chicken pieces with garlic, ginger, curry powder, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Set aside while you cut the vegetables.

Cut all the vegetables into bite sized pieces. I wanted chunky pieces, rather than slices, so I cut the zukes into fourths, lengthwise, then into 1" pieces. Cut the mushrooms into fourths, cut the broccoli into small florets, and cut the carrots into thin diagonal slices.

Heat oil in a wok until hot. Cook the vegetables, one at a time, until just tender.

Remove each vegetable into a large serving dish before adding the next vegetable, adding more oil when necessary.

When all the veggies are done, add more oil to the wok. Stir-fry half of the chicken, until just cooked. Remove the chicken to the serving dish, then cook the remaining chicken.

When the chicken is done, throw everything back into the wok. Toss everything together, then add the chicken broth.

Heat to boiling, and add the cornstarch slurry to the middle of the wok. Stir frequently until gravy thickens, and coats everything.

Serve over hot rice.

 
and here's mine Rec: Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry

6 tbsp vegetable oil
2-1/2 to 3 lbs. chicken, cut into pieces
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2-1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1-3/4 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 lb. chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh, finely chopped green coriander (cilantro)
6 tbsp plain yogurt
2-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
2-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garam masala*

*Garam masala is made by finely grinding together (I use a coffee grinder for this):
1 inch stick cinnamon
6 green cardamoms (pods)
6 cloves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns

In a large heavy frying pan, heat oil until it is very hot. Add chicken, and fry for 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add onions, garlic and ginger to the oil remaining in the frying pan, and fry for about 7 or 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions are soft and golden brown.
Reduce the heat to low. Add cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, cayenne and 1 tbsp water. Fry for 1 minute or so, stirring constantly; then add tomatoes, fresh coriander, yogurt and salt. Cook until the oil separates from the mixture. Add the chicken. Pour in the rest of the water. Bring to a boil, turning chicken in the sauce. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender. Pour lemon juice over the dish, and sprinkle with garam masala. (Pat's note: I often just stir the lemon juice and garam marsala into the dish.) Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6

Pat's notes: I like to serve this with basmati rice with some frozen peas tossed into the rice about 5-8 minutes before rice is finished cooking, and pooris. Naan bread would also be a good accompaniment.

In the 70s and 80s I frequently had lunch at this great little Indian restaurant called Anjuli's, near my office in San Francisco. When the restaurant closed I was sad because their chicken curry was my favorite dish. I searched for a long time for a recipe like theirs and was very happy
when I came upon this one which I think is very close. I can’t remember where this recipe originated but I've been making it for many years and each time it transports me back to the happy dining experiences with friends and coworkers at Anjuli's.

 
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