Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry with lychees

Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry is a mild, fragrant curry, sweetened by the addition of fresh lychees. Yoghurt provides a hint of a tang, and flaked almonds add a delightful crunch. You won't believe how much flavour is packed into this dish until you try it for yourself!

Jump to:

• What is Kashmiri chicken curry?
• Ingredients you will need
• How to make Kashmiri curry
• Variations
• Can I freeze this curry?
• Make ahead
• Save for later
• Related recipes
• 📋The recipe

What is Kashmiri chicken curry?

Kashmiri curry originated in the northern Indian region of Kashmir. It is a mildly spicy curry, normally made with chicken or prawns, various spices and fruit. It is a fragrant curry, made in a tomato-based sauce and flavoured with almonds and yoghurt. The fruit element is provided by juicy lychees, which can be either fresh or canned.

The dish can also contain coconut, although I find this makes it too sweet for my liking so I've left it out.

I mentioned that this dish is made with chicken OR prawns. I think the combination of chicken AND prawns is super tasty, so for this version of Kashmiri curry, I've used both chicken and prawns.

Because this dish has a lot of sauce you will need something to mop it up with. I have a quick buttery garlic naan bread recipe you might like to try. It's made with only 2 main ingredients - Greek yoghurt and self-raising flour. This is the most amazing naan bread - it's soft and chewy, made in minutes, and goes perfectly with the Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry.

You may also like to add a side dish of fluffy white rice or even a bowl of this spicy mushroom fried rice.

So without further ado, let's see how to make this delicious Kashmiri curry.

Ingredients you will need

This Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry recipe is a generous one - I have allowed 5oz of protein (chicken and prawns) per person - and this will easily feed 4 hungry adults. However, the dish freezes well so you can save any leftovers for another meal.

Spice mixture

Left to right from top in image 1 above:

• Garam masala
• Dried chilli flakes - this is where you can adjust the heat to suit your own taste. For a milder curry add less chilli - you could even leave it out altogether if you prefer. If you don't have dried chilli flakes, substitute with cayenne pepper.
• Cornflour (or cornstarch if you live in the US). Half of the cornflour will be used to coat the chicken, and the remainder will be used to thicken the sauce.
• Ground coriander
• Turmeric
• Garlic - you can use fresh garlic cloves if you prefer, or use crushed garlic from a jar.
• Ground cumin
• Ginger - you can use fresh ginger, peeled and grated, or for convenience, use crushed ginger from a jar.

Chicken and prawn mixture

Left to right from top in image 2 above:

• Onions - chopped into 1cm or half-inch dice
• Prawns - (or shrimp if you live in the US) - I use raw frozen prawns that have already been shelled. If you use whole raw prawns you should devein them and remove the head and shell. You can use frozen cooked prawns if you prefer, but I find these tend to turn out 'rubbery'.
• Skinless chicken breast fillets - these should be cut into bite-sized pieces. If you prefer you can use boneless chicken thighs instead.
• Ground and flaked almonds - these are optional, but I highly recommend using them, especially the flaked almonds, as they provide a crunchy texture to the dish.
• Fresh lychees - these provide the fruity element to Kashmiri curry. If you can't get hold of fresh lychees you can use a can, but make sure to drain off all the liquid. If you are using fresh lychees you should peel them and discard the large pip.
• Tomato passata - this is pureed tomatoes with the pips and seeds removed. It is available in cartons (as pictured above) or in bottles. Make sure you get plain passata, not the one with added herbs.
• Greek yoghurt - the tangy flavour of Greek yoghurt enhances the flavour of the curry. You can substitute this with thick natural yoghurt if you prefer.
• Freshly chopped coriander (not pictured) - this is optional but highly recommended.
• Sunflower or canola oil (not pictured) for frying - you can use any neutral flavoured oil - but I wouldn't use olive oil, as the flavour is too strong.

How to make Kashmiri curry

Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry is very easy to make. There are only 3 steps:

• Brown the prawns and chicken
• Make the sauce
• Combine it all and serve.

Brown the prawns and chicken

• Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and coat in cornflour seasoned with a little salt (image 1 above). If you don't use salt, coat the chicken in plain cornflour.
• Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the prawns gently until they turn pink (image 2 above). Transfer the prawns to a plate and set them aside. If you are using ready-cooked prawns you can omit this step.
• Now stir-fry the chicken pieces (in the same pan) until they are nicely browned on all sides (image 3 above). Do this slowly, to give the chicken pieces time to cook through. You may need to add an additional splash of oil.
• The chicken will be cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 74C/165F, or when a piece of chicken, cut in half, is no longer pink.
• Once the chicken has browned and is cooked through, add to the prawns on the plate and set aside while you make the sauce.

Make the sauce

• Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan (if needed), then add the onions and fry them gently until they are translucent. Don't allow them to brown, keep the heat quite low and stir them as you fry. This will take about 5 minutes.
• Add all the spices (including the remaining cornflour) and continue to stirfry until the onions are well coated and the spices start to release their aroma (image 1 above).
• Stir in the tomato passata, yoghurt and the ground and flaked almonds (image 2 above).

Combine it all

• Add the cooked prawns and chicken and the lychees.
• Finally, stir in the finely chopped fresh coriander (image 3 above).
• Bring the sauce back to the boil.
• Serve Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry with white rice and homemade buttery garlic naan bread.

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Variations

If you want to add a coconut flavour, swap one cup of passata for one cup of coconut milk.

You can also add one or two teaspoons of desiccated coconut to the curry.

Can I freeze this curry?

Yes, you can freeze Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry. Just allow it to cool, then pack it into a rigid plastic container and freeze for up to three months. Because the frozen prawns have been cooked they are perfectly safe to freeze again.

To use, allow the curry to defrost in the refrigerator then heat it either in a pan on the stove or in the microwave. Eat immediately and do not refreeze.

The defrosted Kashmiri curry should be kept in the refrigerator and eaten within 24 hours of being defrosted.

Make ahead

You can make Kashmiri chicken curry ahead of time and store it in a covered dish in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Reheat either in a pan on the stove or in the microwave and eat immediately.

Save for later

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Related recipes

If you enjoyed this Kashmiri chicken and prawn curry, you may also like to try some of my other curry recipes:

📋The recipe

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