The highly spiced coconut sauce here is so good, you’ll want to slather it on anything! And it’s a great and adaptable medium for cooking other proteins—not just chicken. Try cubes of lamb, fish fillets, or chunks of pork. Or, if you prefer boneless chicken breasts to thighs, use them here, pressure-cooking them for 2 minutes instead of 4.When serving, tell your guests to be aware of the cardamom pods so they don’t accidentally bite into one—or use the ground cardamom instead. And note that brands of garam masala vary in terms of their chile content, so some are hotter than others. If you’re unsure how hot your mix is, add it gradually to the pot, tasting as you go.
Notes
Cook it Slow Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or low for 4 to 5 hours, adding the coconut milk, if using, during the last hour.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 ripe tomatoes - halved through their equators
- 3 tablespoons ghee - or unsalted butter, or safflower oil
- 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- 2 cups finely chopped onions
- 6 garlic cloves - grated on a Microplane or minced
- 2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 3-inch cinnamon stick - or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 cardamom pods - lightly crushed with the flat side of a knife, or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs - cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 to 2 teaspoons garam masala - to taste
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- cooked basmati rice - for serving (optional)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro - for serving (optional)
- plain yogurt - for serving (optional)
- dried coconut - strips or shredded, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the tomatoes
- Set a box grater over a bowl. Starting with their cut sides, grate the tomatoes through the large holes of the box grater so the tomato pulp falls into the bowl. Discard the skins. Measure out 2 cups of tomato puree.
Sauté the aromatics and spices
- Using the sauté function, heat the ghee and the coconut oil in the pressure cooker.
- Stir in the onions and cook, stirring often to encourage even browning, until they are caramelized, 12 to 18 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds; cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cinnamon and cardamom and cook for another minute.
- Then stir in the coriander, salt, turmeric, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and finally the tomato puree.
Pressure cook
- Add the chicken to the sauce, cover, and cook on low pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
Finish & serve
- If the sauce seems too thin, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a bowl and then simmer the sauce on the sauté setting until it has thickened to taste (note that the coconut milk, if you are using it, will thin the sauce down further).
- Stir in the garam masala, and the coconut milk if using, and let the curry sit for 20 minutes for the flavors to meld.
- Serve over rice, topped with the cilantro and yogurt, if desired.