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Chicken Lentil Curry

This recipe was created by: Serena Caner for Shuswap Food Action Society
Yield:   50
Serving Size:   490 mL bowls (250mL rice/240mL curry)
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Ingredients

  • 5 kg (25 cups) raw basmati rice
  • 4.5 kg whole chickens (about 3 chickens) roasted & shredded (can also use breasts and thighs)
  • 750 ml dried red lentils, rinsed*

*for vegetarian version, omit chicken and increase lentils to 6 cups.

Sauce:

  • 180 ml vegetable oil
  • 60 ml garam masala
  • 25 ml curry powder
  • 25 ml cumin powder
  • 60 ml ginger, minced
  • 60 ml garlic, minced
  • 3 ml cinnamon
  • 700 g or 5.5 cups onions, diced
  • 500 g (6-8 carrots) diced
  • 2.2 kg or 25 medium tomatoes (4- 28 oz cans whole tomatoes)
  • 30 ml  salt * or to taste
  • 3 L reserved stock or water
  • 1.25 L coconut milk or cream (33% MF)
  • 600 g spinach

 

 

Method

Step 1:

Rice: Cook rice according to the directions on packaging.

Step 2:

Chicken: Preheat oven to 350° F/180° C. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and ½ tsp turmeric and roast in the oven for 1.5-2  hours. Alternatively, place chicken in an Instant pressure cooker with 1 cup chicken stock and cook high for 7 mins per pound. Allow natural release** 15 minutes before removing. Check internal temperature. Reserve stock. (This step can also be done the day before).

Step 3

Sauce: Heat oil. Add spices and saute onions until translucent, add garlic and fry for another 5 min. Add ginger. Add tomatoes and salt. Fry 5-10 minutes until tomatoes break down. Use immersion blender to puree until smooth (if using blender, ensure mixture has cooled and lid is sealed. Steam could cause the lid to come off, releasing contents).

Step 4

Add stock, and lentils, bring to boil and simmer until lentils are soft (15 minutes). Stir in coconut milk and chicken. Serve on top of rice.

 

**A natural release of a pressure cooker  is when you let the pressure release slowly on its own at the end of the cooking time, without pushing a pressure release button.  This can take 10-30 minutes.

HACCP

  • Cook chicken until internal temperature reaches 82° C (for whole chicken) and 74˚C for chicken pieces for a minimum of 15 secs. 
  • Cooling: cut cooked chicken into smaller pieces to ensure quick cooling. Cool in the fridge: from 74° C to 20° C in 2 hours AND from 20° C to 4° C within the next 4 hours.  If not achieved, throw out.
  • Cold Holding: When cooled to 4° C, cover and store at 4° C.  If more than 4° C for 2 hours, throw out.
  • Reheating: Reheat to 74° C in less than 2 hours.  If reheating takes more than 2 hours, throw out.
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