My Grandmother’s Yellow Curry Chicken & Perfect Rice

Yellow Curry Chicken is probably the foundation of Indian cooking. The Armenian lineage in my family spans at least five generations, yet somehow a curry recipe has made its way into my family.

My grandfather liked to tease my grandmother all the time, especially about her cooking. She took great pride and care in making classic dishes.

She would bring a big pot of old fashioned stew to the table and he would pipe up, “You know, Vilik, the neighbor’s wife adds these nice, plump chickpeas to her stew.” My grandmother would just dismiss it, saying the neighbor’s wife’s had no flavor.

One Sunday night, at our usual family gathering, my mother made a delicious creamy yellow curry chicken. My grandfather turned to his Mrs and said, “You should ask Mary for the recipe,” to which she replied, “Edward, I gave her the recipe!“

When I crave curry, I go home to Mom. Her yellow curry is exactly what I want. Mild, aromatic with a subtle tang from the yogurt and sweetness from caramelized onions, it is an unusual recipe in that the sauce incorporates an egg. It comes together quickly, making it ideal for busy weeknights. There is no long list of exotic ingredients. It’s so elegantly simple and delicious, you can make it tonight.

Armenians and Persians put either potatoes or bread under the rice while it’s cooking to prevent the rice from becoming crispy. That irresistibly crunchy, buttery thingo at the bottom is then dubbed TAHDIG. Yes, it has a name and it tastes like sheer heaven. Some restaurants even serve just the sauce the bread, nixing the rice altogether, which isn’t fair, because rice is big in the Middle East. Fluffy, long grains of white deliciousness drenched in butter often steal the show. The trick to making Mom’s perfect rice is in the technique, starting with a proper rinse to remove the starch.

My Grandmother’s Yellow Curry Chicken

Serves: 4
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Ingredients
Rice
2 cups basmati rice
5-6 cups of water
2 Tb salt
1 big pita bread slice
1 stick butter

Sauce
2 onions, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tb flour
1 free-range egg
32 oz or 4 cups yogurt
2 lbs free-range chicken
2 heaping Tb curry powder
2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt & pepper to taste
1 Tb curry paste (optional)

Instructions
Start the basmati rice.
Fill a bit pot with water, add a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil.Meanwhile, rinse rice really well. The water should be clear. Removing the starch makes the rice cook up really fluffy.

Once the water starts boiling, add the rice, give it a stir, put the lid on and cook 10-15 mins.

Put the pot lid over the pita and trace around it a knife.
Drizzle olive oil at the bottom of the pot and nestle pita into the pot.
Transfer par-cooked rice over the bread, put the lid on and set pot over very gentle heat.

Steam another 15 mins, then top with knobs of butter for a silky finish.
Rice will be ready in another 10 mins.
Place

Peel, chop and brown onions in a bit of olive oil with NO seasoning.
Mince garlic and set aside for 10 mins.

Once starts to brown, stir constantly to avoid burning.
Add chopped garlic, add cook chicken, continue to fry.
Season with turmeric, salt and pepper.
Set aside.

Now make curry sauce.
Blend egg with flour, then add yogurt.
Heat gently, stirring constantly to a bubble.Pour over chicken mixture, stir, add a small knob of butter
and simmer on very low heat.
Add a Tb of curry paste to amp up the flavor (optional).
If too thick, add water or chicken stock.Serve with fluffy rice!

No one really knows where my grandmother Vilik got t

he recipe. None of my research has turned up anything remotely similar. In the recipes that I have read, the egg is an unusual addition and the technique of adding the salt at the very end is often left unsaid. Mom’s yellow curry is a family treasure that I plan on passing on to my little Daisy. Once you taste it, you’ll find yourself craving more. It’s even better the next day when the ingredients have had time to soak up each other’s flavors nicely. Leftovers freeze beautifully.

On my drive in to the office today, I had a bowl of leftover curry sitting in the passenger seat next to me. I hadn’t had my coffee yet, nor anything to eat. It was 7:30 in the morning and all I could think about was getting to the office just to have a taste.

Last night, I made some more fluffy white rice and added some roasted noodles (reshteh) to it just to make my lunch fancy. Sadly, my grandparents are long gone and the tradition of family night on Sundays is sporadic now. When we do gather, this luscious yellow curry keeps the happy memories alive and today, it made my cubicle feel like home, at least for a bit while, as Daisy says.

Comments

Sharon says

March 3, 2016 at 18:02

Thank you! I love indian food , I will make it fir tomorrow night ?
sippitysup says

March 4, 2016 at 11:31

I can’t quite tell from the pictures, but I’ve had curry with egg beaten into the hot sauce that makes stringy strands throughout (think egg drop soup). Is this similar to that? Either way. This is something to give a try. GREG
- colettezabo says
  
  March 4, 2016 at 12:52
  
  The egg is cooked into the sauce by stirring constantly to achieve a creamy texture.
  Hope you try this one! xo
Linda says

March 4, 2016 at 17:11

Made this tonight, is wonderful – thank you for posting! I added a handful of sliced almonds as well.
TheKitchenLioness says

March 5, 2016 at 11:13

Dear Colette, unfortunately I do not seem to have too many recipes at all from my grand-mother, which is a pity, really. Such a nice post written with such love throughtout and a wonderful family-style recipe too boot. Love all about this – keep those posts coming, dear friend.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful weekend,
Andrea
lorita says

June 2, 2021 at 23:09

This is my grandma’s recipe too! This was a staple in our Armenian family gatherings (and still is). Can’t wait to make it!
- colettezabo says
  
  June 3, 2021 at 06:56
  
  That’s great to hear! Let me know what you think!
Ani says

March 14, 2022 at 08:29

Dear Colette,
This was something I ate as a child at my grandmas home. I recently asked her for the recipe and she said “I’ll make it for you.” Lol, she just won’t share it. After the searching the internet I finally found your page. I’m so thankful! I too don’t know many people who know this dish… perhaps they grew up in a specific neighborhood where this was a common dish. Regardless, thank you for sharing!