February 19th, 2022: Martinique Coconut Chicken Curry (Martinique)

“Our world chicken tour took us to the Caribbean island of Martinique for tonight’s meal: Martinique Coconut Chicken Curry meal. It’s an interesting meal because I’m used to Indian and Korean curries but I’m excited to see how it turns out!

Pre-dinner drink to enjoy while cooking a Malibu Bay Breeze, basically equal parts rum, pineapple and cranberry juice. Yummy. We drank those then listened to Caribbean beach music while we cooked.

The most interesting part of the meal was the curry paste. A mortar and pestle were used to turn mustard seed, fresh garlic, coriander, sea salt and a habanero pepper (no scotch bonnet to be found) into a paste.

The chicken was browned in a little oil, and then onion, eggplant, butternut squash and potato were browned in the same pot. The curry paste was added, Eventually you add the chicken back along with coconut milk, tamarind paste, chicken stock and bay leaves.

It simmers for almost 40-minutes covered, then I took the chicken out, and cooked the sauce down to thicken it and concentrate flavor.

Then I added back the chicken along with fresh mango and papaya, lime juice and rum. You let the fruit warm up and the alcohol cook off.

We served it over coconut rice with some toasted dried coconut as a garnish.

It was a yummy meal filled with umami and flavor. And the curry was mild but quite good. I really enjoyed this.

I’m going to purée the sauce and run it through a sieve to try a variation.”

Chef Chasan Recipe Notes

• Prep Time: 25-minutes
• Total Time: 1-hour 15-minutes
• Serves: 6

Spice Mix

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 to 1 hot red chile, preferably Scotch Bonnet, seeded (wear gloves)
• 1 tsp. sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

• 4 T. sunflower or groundnut oil (peanut)
• 5 chicken pieces, preferably thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 18 oz. butternut squash, peeled and diced into 2-inch cubes
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 eggplant, diced into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 to 3 large white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 small bay leaves
• 1-3/4 c. coconut milk
• 1-1/4 c. chicken bone stock
• 1 T. tamarind paste
• 1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped into 2-inch chunks
• 1 large ripe papaya, peeled and sliced
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 1/2 T. rum or coconut rum (Malibu)

Directions:

1. Using a mortar and pestle, combine the garlic, chile, salt, coriander, mustard seeds, and turmeric, and grind into a paste.
2. Heat 2 T. of the oil in a large ovenproof casserole or heavy-bottomed saucepan. Season the chicken with salt, and black pepper, and brown the pieces on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan, and set aside. Add the remaining oil, and cook the squash, onions, eggplants, and potatoes.
3. Once the vegetables begin to soften and brown, sprinkle in the spice mix, and cook, stirring continuously, for 4-minutes to release the fragrance of the spices. Return the chicken to the casserole dish, and add the bay leaves, coconut milk, chicken stock, and tamarind paste.
4. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 40-minutes. About 5-minutes before serving, stir in the mango, papaya, lime juice, and rum, if using. Stir the mixture to incorporate, then cover, and cook until the fruit is hot. Adjust the salt, and pepper, if necessary, and serve with some boiled rice.