Chicken 65 Curry
Chicken 65 Curry is a modern British recipe (from British Indian Restaurants) for a classic version of a traditional Indian curry of chicken in 65 gravy. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Chicken 65 Curry.
prep time
10 minutes
cook time
15 minutes
Total Time:
25 minutes
Serves:
2
Rating: 
Tags : CurryBIR CurriesSpice RecipesChicken RecipesBritish Recipes
Chicken 65 is a spicy curry dish that you'll find in many BIR restaurants and takeaways. Interestingly this is also a curry that’s made in India and the BIR version is virtually unchanged as compared with the original Indian version. The dish traditionally combines deep-fried chicken with an iconic chicken 65 gravy recipe. I’m using chicken thighs here as they have better flavour and tend to be more succulent. You could replace with two chicken breasts if you wish.
Ingredients:
750ml (3 cups) oil for frying
6 chicken thighs, boned and sliced into bite-sized chunks
3tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch) + 3 tbsps in a separate bowl for dusting.
125ml (½ cup) sparkling water
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
Pinch of Salt
For the Chicken 65 Gravy:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large handful of fresh curry leaves (around 30)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tbsp
green chilli paste
">chilli paste (diluted with about 2 tbsps water)
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp
chilli sauce
Handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish
Method:
To prepare the Chicken:
Place a wok or curry pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and bring to heat.
Take a large bowl, add the soda water and mix in the cornflour (cornstarch), cumin seeds and salt. Whisk to form a loose batter then take the chicken pieces and first dip in the loose cornflour then drop in the bowl of batter.
Lift the battered chicken with a fork and drop into the hot oil (you may need to do this in batches). Fry for about 7-10 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces, until golden brown on the outside and cooked through. Remove the fried chicken with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper then set on a baking tray. Place in a low oven to keep warm as you make the gravy.
For the Chicken 65 Gravy: Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large frying pan, wok or curry pan over high heat. Once the oil is sizzling add the curry leaves, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Fry for 2 minutes until the mixture begins to darken and the leaves crisp up.
At this point add the ginger and garlic paste along with the chopped onion. Fry for 2 minutes, until golden and fragrant then add the chilli paste, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Stir well to combine and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir until the onions are coated in the masala.
Now stir in the fried chicken pieces along with the lemon juice. Stir fry everything together to ensure the chicken pieces are thoroughly coated in the masala.
Add the chilli sauce and toss everything to mix. Cook for 1 minute, then sprinkle over the chopped coriander (cilantro). Mix well to combine, turn into a serving dish and serve.