Romy Gill MBE gave her exclusive chicken curry tips to Express.co.uk. She also detailed her secret five-ingredient curry base.
She said: “The secret to a good chicken curry dish is to give your chicken a lot of care and attention, as well as properly prepping your meat before you cook.”
To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail, as they say, and this is true when it comes to your curry.
Romy said: “A key factor is the richness of flavour, so it’s important to marinate your meat for at least 30 minutes.
“You can do this by simply rubbing salt and spices onto the meat (whilst raw) or coating it in lime or lemon juice.
“Alternatively, you can also use a mixture of your preferred ingredients such as ginger and garlic.
“Marinating gives the meat more depth, meaning your curry will become much more flavoursome.”
It is also possible to marinade your meat with your curry paste by adding some coconut milk.
Romy said: “A little trick I taught my daughter is you can also marinade the chicken in your base paste (which I like to make in bigger batches and keep frozen), for extra flavour.
“Simply cover the meat in the paste, pop it into a casserole dish and cover with a good amount of coconut milk.
“Pop it in the oven and the rest will do itself. You don’t even need to stir it.”
Romy also shared a tip to keep meat moist and tender.
She said: “A little tip I also like to share, is to gently jab the chicken with a fork before marinating, to allow the spices/mixture to seep into the chicken and keep it moist.”
Romy went on: “To make sure your chicken is tender, always cook the meat separately. I like to cut my chicken into small cubes and cook it under the grill or in the oven, until light brown.
“It is only then that I add the chicken to the sauce. If you are using chicken thighs it’s also important to remove the skin, as this won’t taste well in a curry.”
Romy also described a delicious take on the Sunday lunch.
She said: “Another recipe that I really enjoy is Sunday roast.
£Simply marinade the chicken in your base (using a brush for ease) and pop it into the oven in a casserole dish.
“I also like to add in some peeled and halved baby potatoes, which will soak up all of the paste and chicken juices, it tastes absolutely delicious.”
Romy detailed a five-ingredient curry-base which can be used for over 50 curry dishes.
The base uses just onion, ginger, garline, tomatoes and turmeric.
Method:
- Heat the oil, butter or ghee in a large, deep saucepan over a medium heat
- Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly
- Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a further 20 minutes on low heat, stirring to prevent them from sticking or burning
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 8 minutes. Add the turmeric and cook for 2 minutes more
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then blend with a hand blender until a smooth paste
- Once completely cool, divide into 3 portions and freeze in suitable containers