Sri Lankan Black Pepper Chicken Curry

Introduction & method

I was shown this recipe by Dan Toombs, The Curry Guy. It's a recipe he picked up in Sri Lanka, and it's not something I've ever heard of before. But it is delicious - mildness and creaminess from coconut milk, and a big wallop of pepper from generous amounts of crushed black peppercorns. It's really easy to make and should be cheap too because it uses chicken wings. Next time you make a curry, try this one.

Sri Lankan Black Pepper Chicken Curry Recipe

About the Chicken

Dan showed me this made with chicken wings, skinless, but on the bone (life's too short to debone a chicken wings). You can use skinless thighs if you wish, but he strongly recommends chicken on the bone because of the flavour it adds.

Make the Curry

Melt the coconut oil (or use rapeseed if you can't get coconut) in a large frying pan or wok on medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom and cloves and cook for a minute. Add the mustard seeds and cook until they've all popped, about a minute. Now add the cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds, then add the finely chopped onion. Cook that for about 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the curry leaves, cook for a minute, then add the green chillies, finely sliced, the sliced green pepper and the sliced onion. Stir well and add the ginger garlic paste. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add canned tomatoes, the Kashmiri chilli powder (ordinary mild chilli powder will do if you can't get Kashmiri), turmeric, ground coriander and ground cumin. Let those cook together for a few minutes, then add the chicken and stir well to get it all coated in the sauce, then pour in the coconut milk. Let it all simmer for about 10 minutes, then add the black pepper and soy sauce. Cook for a few minutes more, and it's done. The sauce will be quite runny - if you prefer a thicker sauce, cook for longer to reduce the liquid.