Comfort Food Friday: Make Nisha Katona’s chicken, coconut and pineapple curry

This curry is sure to become a family favourite.

“The combination of both coconut milk and creamed coconut in this curry adds a real gloss and weight to the sauce, giving it a gorgeous, velvety texture,” says food writer Nisha Katona.

“If you can’t get creamed coconut, just double up on the tinned.
“During the last moments of these exotic sunshine curries, I often throw a handful of roasted nuts to boost the salt and the beach holiday feel.

“If you’re not a fan of nuts or don’t have any to hand, you can leave
these out without any detriment to the dish.”

Nisha Katona’s chicken, coconut and pineapple curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 thumb-sized pieces fresh root ginger, peeled
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (approx. 600g/1lb 5oz), chopped into 2cm/¾in cubes
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 1 heaped tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp chilli powder
• 100g/3½oz creamed coconut
• 400ml/14fl oz canned coconut milk
• 2 green chillies, finely sliced
• 1½tsp salt
• 1tsp brown sugar
• 10 chunks canned pineapple, cut into 1–2cm/½–¾in pieces
• 100g/3½oz roasted salted cashew nuts
• Small handful fresh coriander/cilantro, finely chopped, to garnish
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced, to garnish
• Cooked rice, or flatbreads, to serve

Method

1. Finely mince one of the pieces of ginger and slice the other into fine matchsticks. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and minced ginger and fry, stirring continuously, for eight minutes, until golden brown. Add the chicken to the pan and stir to combine with the onions, then add the garam masala, ground coriander, ground turmeric and chilli powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, to seal the chicken and coat it in the spices.
3. Add the creamed coconut, coconut milk, ginger matchsticks, sliced chillies, salt, sugar, pineapple and cashews to the pan and stir to combine, adding a little of the juice from the canned pineapple if the mixture is too dry. Leave to cook, stirring occasionally, for five to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Scatter with chopped coriander/cilantro and sliced red chilli, then serve hot with rice or wraps alongside.

30 Minute Mowgli by Nisha Katona is published by Nourish Books, priced £25. Photography Yuki Sugiura. Available now.

For more recipes…

• Midweek meal: Kickstart Veganuary with this vegan smashed Brussels sprouts and garlic mayonnaise
• Comfort Food Friday: Trodden black kimchi and pulled shin of Scotch beef mac and cheese