Vij's Chicken Curry - One of Vancouver's Finest

Vij's is one of the best places to eat in Vancouver. Indian, pan-Asian progressive, excellent service. No reservations, very few seats. It's a hip and cool place just off Granville on about 13th (I think).

Anyway, Vij is totally into this notion of food and family and kids learning to cook etc. He writes about it often. Today in the Globe and Mail he offers some advice and his family recipe for Chicken Curry. I recommend it to you enthusiastically:

Vij Family's Chicken Curry

What you need

½ cup canola oil

2 cups finely chopped onions (2 large)

3-inch stick of cinnamon

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped ginger

2 cups chopped tomatoes (2 large)

1 tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon garam masala

½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

3 pounds chicken thighs, bone in

1 cup sour cream, stirred

2 cups water

½ cup chopped cilantro (including stems)

What you do

In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat for one minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and sauté for five to eight minutes, until onions are golden. Add garlic and sauté for four more minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne. Cook this masala for five minutes, until the oil separates.

Remove and discard skin from the chicken thighs. Wash thighs and add to the masala. Stir well. Cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes, until the chicken looks cooked on the outside. Add sour cream and water and stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring two or three times, until chicken is completely cooked. Poke the thighs with a knife. If the meat is still pink, cook for five more minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Cool curry for at least half an hour.

Transfer cooked chicken to a mixing bowl. Wearing latex gloves, peel chicken meat off the bones. Discard bones and stir chicken back into the curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly. Stir in cilantro.

Divide curry evenly among six bowls.

Serves 6