Roger Mooking’s authentic curry chicken roti
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh Parsley
- 3/4 cup fresh Cilantro
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Peppercorn
- 6 skinless, bone-in Chicken Thighs (about 2.5 pounds /1.2 kilograms), each thigh cut into 3 pieces
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 6 Garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 cooking Onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons mild Curry Powder (Lalah's brand recommended)
- 2 cups low-sodium Chicken Stock
- 2 1/2 cups peeled and diced White Potato (about 1 large)
- 1 can (19 ounces/540 milliliters) Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- Kosher Salt to taste
FOR ROTI ASSEMBLY & SERVING
- Wax Paper
- Dhal Puri roti skins*
- Curry Chicken, above
- Hot Sauce to taste (Yellow Caribbean-style Scotch Bonnet sauce recommended)
- Paper Bags
Directions
- In a food processor, combine cilantro, parsley, garlic, Worcestershire, oil, salt and pepper. Pulse until mixture is a fragrant paste; there should still be very small pieces of herbs visible. Evenly coat chicken thighs with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour, ideally overnight for best flavour.
- In a large pot, bring coconut oil to medium high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until very dark golden brown, about seven to eight minutes. Add curry powder and cook out for a minute, then add chicken pieces, including the marinade.
- Let moisture from the marinade cook out slightly, allowing the chicken to sear, about three to four minutes each side.
- Add chicken stock, gently scraping bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to lift up any delicious browned bits. Bring mixture up to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes before adding in diced potatoes.
- Return to a simmer for another 15 minutes, then add chickpeas, stir and simmer uncovered for a final 20 minutes. To thicken up the curry slightly, smash a few of the chickpeas and potatoes with a fork against the side of the pot and fold back into the sauce.
- Simmer a few minutes longer to let it all come together. Check seasoning, adding salt to taste. Keep warm for roti assembly.
FOR ROTI ASSEMBLY & SERVING
- Time to assemble! For each serving, place a roti skin on top of an equal-sized square of wax paper. Scoop a generous amount of curry chicken (about three pieces of chicken, with an even amount of potatoes, chickpeas and sauce) onto the centre of the roti skin.
- Season with hot sauce to taste.
- Next, fold over the left side of the circle, like wrapping a present, then the right, followedby the top and bottom edges, forming a squat, firmly packed rectangle. Confidently flip your filled roti, seam-side down on the wax paper.
- Roll the paper up firmly, folding the open ends in to seal. Place the whole package into a paper bag. You're all set to enjoy a taste of Trinidad!