Rezika'S Chicken & Vegetable Curry - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 large brown onions, peeled & finely sliced
1 head garlic, peeled
6 pieces chicken (thighs, drumsticks, breast etc)
2 large potatoes, peeled
1 cup frozen peas
3 inches piece fresh gingerroot, peeled
800 g tinned plum tomatoes (2 x 400g tins)
400 g canned chick-peas
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 -4 teaspoons mild Madras curry powder
6 -7 cups water
salt and black pepper
1 bunch fresh coriander
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

Put the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan, add the onions & cook on a medium heat until they are golden & translucent.
Add the turmeric & curry powder to the pan, followed by the chicken pieces - cook until the chicken is sealed on all sides.
In a food processor, make a paste from the ginger & garlic. Once you have made a smooth paste, add it to the pan & mix well. Cook for 2 minutes.
Liquidize the tinned tomatoes & add them to the pan along with the water. Cover & simmer on a medium heat for 90 minutes - check & stir from time to time - add any extra water if you think it needs it. Add the salt & black pepper.
After 90 minutes, rinse & drain the chickpeas & add them to the pan. Chop the potatoes into cubes approximately 1cm x1cm & add them to the pan.
Cover & simmer again for 20 minutes.
Take your bunch of coriander. Remove 6 large leaves & set aside for your garnish. Roughly chop the remainder.
After 20 minutes cooking, add the frozen peas & 2 tbsp chopped coriander. Cook for 5 minutes.
At this point, the veggies & the chickpeas should be tender. If you would like a thicker sauce, turn up the heat & reduce the sauce - stirring to avoid the curry catching on the bottom of the pan. If you would like more sauce, just add a little stock & a touch more seasoning & curry powder.
If you've used bone-in chicken pieces, you may wish to remove the bones now.
Check the seasoning, adjust if necessary, just before serving add the remainder of the coriander & mix well.
You can also add a teaspoon of freshly ground garam masala at this point if you wish - I generally don't bother though --
My family loves to eat this curry with either basmati rice or freshly made naan & pitta breads, pakoras & poppadoms. I also serve a light cucumber raita & a mixed green salad.