Indian cooking like its culture is diverse and flavorful. The type of oils and spices we use differ from region to region. Since 2014 I have been living in different cities of India and Canada, which gave me the opportunity to interact with different people and learn about their cooking techniques and spices they use.

Even a simple chicken curry can taste completely different if we change a spice or two. Hence, I have named this curry, the chicken curry as it gives an idea of a basic chicken curry and how we can alter different spices to adjust and make our own signature curry.

Like any common chicken curry, chopped onion, ginger garlic paste and chopped tomatoes were sauteed in oil. A paste of cumin powder, coriander powder,salt turmeric powder and red chilli powder was added to the mix and cooked for some more time. After that chicken was added to the mix and cooked till the oil separated.

Next comes the addition of garam masala. It is a mix of different aromatic spices which gives the curry its distinct taste. Although a bengali garam masala has spices like bayleaf, cinnamon stick, and cardamom, I have added star anise in the mixture. While living in Trivandrum, I saw the use of star anise in everyday Malayali (from the state of Kerala, southern part of India) cooking and how it adds a sweet and spicy taste to the curry.

Finally we can add water depending on our required consistency. I hope this curry inspires someone who is skeptical of trying Indian cooking. As you can see I have not mentioned any specific measurement or quantities as Indian cooking is all about feelings and your own taste buds.