Cari Poulet
A Réunion Island Creole chicken curry shaped by French, Indian, Chinese, African, and Malagasy communities on the island — its very name comes from the Tamil word 'kari' (sauce), a real linguistic trace of the Indian indentured laborers who shaped the dish. Real cari poulet uses a comparatively light, fresh spice profile — garlic, ginger, turmeric, and thyme — slow-simmered with fresh tomato rather than a heavy pre-mixed masala paste, and it's always served as a full composed plate with rice, lentils, and a fresh chile-tomato-onion rougail on the side, not just a bowl of spiced stew.
Meat
Ingredients
- 1 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric
- Fresh thyme
- Curry leaves (optional)
- Oil, salt
- Rice and lentils, to serve
- Rougail (tomato-onion-chile relish), to serve
Steps
- Marinate the chicken briefly with turmeric, garlic, and ginger.
- Sauté the onion until soft, then add the garlic, ginger, and turmeric.
- Add the chicken and brown lightly.
- Add the chopped tomato and thyme with a small amount of water, cover, and simmer 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Serve over rice with lentils and a side of fresh rougail.