We’ve had a cool start to summer, it’s been more of an extended spring. I’m not complaining as it meant I could make a late seasonal curry with some local farm chicken.

I tried slow roasting one of these chickens, but the good outdoor life made them strong, tough and healthy, just like chickens should be! Tasty but a tad chewy!

In South Africa we call these chickens “scratchy fowls” meaning they have had a free happy life, scratching in the fields for bugs. Nothing happier than the a vision of a happy scratching fowl roaming free!

So, as buttermilk tenderises chicken meat beautifully,

you will add two cups of buttermilk to a long slowly simmered curry and end up with “fall off the bone” chicken and your house will be fragrant with delicious spices.

I started this curry at 1pm and it was ready for early dinner. With quarantine measures still in place and our “work from home” situation, it makes for quality slow cooked food prepped at lunch time and ready for dinner.

Let’s get into it.

You will need:

• 1 cut up chicken or pack of 8 pieces
• 1 stick butter or 4 oz
• 1 very large onion or 2 medium
• 6 tablespoons of curry or if you make your own curry and first toast your spices like I like to, go ahead and do that (I made 3 heaped tbl each: chilli powder, cumin, turmeric, ginger, hing, with curry leaves, cardamom pods, whole cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, anise seed pod and lime leaves)
• 1/2 head of garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
• 1 thumb ginger, peeled sliced
• 5 peppers
• Snap peas, about 20
• Heaped handful cherry tomatoes (don’t cut them!)
• 2 large zucchini, sliced
• 1 small sweet potato (can be omitted) diced
• 2 cups buttermilk

1. Toast your spices then add the stick of butter when spices are ready or heat your butter to bubbling then add curry powder and stir in
2. Add diced onion and infuse with spices, cook until just beginning to get translucent
3. Add chicken pieces, resting on top of onion layer.
4. Pour over 2 cups buttermilk, turn stove right down to very gentle simmer, place lid on pot and let simmer 30 to 40 minutes.
5. (I usually add more curry spices at this buttermilk stage as I like spicy curry … your call)
6. After simmering with the lid on about 45 minutes to an hour, turn off pot to let chicken rest, then …
7. … Prep your veggies as you like them cut up
8. Add to pot
9. Add garlic and fresh ginger
10. Start up pot again to slow simmer, gently stir in veg, place lid on and leave to simmer another 30 to 45 minutes
11. Then remove pot lid and let simmer very gently about 20 to 30 minutes until ready to serve (this lets excess moisture steam off and gravy thicken)
12. Turn off to let curry rest as you prepare your table for serving, at least 15 minutes of rest time.

It’s good and worth the wait. If this chicken is not fall off the bone tender, it’s not been cooked slowly and gently enough!

Chicken curry process pics:

ginger, so sooo good

I like to leave the cherry tomatoes whole as they pop in your mouth when you eat the curry.

I baked my sweetie some good old South African raisin rusks that I’ve mentioned before. Definitely not keto but a pic is below. I added a cup of hazelnut flour and he really enjoyed them! If anyone wants the recipe just let me know. Rusks drying in the oven and then boxed for eating!

Vinny with a blep.

In honour of Vinny’s blep, I painted these Dungeons and Dragons mimic chest miniatures. If you’re a Dark Souls fan like me, you’ll definitely remember your first mimic chest you encounter in the video game! These should be finished this weekend as I need to do the colour wash lowlights and varnish seal. They are teeny tiny, the size of a thumb joint. (I work with a magnifier.)

Please enjoy this delicious spice cake failure held together with coffee cream cheese icing! LOL!

One day I’ll either butter a pan correctly or remember to use parchment paper so the cakes don’t stick. Sigh.

Lastly, my partner finished a long and involved project of lovely hemlock wood corners on all the corners of the walls of our house. An arduous and involved process but it looks so cool!

Wishing you a safe and enjoyable July 4th.