Chicken curry (Bangalore-style)

Type: Main meal — heavier · Typical slot: Lunch (also works as dinner) · Time: 35 min · Lunch-friendly: yes (flavors deepen overnight) · Batch: yes

A South Indian / Bangalore-style chicken curry using yogurt + tomato base (no coconut milk). Tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and fenugreek. Tamarind adds the characteristic sour-tangy note.

Ingredients (4 servings — 2 lunches × 2 people)

• 600g chicken thighs, boneless skinless, cut in chunks
• 2 tbsp neutral oil or ghee (30g)
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 15 curry leaves (fresh if possible)
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
• 2 large onions, finely chopped (~300g)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 30g fresh ginger, grated
• 2 green chilies, slit (optional, adjust to heat tolerance)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
• 200g full-fat yogurt (curd), whisked smooth — replaces the coconut milk
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste (or 1 tsp tamarind concentrate)
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder (or Kashmiri for color, less heat)
• 1 tsp garam masala (added at the end)
• Salt
• Cilantro to finish
• Rice: 280g basmati uncooked → ~840g cooked. Split per serving: 220g G / 110g Harshitha.

Method

1. Temper. Heat oil/ghee in heavy pot over medium-high. Add mustard seeds — wait 20 seconds until they pop. Immediately add curry leaves (they’ll splutter — stand back) and fenugreek seeds. 10 seconds. Don’t let fenugreek burn or it turns bitter.
2. Brown the chicken. Add chicken in batches, 3 min/side, remove to a plate. (If skipping for speed, skip step 2 — the curry is fine without browning; just add raw chicken at step 4.)
3. Onions. Same pot: onions, 7–8 min until deep golden. Add garlic, ginger, green chilies, 1 min.
4. Dry spices + tomato. Add coriander powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder. Toast 30 sec. Add tomato paste + crushed tomatoes + tamarind paste. Simmer 5 min until tomato loses raw edge.
5. Return chicken. Add chicken back, stir, cover, simmer 12–15 min until chicken is cooked through (74°C internal).
6. Yogurt — off the boil. Turn heat to low. Whisk the yogurt smooth in a bowl first (prevents splitting). Temper it by stirring in 2 tbsp of hot curry sauce, then add the tempered yogurt back to the pot while stirring constantly. Simmer gently 3–4 min — do not boil or the yogurt will split. If it does split, it still tastes fine, texture just gets grainy.
7. Finish. Off heat. Stir in garam masala, salt to taste, cilantro. Rest 10 min before serving — flavors settle.
8. Cook rice while curry simmers (rinse, 1:1.5 rice:water, 12 min covered, 10 min rest).

Macros (per person, per serving)

Portion split (what to weigh per person)

Notes

• Yogurt timing matters. If you’re batch-cooking in an instant pot, add the yogurt AFTER pressure release, not before. Pressure + yogurt = split, grainy texture. See batch-cooking playbook for the exact instant pot sequence.
• Tamarind substitute: 1 tbsp tamarind paste = 1 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tsp dark brown sugar (in a pinch). Not the same depth, but works.
• Curry leaves: fresh make a noticeable difference. Frozen is fine. Dried is last resort — use double the amount.
• Heat: green chilies + chili powder together can be assertive. Start with 1 chili and ½ tsp chili powder, scale up next time.
• Reheats better than day 1. Make it the night before if you can — the yogurt mellows and the tamarind integrates.