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Saint Martin Poulet de Colombo

Saint Martin Poulet de Colombo is a traditional Sint Maarten recipe for a classic curry of chicken marinated in local green seasoning before cooking with vegetables in a Colombo curry powder base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Sint Maarten version of: Saint Martin Poulet de Colombo.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

60 minutes

Total Time:

80 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : CurryChilli RecipesSpice RecipesChicken RecipesFowl RecipesVegetable RecipesSint-maarten Recipes

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This is a classic Creole-style chicken curry from the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean (as well as neighbouring Saint Barthélemy). This recipe uses green seasoning to flavour the chicken (much better end results) but you can omit the green seasoning and just season with the spice blend, marinating for an hour.

Colombos are the French-style curries made throughout the Francophone Caribbean (though Saint Martin has its own version of the spice blend). This is a version from the Island of Saint Martin, which is made on both the French side (Saint-Martin) and the Dutch side (Sint Maarten) of the island as well as neighbouring Saint Barthélemy. The serving of curry with mash (often potatoes but can also be plantains, tannia or taro) is a Saint Marten peculiarity, but odd as it sounds it's actually a pretty good combination.

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp anise seeds
1 chicken, cut into eight serving pieces, or eight chicken parts such as thighs and drumsticks, skin removed
6 tbsp marinade verte (Saint Martin green seasoning)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 shallot, peeled and minced
2 tbsp Colombo curry powder
2 habanero chillies, finely minced (remove the seeds and membranes if you want it milder)
400ml chicken stock
3 waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced into bite size pieces
1 carrot, scraped and sliced into bite size pieces
2 spring onions, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
snipped chives or sliced spring onion greens, to garnish (optional)

Method:

Begin by marinating the chicken: Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind the coriander, mustard seeds, cumin and anise seeds into a powder.

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl then sprinkle over this spice powder then add the green seasoning and rub into the chicken. Cover the bowl and set aside to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but best over night.

Once ready to cook, place a large, lidded frying pan or cast iron casserole (Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the olive oil and when hot use to fry the red onion, garlic and shallot for about 5 minutes, until softened.

Remove the chicken pieces from their marinade (no need to wipe) then add to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned all over.

Scatter over the Colombo powder, stirring to combine and making sure the chicken is evenly coated in the spice. Now add the lime juice, any leftover green marinade.

Stir the chicken stock into the pan then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.

Add the potatoes, carrot and scallions to the pan and continue to cook at a simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are just tender (about 20 minutes).

Turn the curry into a warmed serving dish, garnish with snipped chives or sliced spring onion greens. Serve accompanied by rice, mashed potatoes and/or rotis.