Curry Chicken Rice with Snow Peas and Mushrooms

Curry Chicken Rice with Snow Peas and Mushrooms

To me this dish is comfort food and it was first taught to me by my mother. When I say taught, I don't mean she actually kept me by her side while she cooked or shared a secret recipe, I mean she made it often enough and I loved it so much that I learned the taste of it.

Since then, I grew up, moved quite a bit, learned of new ingredients, techniques and cultures, and therefore have developed my own version of the Curry Chicken Rice.

Today I share this recipe with you and I really hope you and your family like it as much as I've had since I was a little kid.

Curry Chicken Rice with Snow Peas and Mushrooms

Preparation time: 1hr

Yield: 4 to 5 portions

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of rice (jasmin, basmatti or long grain)
• 500g Cubed chicken meat (preferably dark meat)
• 250g White button mushroom
• 100g Snow peas
• 1 Medium onion - chopped (around 150g)
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp Curry powder 
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Dried basil 
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Freshly grated ginger
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tbsp Chopped parsley 
• 4 tbsp Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 Cups of  warm liquids (water, chicken stock or vegetable stock)

Start by heating the vegetable oil on a deep skillet to medium high. Add the chicken meat, let it quickly brown, remove it from the skillet and set it aside. 

Reset the temperature to medium, add the mushroom and cook it for 5 minutes. Then add the onion and a bit of salt and let it cook until the onion become soft and the mushroom has released moisture. When that happens, add the chicken back to the pan, all spices, seasonings and the garlic, let these cook with the mushrooms and onions for a couple of minutes. 

Throw in the rice into the mixture and stir, making sure the rice is coated with the curry mixture you've created. Add salt and pepper to taste and finally the liquids.

Set the heat to high and wait until it comes to a boil. When that happens, lower it to medium low and let it cook - without a lid - until all water has evaporated. When that happens, turn off the heat, throw in the snow peas and cover the pan. Let the rice rest for at least 15 minutes. In this time the snow peas are going to steam-cook and the rice will work it's final magic. You will then be ready to dig into it! :) 

Ooops.. Don't forget to toss in some chopped parsley before serving it! 

Tips:

• Dark meat is preferable because it can stand longer periods of cooking without becoming dry. Some also find that dark meat is tastier than white meat, but that's a personal preference and you should choose whichever option tastes better for you.
• Chicken or vegetable stock will give you more flavor. If you use store bought stock, please reconsider the amount of salt you'll add, since stocks already contain a considerable amount of it. 
• The quality of your curry powder is of extreme importance to the end result of this dish. You are welcome to use your own mixture or a product you like and are comfortable with. 
• I would rate the spiciness of this recipe as mild. If you like your food more or less hot, you can reduce the amount of red pepper flakes and/or paprika... although I personally don't find the standard paprika hot at all.