Creamy Mauritian Chicken Curry

Serves 4
Free
Ready in 45 minutes

Fromage frais is a brilliant ingredient when you want to make a creamy sauce, and it works so well in this curry inspired by the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 12 spring onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp mild or medium curry powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 227g can chopped tomatoes
• 200ml boiling chicken stock
• 8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small chunks
• A handful of fresh or dried curry leaves, plus a few extra to serve
• 200g fat-free natural fromage frais
• Chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Method

1. Place a large non-stick saucepan over a medium-low heat and add the garlic, fresh ginger, nearly all of the spring onions and 2 tbsp water. Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes or until the spring onions are soft.
2. Add the curry powder and ground ginger and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped tomatoes, stock, chicken, squash and curry leaves.
3. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce has reduced and thickened nicely and the chicken and squash are cooked and tender.
4. Take the curry off the heat and leave to cool slightly. Stir in half of the fromage frais and season to taste.
5. Drizzle over the remaining fromage frais and scatter with the coriander, extra curry leaves and remaining spring onions. Serve with rice.

Curry leaves are often available in larger supermarkets now. They have a lovely flavour and are typical of Mauritian cuisine – but if you can’t get any, just leave them out.