Chicken Green Curry.

Having lived in houses where gardening was always possible, I always had herbs like mint, coriander, fenugreek growing round the clock. My favourite has always been the mint. Whether it be in the form of chutneys, a gravy,a cooling summer drink, or a piping hot tea , its refreshing, pungent and burning taste always soothes the senses.  My favourite dish with the mint has been the green gravy which goes with lamb or chicken.

Having moved to Germany during winter, I had yet to master the art of growing plants inside the home. Wanting to prepare the curry, and having no mint at home, I pretty soon realised, that, the mint was very hard to find in stores. To my utter dismay, I had to forego the dish for 3 months.

  Last week during our weekly shopping, my son quickly spotted the plant for me, which to my surprise was now available. Having got a potted plant, I could not wait to make the dish i had missed the most!!!

Ingredients :-

1 kg chicken -- cut into pieces.
1 onion
3 tbsps ghee or oil

Grind all together :-

• 2 big onions
• 1" ginger
• 4 cloves
• 4 small cinnamon sticks
• 3 green chillies
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 3 flakes garlic
• 5 stems of mint leaves
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 tsp pepper corns
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 cardamom
• marble sized tamarind(optional)

Method :-

Heat ghee/oil in a vessel. Fry onion till it changes colour. Add the ground masala and fry for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken and fry till colour changes. Now add a cup of water, a tbsp of vinegar(if tamarind is not used while grinding), salt and cook till done. Serve hot with rice or rice pancakes.