Most Western chefs use raw yogurt for sweets or beverages. Many Indian chefs use it as a souring agent to tenderize meat. It uses as a basis for softly textured curries. In India, people use it in sweets and to make homemade buttermilk.
Once, yogurt is fully mixed… Only step left is to add chicken, water and then cook until chicken is fully cooked and gravy is thick. I complete this step in variety to vessels. In instant pot pressure cooker, slow cooker, dutch oven or simple heavy bottom deep sauce pan too. The time taken is usually same as time taken to cook the chicken in any of these.
To make chicken curry, I start by grating the base mother sauce ingredients. Mother curry sauce or masala is grated mixture of onion, garlic, ginger and green chili. It is not a paste but coarse grated mix which is sauted in oil or clarified butter until oil shows on sides and onion, garlic are lite golden brown. These mild caramelized bits of onion give subtle sweetness to the curry. In this brown mixture, grated tomatoes are cooked until they fully disintegrate. This cooked mixture of onion and tomatoes – a.k.a mother curry sauce can be prepared up-to one week in advance.
**Yogurt Use Note Please dont use regular watery sour yogurt for this curry. It will curdle. Yogurt should be thick Greek yogurt which is not very sour. If you are not sure about yogurt use or afraid it will curdle.. Use half yogurt and half cream and mix it in last step after the curry is ready.
After sauting the spices, the star ingredient – yogurt is added. Mostly, yogurt is hung or allowed to drain while masala cooks. This removes water content from yogurt leaving behind thick and creamy, whey like yogurt. I usually use Greek yogurt because it is closest and ready-to-use match of hung-curd (yogurt). I add yogurt in small batches and mix well after every addition to avoid curdling.
Now, every restaurant has a different definition of chicken curry and thats what locals in that area are known too. Actually, even in India, every region has local variation of chicken curry. Yogurt based curry is, by-far, the most popular and authentic chicken curry of Northern India… where in South, coconut milk or tamarind is used as main substitute for yogurt.
What Type of Yogurt do We Use in Indian Cooking?
Commonly, Indian people use yogurt in cooking. This type is called ‘Dahi,’ which uses Indian cuisine. It adds a creamy and light texture to the dishes without weighing them down. Further, it is a sourcing agent and helps tenderize the meat. We make Dahi from curdled milk. It is sourer and thicker than yogurt. So, it is the perfect addition to curries and other savory dishes. At Little India of Denver, we add this type of yogurt to make curries tastier and more delicious. Preparation: You can easily make dahi at home. For this, you need to add a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. Allow it to sit until it thickens.
yogurt chicken curry | chicken curry with Greek yogurt | easy chicken curry recipe
What kind of yogurt should I use for curries?
The best sort of yogurt to use is full-fat Greek yogurt when making curries. The distinction between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt is that the Greek yogurt has been strained, removing much of the whey. Straining your yogurt raises the fat content relative to the protein ratio.
What is the healthier substitute of yoghurt?
Around 70% of world’s population suffers from lactose intolerance, which causes difficulty in digesting the proteins found in milk. There are top 5 non dairy alternatives to yoghurt that are well worth trying. 1. Coyo: Coyo is one of the most delicious yoghurt alternatives made of coconut milk. 2. Foroger’s cashewgurt is made with from certified organic, non-GMO, kosher ingredients, free from lactose, soy and gluten. 3. Kite hill almond yoghurt is made from almond milk. 4. Anita’s coconut yoghurt is a coconut based yoghurt alternative that is made in New York with no additives packed with good fat, probiotics and flavor. 5. So delicious dairy free yoghurt is made with coconut milk in a range of flavors.
Can you add yogurt to a curry?
When adding the yogurt to your curry, you want there to be a few differences in temperature as possible to avoid the harmful chemical reaction of curdling. To accomplish this, lower the temperature of your dish by placing it on low heat or even taking it off at medium heat.
What kind of yogurt do you use for chicken yogurt curry?
The organic whole milk yogurt I used for the chicken yogurt curry takes the curry to the next level. I wanted to make a curry similar to a butter chicken, but without all the heavy cream that is traditionally used, so opted to substitute the heavy cream for the organic whole milk yogurt.