Curry Chicken with Eggplant
A Guyanese recipe submitted by Lennox Wegman
Behind the Dish
In Georgetown, where Lennox grew up, he learned to cook by watching his mother. She used to say, “Learn to do things for yourself because some day you’re going to be on your own.” His mother didn’t sit down to teach him how to cook. Instead, he would look to see what she was doing and, as time went by, he learned to cook.
Lennox’s mother would go to the market every day. For this everyday dish she would buy a fresh chicken, bring it home and prepare it. She didn’t use vinegar, as Lennox does now. Instead, she used lime or lemon juice, since limes and lemons are in plentiful supply in Guyana. Sometimes she would use greens, like cabbage or collard greens, instead of eggplant. For a special touch on Sunday, she might serve fried plantains on the side, or maybe a little macaroni and cheese.
Ingredients
1 package whole chicken, cut up
Apple cider vinegar
All Purpose seasoning
Masala Curry Powder, found in Asian food markets, or substitute with Jamaican Curry Powder
Black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium size globe eggplant, about 1 ½ lbs, cut into cubes
Directions
Rinse the chicken parts, place in bowl and cover with water.
Add 4 capfuls of apple cider vinegar to the water.
Soak the chicken in water for about 1 hour.
Remove the chicken from the water and discard the water.
Season the chicken with:
All Purpose seasoning
Pepper
Masala or Jamaican Curry Powder
Put the seasoned chicken in a bowl with:
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 chopped onion
Let this chicken mixture sit for about 45 minutes.
In the meantime, wash and cube the eggplant, keeping the skin on.
After about 45 minutes, heat oil in a large frying pan, set to medium/high.
Fry the chicken for about 10 - 15 minutes so that it is partially cooked.
Add the cubed eggplant to the chicken. Lower the heat and put the lid on the frying pan.
When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, and the cubes of eggplant are soft, the dish is ready to serve.