Delia's Creamy Chicken Curry

This was the first recipe that I made from scratch, before that I didn't believe that I could make a meal from start to finish and for it to be edible! I am very grateful to Delia and her Complete Cookery Course, it gave me the confidence to cook everything from a poached egg to roasting a chicken for Sunday lunch, prior to buying this book I relied very heavily on prepacked food, mainly because I didn't really know where to start. I'm passing this recipe on in the hope that maybe this will give you the start you need to cooking with confidence.

Delia says:
This is good for either leftover chicken or turkey. It has a fairly mild curry flavour but you can "hot it up" if you like by adding a little more curry powder.

Recipe compliments of Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course

Serves 4

Ingredients
1lb Cooked chicken (450g) cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
1 Large onion, roughly chopped
2 Celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 large Green pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1 heaped tablespoon Plain flour
1 rounded teaspoon Madras curry powder
1 level teaspoon Ground ginger
1 level teaspoon Turmeric
1 Clove garlic, crushed
1 pint Chicken stock (570 ml)
2 tablespoons double cream
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method
In a large flameproof casserole heat up the oil and soften the onion in it for 5 minutes, then add the chopped celery and green pepper and soften these for 5 minutes more. Next add the prepared chicken pieces and toss them around with the other ingredients. Now stir in the four, curry powder, spices and crushed garlic, and continue to stir to talk up the juices. Next, gradually add the stock, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Season with salt and pepper, put a lid on and simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

Remove the curry from the heat, stir in the cream and serve with spiced pilau rice and mango chutney. I usually serve this with Delia's Perfect Rice or Pan Fried Potato Chips.