Here’s my spin on a British-Indian classic. The key to preparing it in under thirty minutes is to get the water in the pot and on the heat before doing anything else. Chop the onion and add the other ingredients after you start heating the water. Stay productive and on schedule by slicing the chicken breast while the stock simmers.
If you cannot find curry leaves (fresh or dried) in your area, just omit them as it won’t make a drastic difference in the overall flavour. The other spices should be readily available in the Indian/Asian section of most large supermarkets.
The vast majority of fat content in this soup is courtesy of the coconut, so at least it’s good fat… and yummy too!
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 cups water 1 onion – finely chopped 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 6 ounces creamed coconut 12 curry leaves 12 green cardamom pods 20 whole peppercorns 8 whole cloves 2 cinnamon sticks 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons ground coriander 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt 6 cloves garlic – finely chopped or crushed 1 pound boneless-skinless chicken breast – thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups baby peas – fresh or thawed frozenPreparation:
Place all ingredients except the chicken and peas in a large pot over high heat, bring to a boil and simmer for fifteen minutes.
Pour broth through a fine strainer and return to the pot. Stir in the chicken and peas then return to a boil over high heat. Turn off the burner, cover and let stand for two minutes before serving.