This is the most basic of chicken curry recipes, which means you can’t go wrong. Bush cooks didn’t have a huge stock of herbs and spices at their disposal, so they had to make do with basics. Clive of India curry powder was a favourite. In those days, there weren’t a lot of curry pastes in the supermarkets, and the little store in Wyalkatchem had a limited selection of everything.

Rosemary always made pappadums to go with her curries. They seemed so exotic when we were kids.

Ingredients:

• 12 chicken pieces
• 6 x dessertspoons of curry powder/paste
• 1 x sliced onion
• 2 x cloves of garlic
• 1 x teaspoon of Turmeric powder
• 60 mls of cooking oil
• Water as needed/or coconut cream
• Flat-leafed parsley

Method:

• Fry sliced onions and garlic in oil until lightly browned
• Add water to the curry powder to make a paste (or use curry paste)
• Fry chicken in smae pan until brown and slightly cooked
• Add enough water to almost cover the chicken or alternatively add 200 gms of coconut cream
• Simmer gently for 30 mins
• Sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
• Garnish with parsley