I know it’s as natural as the seasons changing or night following day but it is never easy to let someone go when you love them – even if it is their time. My father passed away a few weeks back, he was 98 and I miss him very much. I often joked in my cooking classes that he was a “crusty old Indian man”, but in reality he was a loving and caring person. His needs were simple and he never wanted for anything. Deeply faithful, he always believed that God would do what is right. He lost a wife and a son (amongst the brothers we openly joked that he was dad’s favorite son/best friend as well) and survived because of his faith. He was passionate about politics and sports. A devoted sport – Toronto Maple Leafs, Jays, Raptors and really any other sport imaginable, fan; no matter what the sport, individual or team played, he would watch. When I was thinking of writing this blog, I wanted to do a recipe that was one of his favorite meals. This is for my dad – Chicken Leg Curry and Rice.

In my classes at the cooking schools, I often tell of my mom’s culinary skills – really what harbored my desire to become a Chef. But when she couldn’t use a knife anymore, my dad became her hands. He was a draftsman by profession, and this gave him a keen eye for precision. Never trained in using a knife, he had the knife skills of a seasoned Chef. We have many traditional Goan dishes – sorpatel (a pork dish) being just one of them. Goans typically judge the correctness of this dish by the way it was cut before cooking and how it looked and tasted after it was cooked. This is where dad was a champion. He would meticulously for hours slice up several pounds of boiled pork, first into slices, then each slice – no stacking of slices, was individually diced. It was done with such care that you could take a ruler to the pieces and they would all be the same size – perfect little squares. They retained their perfect shape the first few days, but quite often in warming dad would boil it past the warming stage and it would deteriorate into a deliciously curried almost paste like consistency that we would devour with toast. When we were living at home, or even when we just visited, we grew very fond of seeing it at this stage as the flavors became one, every morsel of meat packed with just the right amount of spice – mum’s recipe of course.

It was a nightmare for me – who prefers the “rustic” approach to cooking, when he would watch me. Even in my 50’s, when he was living with us, I would find a game on TV for him to watch while I cooked. Always seeking his approval for anything I cooked, he lavished praise as appropriately and sincerely as criticism – a noble trait I think. I remember watching him make chapatis as a kid – perfect rounds, fluffy and light. I tried this many times (throwback to one of my first postings – https://www.foodinspires.com/2013/01/28/grandpa-makes-the-best-chapatis/), never with the same results. I will keep trying though.

In his later years when he needed more care than we could provide at home, we moved dad to a Long Term Care residence. I would do cooking demonstrations there for the seniors and he would sit in his wheelchair right up front, and proudly watch me. I could see in his eyes when he felt I wasn’t doing something the way he would want me to, but you could see his pride as I cooked. He never bragged (truth is, he often thought I would outgrow this Chef’ing thing and go back to banking), but still so proud. I will miss him but am very grateful for having him for as long as I/we did. I love you Dad! As always – enjoy!

8 skin-on, bone in chicken legs – his favorite cut for chicken curry
2 medium onions, diced
4 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. garam masala
2 tbsp. Kashmiri chili powder – for flavor and color not heat
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric + ¾ tsp turmeric, divided
8 cloves of garlic minced
1” piece of ginger minced
8 Thai chilies, roughly sliced – he liked more, but feel free to use less
1 can Aroy D coconut milk
½ cup water – optional, but dad preferred loose not thick curries
Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

With a sharp knife, make a couple of slits in each chicken leg cutting to the bone
Sprinkle with the ¾ tsp turmeric, olive oil, salt and pepper – rub the chicken all over – set aside
In a heavy bottom pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat
Add the onions – reduce to medium heat, cook for 15 – 20 minutes until deeply caramelized
To a small bowl, add the coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne and paprika – mix with enough water to form a smooth runny paste – set aside
Once the onions are caramelized, add the garlic, ginger, chilies and cook, stirring for 1 minute
Add the spice paste to the pot and toss them around in the onion mixture – about 1 minute taking care not to let the spices burn (add a little water if necessary)
Add the chicken legs and toss in the spice and onion mixture – about 1 minute
Add the coconut milk and about ¼ cup water (add more, up to ½ cup if too thick)
Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer
Cook for 20 minutes
Taste, season with salt and pepper, and taste again – if the curry is too thick, thin with a little water and simmer for 5 minutes or so.  If it is too much curry, gently boil uncovered – about 5-10 minutes, until thickened
Finish off with some fresh cilantro and serve over basmati rice
Enjoy Dad!