This creamy chicken kalia recipe is a quick and easy chicken curry that contains ingredients such as fresh ginger, spices and unsweetened yogurt! This is a popular dish from the island of Mauritius…
And I bet that you will adore it!
Nope, it is not a chicken korma. It looks a little similar but the ingredients are totally different.
Have you ever heard of this chicken kalia Mauritian recipe?
This easy recipe for chicken kalia is a very good example of how exotic Mauritian cuisine and food really is. That fresh ginger in it for instance is an eye opener!
I would even go as far as to say that it is a chicken and fresh ginger curry.
Mauritian Cuisine
That ginger is amazing here in combination with the yogurt.
Do you know a little bit about Mauritian cuisine?
I love it so much because it is a wild mix of Creole influences, Asian flavors and Indian spices.
The latter is without a doubt responsible for the introduction of (for example) cumin and yogurt in Mauritian cuisine!
This Mauritian yogurt curry is a very mild dish. It is full of flavor but most of all so very easy to prepare. Do you have a powerful blender? Because you need to make a fragrant ginger paste for this chicken kalia curry.
If you love ginger, then you will adore this curry.
Fresh Ginger
Besides it is also very healthy!
Apparently there are a lot of health benefits when it comes to eating or consuming fresh ginger or ginger based products. I love a good fresh ginger tea in the afternoon for instance.
Do you often cook with fresh ginger?
What to do with the chunk of fresh ginger that remains once you make a recipe with it? Easy! You can freeze it for later. Yes, it works!
Make sure to prep the fresh ginger well before you freeze it though.
Peel it first, then grated it, slice it or chop it up into small bits. I usually freeze portions of fresh ginger in an ice cube tray.
How To Freeze Ginger
No, I don’t add oil or water. Just fill the little cubes up and put it in the freezer.
Once the ginger is frozen, you can carefully remove the ginger ‘cubes’ and store them in a plastic tub or bag for later.
Make sure to tag them with the right date!
From now on you don’t need to throw away fresh ginger that has gone all soggy in your fridge.
Freeze it for later!
Easy Chicken Kalia Recipe
I always serve this chicken yogurt curry with steamed or boiled rice.
In Mauritius freshly chopped cilantro and fried onion are also added as a garnish. Some people even add peas to the curry. I like to keep it plain and simple. Chicken curry, cilantro, fried onion and rice.
Yum.
Do you like the flavors in this funky yellow chicken kalia curry?
You don’t need that many spices: cinnamon, cumin, curcuma and chili. I’m pretty sure that you have those 4 spices in your kitchen. Mauritian cuisine is packed with the most amazing flavors, and flavor combinations!
Vindaye
I suggest that you also take a look at another very popular Mauritian recipe: my vindaye poisson or fresh fish and vinegar curry with bell peppers and garlic!
Another Mauritian recipe that I still have to try out: a rougaille, a rich tomato and fish stew. But I have also seen versions before of this rougaille with chicken, hard boiled eggs and even seafood.
Also check out another recipe that resembles this chicken kalia curry very closely: my Indian chicken korma!
So what do you think so far?
Here is how to make chicken kalia…
Enjoy!
Easy Chicken Kalia Curry Recipe
- 12,5 oz fresh chicken breast (350 g), diced
- 1 small onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 1 inch fresh ginger (2,5 cm)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp curcuma powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 4 tbsp unsweetened yogurt
- 3 tbsp cream
- vegetable oil
- salt
- Peel the onion, garlic and ginger. Chop them up roughy and then transfer them to a clean blender.
- Blend a few times until you get a rough mixture. Then also add the cumin powder and season with a pinch of chili powder and salt.
- Blend again until you get a fine puree. Pour a little vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and place it over medium heat until hot. Then add the spice mix from the blender.
- Stir fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Then add the diced chicken.
- Stir well. Then turn the heat higher and sear the chicken on all sides for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir regularly. Once the chicken is cooked through, take the pan off the heat and add the cream, yogurt, curcuma powder and cinnamon.
- Stir quickly. Don’t put the pan on the heat again or the yogurt will split. Put a lid on the pan and let the chicken rest for 2 minutes in the yogurt sauce. Then check the seasoning and add extra salt, chili powder or cumin powder to taste. Scoop the chicken kalia curry into bowls. Serve hot.
