EMMA DINIZ RYAN

LONDON

Emma Diniz Ryan is a British born food writer and chef with Indian roots, the maternal side of her family hailing from Betalbatim in Goa. Emma resides in London where she completed her culinary training at the world renowned Leiths School. While training as a chef during the pandemic, Emma began to explore the cuisine of her Goan heritage and wrote and illustrated a cookbook of Goan recipes which she plans to publish next year. Currently she writes an online food publication about Goan cuisine and is soon to launch her own brand of Goan curry spice blends, all under the brand name “Yesterday’s Curry”. Her aim is to put Goan food on the map and bring the underrepresented cuisine of her heritage more into the mainstream, especially where she lives in the UK. When not writing about and cooking Goan food, Emma works as a freelance recipe developer and chef in London.

GOAN GREEN CHICKEN CURRY

This medium spiced Goan curry is one of my favourite chicken curries to introduce people to Goan cuisine. In the UK, Goan cuisine is very underrepresented and not very well known beyond the famous fish curry. My Goan green chicken curry is flavoured mainly with coriander, which imparts its vibrant green colour and is gently flavoured with a blend of warming spices which are typical in Goan cooking. Perfect for a cold evening, this creamy curry tastes even better cooked a day in advance and its aromatic sauce is soaked up perfectly by Goan pão.

INGREDIENTS

2 small green finger chillies 50g fresh coriander and 1 small handful for garnish 6 garlic cloves 1 inch piece of ginger 4 cloves 6 black peppercorns 1 inch piece of cinnamon 1 tsp cumin seeds ½ tsp turmeric 200ml water 1 onion, finely diced 2 tomatoes, finely diced 200ml thick coconut milk 2 tsp jaggery 2 tsp vinegar ½ tsp salt 1kg skinless chicken thigh fillets and drumsticks

Marinade

½ tsp salt ½ tsp turmeric 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste

Method

Combine the chicken with the marinade ingredients and leave covered in the fridge for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight. In a powerful blender, combine coriander, chillies, garlic cloves, ginger, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cumin seeds, turmeric and 100ml water until you have a very thin paste. In a large shallow pan, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and sweat the diced onion and tomato, with a pinch of salt, for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the marinated chicken to the pan, stir to combine everything together and cover with a lid. Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the green masala to the chicken with 100ml water, stir to combine, add the sugar, vinegar and salt and simmer for another 10 minutes, covered with a lid. Add coconut milk and cook for a further 5 minutes with the lid off to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Serve with rice or pão, topped with chopped fresh coriander.

by EMMA DINIZ RYAN