Luisa's Raj Curry

Adapted from The Wednesday Chef blog by Luisa Weiss and Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater (Penguin Books, 1992)
Serves 4 to 6

For a while I have been trying to come as close as possible to the Anglo-Indian curry I used to eat at the Devon House—a now-closed restaurant that was located on the northwest corner of Madison Avenue at 93rd Street in New York City. It was not actually in the basement, but a few steps down from the street, in a beautiful brown building. The staid dining room had blue walls with cream trim; the mahogany tables were covered in crisp white cloths; and the servers were all women who wore grey skirts and navy blazers. I always felt as if I had passed through a portal into a dining room in Bermuda.

I didn’t eat there often. Money was tight, the restaurant was expensive, and I like to cook at home. But I went whenever we were eating out and I got to choose where. If I didn’t order the curry—which was cream-based and studded with pieces of boneless chicken and shrimp and maybe a little mango chutney, certainly some crystallized ginger—I ate faultlessly prepared Dover sole, and it was always a conflict which dish I would choose. On a perfect night I would get one, and a companion would get the other, and I could taste both.

Every time I pass Number 1316 Madison Avenue, I realize how sorry I am that the Devon House is not still there, and think fondly of the evenings I spent eating lovely food in that elegant room with good friends.

Thanks to the always dependable Luisa, who shared this on February 6, 2012, I do have a recipe for an Anglo-style chicken curry—not the same as the curry at the Devon House—no, not at all—but still, very good—to tell you about. It originally comes from the eloquent Nigel Slater. He calls it Chicken with Spices and Cream; I call it Luisa’s Raj Curry.

Luisa recommends serving this with basmati rice. I used to make the Basmati Rice Pilaf from Cook’s Illustrated, which is delightfully scented with cinnamon and cardamom, but now I use Meera Sodha’s recipe for Perfect Basmati Rice from Made in India (Flatiron Books, 2015). In fact, it’s the only plain rice I ever make now—even when serving it with Shrimp Creole. If I have the time, I fry some pappadam, but in a pinch I’ll serve really good potato chips. (Don’t laugh until you’ve tried it.)

4 to 6 chicken thighs (I use bone-in, skin-on)
Salt
2 tablespoons butter (If you keep clarified butter on hand, use it here.)
1 tablespoon neutral oil (I use grapeseed.)
A lump of butter the size of a walnut
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (not too fine)
2 tablespoons curry powder (Sun Brand and Penzey's Sweet Curry are always reliable.)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (I like Vietnamese, often called Saigon cinnamon.)
½ of a 400g can Italian tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock made from Better Than Bouillon
½ cup heavy cream
Juice of half a lemon
Black pepper

If you know in advance that you’re going to cook this for dinner, rub salt into the chicken and let it sit in the refrigerator on a rack for a couple of hours. If not, just salt the chicken right before cooking.

If you’re using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, dredge them lightly in rice flour. (I use Bob’s Red Mill—not sweet rice flour.)

Heat the butter and oil in a skillet; I use cast iron for this step. Add the chicken and cook, turning, until the skin is taut and golden.

In another pan (I use stainless here), melt the walnut-sized lump of butter and add the onion. Cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until fragrant but not browned.

Stir in the curry powder and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes so the spices bloom and don’t taste raw when you add liquid.

Add the tomatoes and stock and stir to combine. Let the mixture warm up, then add the chicken and cook until the chicken is done—about 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the cream and cook for about 2 minutes to allow it to mingle and thicken slightly. Taste and add salt if needed. Stir in the lemon juice, cook for 1 minute more, turn off the heat, add black pepper to taste, stir again, and serve.

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