This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how various countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a festive drink, or even a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Click here to see all of my “Christmas In…” series from years’ past.
I wrap up this series on a cold day where most of the east coast is expecting some wintry weather. In fact this storm path is nearly as long the entire eastern coastline of the US. What better way to thwart the nasty weather, than simmering a pot of deliciousness…and of course, eating it up, too! But, if like me, the incessant cloudy weather has you down and not feeling like cooking all day, this dish comes together fairly quickly. It just tastes like you’ve been cooking it all day. I hope you enjoyed this annual series and I know you’re going to just love this deeply flavored chicken curry from Zimbabwe. Happy holidays to all!
Zimbabwean Chicken Curry
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 green cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
Onion, chopped fine
1 tbsp of minced fresh ginger
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp each of turmeric, coriander, and chili powder
⅔ cup puréed tomato
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 ⅓ cup chicken stock
Bay leaf
1 tsp garam masala
Roughly chopped fresh cilantro for serving
Add the oil to a pot and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to ripple, add in the cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin and toast until fragrant, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
Add in the onion, with a pinch of salt, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened and adjusting the heat down as necessary.
Toss in the ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, and chili powder and stir to combine until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomato purée, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Meanwhile, chop-up the chicken meat and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Once the sauce has cooked down, add the chicken to the pot, return the heat to medium-high, and cook for 3-5 minutes until the chicken is no longer visibly pink.
Add in the stock and bay leaf, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat to a rolling boil. Then, cover and lower the heat and simmer for 35 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the garam masala and continue to simmer, uncovered, allowing the liquid to reduce.
Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and serve over rice with some cilantro.
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