Chicken & Green Bean Curry

It seems I'm so busy lately I barely have anytime to unwind and so I turned my focus to cooking this evening for a change. There is nothing quite like a delicious chicken curry to get your mood up after a long day of schooling. The British Heart Foundation publish some awesome, nutritious recipes on their website and yes you've guessed it; that's where I found this little gem. I'm more than willing to cook up anything curry related, the flavour and aroma keeps me going back for more. I did tweak the recipe a little but this is because of my fussy palate. This chicken & green bean curry is absolutely delightful; a heart warming dish that the whole family can enjoy.

What you need:

• 2 teaspoons sunflower oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1cm (1/2in) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 4-5 teaspoons medium curry powder (I used curry paste)
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (about 300g/10 1/2 oz total weight), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 100ml (3 1/2fl oz) chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons reduced-fat creme fraiche
• 1 teaspoon tomato puree
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) green beans, trimmed and halved or cut into 4cm (1 1/2 in) lengths
• 20g (3/4oz) ground almonds (I'm not a fan of almonds so I din't use these)

I also added:

• 2 chopped carrots
• Spring onions
• Mixed herbs
• a sprinkle of rosemary
• chilli flakes

Recipe from British Heart Foundation

Method: 

1. Heat sunflower oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add onion, fresh ginger and garlic; cook gently for about 5 minutes or until onion begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Stir in curry paste; cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add chicken; cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes or until chicken is lightly coloured all over, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in stock, creme fraiche, tomato puree, rosemary, mixed herbs, chilli flakes and black pepper. Bring to the boil, stirring; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in green beans, spring onions, carrots; cover and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until chicken and beans are cooked and tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in ground almonds; simmer, uncovered, for 1 -2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Garnish with chopped coriander, if desired. Serve with cooked rice.

Bon appetit!

Nokhuthula xo