- 500g diced chicken leg
- 2 red onions
- 2 green peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- A thumb of ginger
- 50g dried dates
- ½-2 tbsp Bombay spice mix
- 690ml passata
- 300g white basmati rice
- 100g baby spinach leaves
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 600ml boiling water
- 4 tbsp water (optional)
- 1.
Warm a large frying pan (or large pan if you’re cooking the curry on the hob) over a medium heat for 2 mins, then add ½ tbsp olive oil and the diced chicken leg. Fry for 8-10 mins, turning every so often, till the chicken is browned all over.
- 2.
While the chicken fries, peel and finely chop the onions. Halve the peppers, scoop out the seeds and white pith, and then roughly chop the peppers. From this point, follow the method for either the slow cooker or the hob.
- 3.
In the slow cooker^ Scoop the chicken into a 3½ ltr slow cooker. Add the red onions and green peppers to the slow cooker.
- 4.
Peel and crush or grate the garlic. Peel and grate the ginger. Finely chop the dates. Add the garlic, ginger and dates to the slow cooker.
- 5.
Add ½ -1 tbsp Bombay spice mix to the slow cooker (use less or more, depending on how heavily spiced you’d like your curry). Give everything a gentle stir. Pour in the passata. Gently stir again. Pop a lid on the slow cooker and set it to medium. Slow cook for 6 hrs. For a curry in a hurry, set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hrs, or go low and slow and cook for 8 hrs at low.
- 6.
When the curry has 20 mins cooking time left, rinse the rice under cold water and tip into a pan. Pour in 600ml boiling water and a pinch of salt. Cover, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down very low. Gently simmer for 8-10 mins till all the water has been absorbed. Take the rice off the heat and let it sit in the pan, lid on, for 5-10 mins to steam the rice and finish cooking it.
- 7.
Taste the chicken curry and add a pinch more salt if you think it needs it. Fork the baby leaf spinach into the curry to just wilt it. Fluff the rice with a fork and divide between 4 warm plates or bowls. Top with the chicken curry and serve.
- 8.
On the hob^ Scoop the chicken onto a plate and set aside. Add the red onions and green peppers to the pan with 4 tbsp water. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring now and then, for 10 mins till the veg start to soften.
- 9.
While the veg fry, peel and crush or grate the garlic. Peel and grate the ginger. Finely chop the dates. Add the garlic, ginger and dates to the veg and stir the chicken back in.
- 10.
Add ½ -2 tbsp Bombay spice mix to the pan (using more or less, depending on how heavily spiced you want the curry to be). Give everything a gentle stir. Pour in the passata. Gently stir again. Pop a lid on the pan, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 mins.
- 11.
When the curry has 20 mins cooking time left, rinse the rice under cold water and tip into a pan. Follow the method for cooking the rice above.
- 12.
Taste the chicken curry and add a pinch more salt if you think it needs it. Fork the baby leaf spinach into the curry to just wilt it. Fluff the rice with a fork and divide between 4 warm plates or bowls. Top with the chicken curry and serve.
- Tip
Eat & keep
You can keep the chicken curry for up to 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer (but don't store the rice as it is bets cooked fresh rather than reheated). To store, simply divide the curry into individual portions, cool then chill or freese. make sure you defrost the curry completely and reheat till piping hot. - Tip
Keep a cool head
This curry can be as mild or as heavily spiced as you like - just use more or less of the Bombay spice mix to damp down the flavours a little. Serve bowls of thick yogurt and mango chutney on the side - their sweetness will help take the edge off any spices, too. - Tip
Merry Christmas
Our slow cookers are taking a break for Christmas, but the Slow Cook Recipe Box will be back from the 1st January 2018 with a hearty Slow Cooked Beef & Mushroom Stew with Grilled Polenta that will make a satisfying start to the New Year.
