Durban Chicken Curry

Durban has one of the largest Indian populations of any city outside India, and the curry cooked there has its own shape: heavy on masala, generous with the gravy, potato in the pot as a matter of course. Bone-in thighs are the pick here because they hold up to a long simmer and leave the gravy with more body than breast will. Heat is the one thing to judge for yourself, so start where you are comfortable and build up next time.

What you need

• 1kg bone-in skinless chicken thighs, halved through the bone (or 1.2kg mixed curry pieces)
• 400g potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and halved, or quartered if large
• 60ml sunflower or canola oil
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 5cm
• 1 star anise
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 sprig fresh curry leaves, about 10 leaves
• 2 large onions (about 350g), finely sliced
• 2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• 3 tbsp Gorima's Kashmiri Extra Special Masala
• 1 tsp Gorima's Romborossi Sting Masala, optional, for a hotter curry
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 3 ripe tomatoes (about 300g), grated, or 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp salt, plus a pinch for the onions
• 250ml water, plus 2 tbsp for the masala
• Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• Steamed basmati rice or roti, to serve
• Mrs Ball's Original Recipe Chutney, to serve

Method

1. Pat the chicken dry and leave it on a plate while you work. Peel the potatoes, cut them into large chunks and keep them in a bowl of cold water so they do not discolour.
2. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium until it shimmers.
3. Cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and curry leaves go in first. Thirty seconds is enough. The leaves will crackle and the whole kitchen will smell of it.
4. Tip in the onions with a pinch of salt. Braise them, stirring often, for 12 to 15 minutes, until they collapse and turn a deep even gold.
5. Stir the ginger and garlic paste through and give it a minute, until the raw edge on the smell has burnt off.
6. Turn the heat down to low before the masala goes near the pot, or it will scorch and go bitter. Add the masala, the Romborossi Sting if you want the heat, the turmeric and 2 tablespoons of water, then stir without stopping for 60 to 90 seconds.
7. Grated tomato next, along with the 2 tsp salt. Back up to medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and oil pools around the edges.
8. Add the chicken and turn every piece through the masala. Five minutes of stirring gets the outsides firm and opaque.
9. Drain the potatoes and add them with the 250ml water. Bring it to a simmer, put the lid on and leave it over low heat for 20 minutes.
10. Take the lid off and stir gently from the base so nothing catches. Another 10 to 15 minutes uncovered, until a knife goes into the potato with no resistance and the gravy has thickened.
11. Taste for salt and adjust. Stir the coriander through, put the lid back on and let the pot stand off the heat for 10 minutes before you serve.
12. Serve with basmati rice or roti and a spoon of Mrs Ball's chutney on the side.

Worth knowing

• The onions are done when there is no white left in them and they have shrunk to about a third of their raw volume. If they start to catch, splash in a little water and scrape the base clean.
• If it comes out hotter than you want, do not water it down. A spoon of plain yoghurt or Mrs Ball's chutney on the side of each plate does more, and next time hold back the Romborossi Sting.
• Durban gravy should coat the back of a spoon rather than run off it. Thin gravy usually just needs a few more minutes uncovered, or mash one of the cooked potatoes into the pot and stir it through.
• Carrot and chilli sambals are the usual side, with sliced banana for anyone at the table who wants something cooling. For a bunny chow, hollow out half a loaf of white bread and fill it with the curry.
• Day two is better. Cool it quickly, refrigerate, then reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen the gravy.