How to Make Chicken Patia Curry – A Sweet And Sour Curry House Favourite
This chicken patia recipe will be included in my upcoming e-book.
Home made chicken patia
For the past few years I’ve been going to my local curry house quite often trying to work out the flavours so that I can make the curries myself at home.
The chef there is a great guy and has given me a lot the restaurant’s favourite recipes with the agreement that I never tell his boss.
Deal!
One recipe, however he kept to himself. It was a sweet and sour dip that my kids absolutely loved dipping their pappadams into. I think he liked the fact that I couldn’t quite work out the flavours.
Well one day about three months ago, I was in the restaurant on a Sunday afternoon with my family. It was uncharacteristically quiet and my friend – the chef – came up to my table and invited me back to the kitchen.
“Do you like chicken patia?” He asked picking up a pan. I knew I was about to get a lesson.
“Yes.” I answered though I had never tried the popular sweet and sour curry, tending to choose spicier options when I go out.
“Then let’s make one!” He replied.
Chicken patia was most likely invented here in the UK to compete with Chinese takeaways offering sweet and sour chicken.
He opened the fridge and took out some mint sauce, a small tub of Patak’s mango chutney, some ketchup and and some pineapple juice. He also grabbed some red food colouring and tandoor curry powder from the shelf.
I mixed the ingredients together as he instructed and then he handed me a spoon.
“Try it.” He said smiling.
It was the pappadam dip my kids loved!
It also happens to be an essential ingredient in chicken patia!
Since making this recipe for my kids the first time right there in the restaurant, it’s always on their request list. If you like chicken patia, you’re in for a real treat with this recipe.
On Sale Now!
My ebook is available now
for Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac and PC right here.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
150ml pineapple juice
150ml ketchup
150ml mango chutney
3 – 5 tablespoons mint sauce. (mint sauce is the sour part of the ‘sweet and sour’. Add it to your own tastes.
red food dye
1 tablespoon tandoori powder or curry powder
3 breasts chicken – pre-cooked like I do here
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic – smashed into a fine puree
1 inch ginger – sliced and smashed into a fine puree
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
2 tablespoons cumin powder
Approx. 500ml (2 cups) curry gravy
1 small bunch of coriander leaves – finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Patia sauce works great as a pappadam dip too.
method
I always make the patia sauce first. You could double the recipe and use it as a dip for pappadams too.
Mix the pineapple juice, ketchup, mango chutney, tandoor powder and mint sauce together .
Now add just enough red food colouring (optional) to give it that red glow that patias are known for and then set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or pan. If using pre-cooked chicken – as they do in the restaurants – throw it in now.
If using raw chicken, cut it into cubes and fry until 90% cooked through and then add a few spoonfuls of curry gravy just to coat the meat.
Now add the patia sauce you set aside along with the ginger and garlic purees, chili powder, coriander powder and the cumin powder.
Allow to sizzle for about a minute and then add the curry gravy.
Your chicken patia is almost done now!
Throw in the chopped coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Chicken patia is best served with rice and naans.
I hope you enjoy this very popular sweet and sour Indian restaurant curry. I may be a spice head but I serve this chicken patia at least every three weeks at home.
Enjoy.
By the way, as mentioned this recipe will be in my upcoming e-book. If any of you home cooks or Indian restauranteurs have any advice on making a better chicken patia, please let me know by leaving a comment here.
Fantastic curry recipes the whole family and friends really enjoy them, how do I make the madras hotter as for Vindaloo or Phall. Keep up the good work and thank you. Jenny
Thanks, this is my favorite. I have looked for this recipe for years. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you Kevin.
Hope you like the recipe. It is a real hit at my house. Thanks!
Dan
From what I understand, patia is an authentic Parsee dish, but uses seafood not chicken. So it could be made with prawns, or fish.
I think it’s just the idea to use same kind of sauce for chicken and other meats that is a BIR thing.
Though I’d imagine the base recipe has changed somewhat too.
But patia per se is not completely a BIR thing.
(PS Came here via a link on pinterest)
Hi Kavey
Thanks for stopping by and that’s news to me. Thanks for letting me know. Do you have a link I can go to so that I can read about fish patia being authentic Indian?
Having moved to Australia 6 years ago, we have tried everywhere here to find a decent tasting curry but to no avail, until i came across your website, i was blown away at how tasty this dish is, just like the curries we have back in the UK.Thank you so much for your recipes.Easy to follow and very very tasty…
Hi Steve
Really glad you liked my recipe! Thank you very much for giving it a try. I’ve got loads more recipes on the way so please don’t be a stranger.
Sounds delicious! Do you think this would work with paneer or quorn pieces to make it veggie?
It is nice. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I think potatoes, quorn and/or paneer would work very well with this recipe.
Not sure what I did wrong but looked too dark and thick and tasted much too “rich”. Wondered if I’d added too much cumin or was it the wrong curry powder (medium)? It’s my favourite take-away curry so hope you can help. Thanks
Hi Yvonee
If you use a store bought curry powder, you won’t get great results. Try using my homemade version in the larder cupboard section of my site.
ok so iv never cooked indian before and i love chicken pathia , iv gone out and got all the ingredients as above , will let ya know how it goes
Great Jon. Good luck to you. Be sure to ask if you have any questions.
Dan
Hi Dan, just did your garlic chilli chicken and it was spot on. Looking to do a patia next. Just for clarification is the mint sauce you refer to the same mint sauce that you would traditionaly use with roast lamb ? Regards Dave
That’s the one Dave. I use Colemans but any good brand will do. Sometimes in Summer I make my own.
Good luck with the recipe.
Dan
Dan, this is by far the best patia recipe i’ve come across so far. Easy to make and very tasty, the missus preferred it to our local curry house and theirs is very good. well done mate, looking forward to trying a few more of your recipes.
Roy
Thank you very much Roy. Really glad you liked the recipe.