Chicken and Ricotta Cheese Curry
You’ll Love It When You Taste It
Chicken and Ricotta Cheese Curry | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
Curry is kind of like porn. To paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Potter in his famous majority opinion, I don’t know how to define it, but I know it when I see it.
Curries are building blocks of many cuisines, including Indian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Jamaican, and Japanese. They can be similar to each other or quite different, and within each cuisine you may find further variations. You’ll encounter curry as a paste, a powder, or a cube. It can be brown, gold, red, or green. The level of heat varies, as does the flavor profile. But whatever the particulars, I don’t think I’ve ever met a curry I didn’t like.
That includes this recipe. It’s by Indian Master Chef Vikas Khanna from his book, “Flavors First,” published by Lake Isle Press. You might say it’s an Indian curry without the powder.
It employs many of the ingredients of a traditional curry, including cardamom pods, chiles, ginger, and turmeric, along with cinnamon and something much less common; fenugreek leaves. It creates a rich sauce out of these fragrant seasonings by adding ricotta cheese, cream, and yogurt.
Creamy curry has been a familiar taste ever since I started adding either coconut milk or heavy cream to my masoor dal a while ago. But ricotta cheese gives curry a new spin for me. And while many Indian curries add paneer, which is somewhat like ricotta, in this dish the ricotta becomes part of the sauce instead of holding its texture as paneer does.
I made my version of this recipe without raisins because they aren’t my thing, and added a touch of curry powder for good measure because I like cumin and coriander, which the powder I make—from Vikas’s recipe— has in it. The result was really satisfying—a rich curry flavor with gentle heat and a creamy texture. I may not be able to define a good curry, but I know it when I taste it.
Chicken and Ricotta Cheese Curry
Click here for printable recipe.
Makes 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
6 green cardamom pods
One 1-inch-long piece cinnamon stick
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
4 dried red chile peppers
One 2-inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy cream or lowfat yogurt
1/4 cup plain, lowfat yogurt, whisked smooth
1/4 cup golden raisins
4 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Basmati rice, for serving
PREPARATION
Heat the ghee or oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and stir-fry the chicken in batches just until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
To the same saucepan add the cardamom, cinnamon, onions, red chiles, ginger, turmeric, and fenugreek leaves. Stir-fry until the spices become aromatic and the onions become soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ricotta cheese and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined. Add the chicken, heavy cream, yogurt, and raisins and slowly bring to a brisk simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the chicken pieces are cooked, about 10 minutes.
Adjust the salt to taste and garnish with mint sprigs. Serve with basmati rice.
Recipe from “Flavors First” by Vikas Khanna, Lake Isle Press, 2011
Chicken and Ricotta Cheese Curry Recipe
from “Flavors First” by Vikas Khanna, Lake Isle Press, 2011
OTHER RECIPES FROM THIS BOOK
Brown Basmati with Caramelized Onions and Broccoli
Brown Lentils and Zucchini with Lime
Cabbage and Mushrooms with Turmeric-Infused Butter
Chicken Tikka Masala
Dill and Cardamom Chicken
Orange-Ginger Chutney Recipe
Spring Onion and Pea Soup
Stir-Fried Potatoes with Green Beans and Mint
Sweet Eggplant Chutney
Yellow Lentils with Turmeric and Ginger
Flavors First draws from celebrated Indian Chef Vikas Khanna's culinary journey from his native India to his experience as a Michelin-starred chef in New York. With entire chapters devoted to every part of an Indian meal (even breads, chutneys, desserts and beverages) and an ingredient and spice glossary that includes tips on handling and storage, Flavors First is an indispensable resource on Indian home cooking.
“Vikas Khanna's enthusiasm for food is so intense that it practically explodes off the page. I could taste the dishes just by reading the recipes.” —Jean-Georges Vongerichten
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