Mid-Week Dinner Party: Family-Style Curry & Rice

My buddy Patrick works in Sudan and is back in Cape Town for a little R&R. Mel and I invited Patrick and his better half, Marieta, around for a little dinner and conversation.

I was looking for a low-stress, quick & easy meal to serve as it is no joke getting home from the office at 5:30pm and having guests arrive at 6:30pm. I turned to an old friend - Ina Paarman - and her magic, ready to serve sauce.

Ingredients:
4x Ina Paarman's Creamy Curry Sauce (R9.95 each)
3x Packs of Chicken Breasts, sliced (Approx R16 each)
1/2 Package of 10 Poppadums (R17.95)
1 cup Basmati Rice
Seasoning (Salt, Paprika & Chicken Spice)
2T Olive Oil

Method:

The Curry
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan
2. Season the chicken and add to the saucepan.
3. Cook the chicken for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Add the creamy curry sauce and bring up to a simmer.
5. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
6. Turn off the heat - ready to serve.


The Rice
1. Pre-soak the Basmati Rice in cold water
2. In a saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil - add a pinch of salt to the water
3. Drain the rice and rinse with more cold water, draining again.
4. Add rice to the boiling water & wait for it to come up to a boil.
5. Put a lid on and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Drain rice in a colander. Place a small amount of water back in the saucepan on the stove, place the colander on top and cover with a lid - Steam for a further 10 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat - ready to serve.

The Poppadums:
1. Lightly oil both sides with sunflower oil.
2. Pop in the microwave for 45 sec.

Serve with a green salad. This comfortably feeds 6 adults.

The wine: Rule of thumb - Sweeter wines offer relief from spicy foods!