A hollowed-out loaf overflowing with fragrant chicken curry, with melting potatoes and a spicy red sauce that soaks the crumb. Generous, warming, and true to the street-food spirit of Durban, in a version doable with products found in France.
Ingredients
- 4 pieces round white loaf or wide half-baguettes
- 650 g boneless chicken
- 600 g waxy potatoes
- 400 g crushed tomatoes
- 2 pieces yellow onions
- 2 tbsp Durban curry or hot curry powder
- 25 g fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 300 ml water
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- to taste fresh chili or chili powder
- to taste fine salt
- to taste ground black pepper
- 1 piece lemon
- 0.5 bunches fresh cilantro
Method
- Thinly slice the onion, grate the ginger, mince the garlic, cut the chicken into even pieces, and dice the potatoes; everything must be ready before turning on the heat.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven, then sauté the onion with a pinch of salt until it becomes supple, golden on the edges, and frankly sweet on the nose.
- Add the garlic, ginger, curry, and bay leaf; stir without letting it burn, until the spices strongly perfume the kitchen and stick slightly to the bottom.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and cook, stirring, until you get a darker, thicker, and glossy base, with a cooked rather than raw tomato smell.
- Add the chicken and coat it in the spiced base until the pieces lose their raw look on all sides.
- Add the potatoes, then pour in enough water to partially cover; partially cover and simmer until the sauce thickens and the potatoes easily crush under the tip of a knife.
- Uncover and continue cooking if the sauce seems too fluid: it should coat the back of a spoon, stay juicy, and be able to soak the bread without instantly turning it to mush.
- Adjust the salt, pepper, and chili, then add a splash of lemon off the heat; the curry should be hot, deep, slightly tart, and spicy enough to wake up the bread.
- Hollow out the loaves, keeping a thick bottom, and reserve the removed crumb for dipping; briefly warm the bread if needed, until the crust is supple but not dry.
- Generously fill each loaf with the piping hot curry, sprinkle with fresh cilantro, and serve immediately with the reserved crumb and lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 511.6 kcal
- Protein
- 45.35 g
- Carbohydrate
- 47 g
- Fat
- 15.38 g
- Fibre
- 8.62 g
- Calcium
- 58.64 mg
- Iron
- 2.26 mg
- Magnesium
- 29.26 mg
