Pineapple in a curry? Are you mad? That was the reaction of my wife when I told her what was on the menu in midweek. Yep, guilty as charged. Trust me, love. Im a housedad!
This amazing chicken dhansak comes from the formidable Dan Toombs aka The Curry Guy. His recipes have NEVER let me down, and since I made a huge batch of his British Indian Restaurant Curry Sauce, Ive been keeping my wife (and my bank balance) happy with a conveyor belt of amazing curries.
This is the latest with that secret and controversial ingredient pineapple.
Dan says: œMany curry house chicken dhansak curries have pineapple in them. My daughter loves this but Im not that keen. Ill let you decide whether you include the fruit or not.
Serves 4
4 chicken breasts, pre-cooked
2 tbsp ghee
4 cloves garlic smashed to a paste
2.5 cm ginger finely cut and smashed to a paste
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp good quality curry powder
1 tbsp cumin powder 1 tbsp chilli powder (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp tomato paste
250ml red split lentils (rinsed and cook until soft about 30 minutes)
750ml curry gravy
3 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
Salt and pepper
100ml pineapple juice (optional)
3 pineapple rings cut into pieces (optional)
1. Heat the ghee/oil over medium heat.
2. Throw in the ginger and garlic pastes along with the turmeric and let sizzle for about 30 seconds. The turmeric will become darker as you do this.
3. Now add the cumin, curry powder, chilli powder and tomato paste.
4. Stir to combine before adding the curry gravy, cooked lentils and chicken pieces and heat through.
5. To finish, stir in the pineapple juice and/or pineapple pieces if using. Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve immediately. Chicken dhansak goes very well with plain white rice and naans.
