Jamaican Curry Chicken

The first night we arrived in Jamaica after the adventure and slight scare reaching our farm stay the lovely cook had prepared a wonderful chicken curry for us with roti and salad, food is powerful and a good home cooked meal made everything all right and brought a smile to our faces. Jamaican curry is tasty and really unique I would say being married to an Indian I am very used to curries and making them, the Jamaican one has a more aromatic quality and lightly different cooking process, involving the browning of the curry powder. It has a strong allspice note to it indeed many Jamaican dishes do as this native spice tree is used a lot in cooking. 

I picked up a small Jamaican cookbook at the airport and purchased the curry spice in a local grocery store in fact these are always my favorite souvenirs when traveling its great to re create dishes soon after returning while the memory of the dish is still strong.

Ingredients:

• one small pack of chicken thighs about 4 chopped, with or without bones 
• 2 small carrots diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, a little fresh ginger - grated
• a couple of sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 an onion chopped
• salt to taste 
• 1/4 tablespoon of curry powder (turmeric, wheat flour, salt, coriander, fenugreek, black pepper cumin, pimento/allspice) 
• a teaspoon of flour 
• a pinch of freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/2 tablespoon of butter 

Method:

1. marinate the chicken in a little oil and curry powder overnight 
2. heat a little oil and add the curry powder and flour and allow it to brown, add the chicken to this and stir fry until nearly cooked
3. in another pan heat a little butter add the onions, carrot, ginger/garlic paste and any other desired vegetable like sweet pepper or potato allow to cook 
4. combine the chicken and vegetable onion mixture, thyme, salt (if needed) and pepper add a little water or stock if sticking and simmer for 5-10 minutes until soft
5. serve with roti ( an Indian style flatbread) or rice 

I enjoyed this dish but I think I am more fond of an Indian curry stay turned for another Jamaican dish of steamed fish soon, this was my favorite :-) 

Do you re create dishes you have enjoyed on holiday and what is your favorite?

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