South African curry recipes for cold nights & big appetites

South African Indian cooking has always been bigger than a recipe itself: it is community, improvisation, comfort and a little friendly competition over whose butter chicken really deserves a second helping.

These South African curry recipes celebrate that spirit beautifully.

1. Yudhika Sujanani’s Township Chicken

“Walking through the shopping district of my hometown, Isipingo, was like stepping into a whirling kaleidoscope: a collision of brightly coloured shop windows, greengrocers, tearooms and cafés at every turn. And, in their midst, a traditional herbalist, clothing stores, a pharmacy and a butchery too. PJ Powers and Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse would be blasting at full volume over transistor radios. This is what gave rise to fusion recipes such as this one. Combining elements of isiZulu and Indian cooking, dishes like township chicken put Isipingo on the map as a symbol of cultural integration and historical significance. As children, we were raised mainly on a diet of curry and rice, so chicken cooked this way was such a hit that we would fight over it.”

Serves 4

• 60 ml sunflower oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 5 ml coarse salt
• 200 ml finely chopped red and yellow bell peppers
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 10 ml crushed ginger
• 4 green chillies, halved lengthways
• Few sprigs thyme
• 30 ml mixed masala
• 1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 x chicken stock cube
• 250 ml boiling water
• 60 ml fruit chutney
• 125 ml mayonnaise
• 65 ml pouring cream, plus extra for drizzling
• 12–16 chicken pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh curry leaves, to garnish
• Mango atchar, to serve
• Mixed vegetable pickle, to serve

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and sauté until lightly golden. Stir in the peppers, carrot, garlic and ginger, and once the peppers and carrot soften, add the green chillies and thyme. Spoon the masala into the side of the pot and mix well for 3–5 seconds to heat it up, then add the chopped tomatoes.

Turn down the heat and simmer for 6–8 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the oil has separated. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break down any lumps to form a thick paste. Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water and add this to the pot. Add the chutney, mayonnaise and cream, and mix. Pour the sauce into an ovenproof dish and add the chicken pieces, skin-side up. Spoon the sauce over the chicken to coat and season to taste with black pepper.

Bake for 45 minutes until golden and the juices run clear when tested with a skewer. Drizzle with some cream, garnish with fresh curry leaves, and serve with some mango atchar and a mixed vegetable pickle alongside.

Recipe extracted from Madame Curry by Yudhika Sujanani.

2. Naqiyah Mayat’s Mutton Korma

For Naqiyah, Mutton Korma marks the quiet shift into colder days. “Around mid-May, my thoughts turn towards cooking Mutton Korma. Its warmth and earthiness signal the start of the Winter”. Slow-cooked until “meltingly tender”, the mutton is wrapped in a rich gravy layered with toasted spices, saffron, almonds, yoghurt and red masala paste. Mayat reflects on “the relationship and psychology of the ebb of the seasons”, and the recipe captures exactly that sense of retreating into the comfort of the kitchen as temperatures drop. Finished with crispy fried onions, ginger, mint and roasted almonds, this dish from The Journey is fragrant, generous and deeply comforting.

SERVES 6

Marinade base 

• 1 1/2 cups sunflower oil
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 1 dried red chilli
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 5–6 cardamom pods
• 1 x 5-cm length cinnamon stick

Korma

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 3–4 fresh green chillies, slit down the centre
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 kg mutton, washed and cut into smaller pieces
• A pinch saffron fronds
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 Tbsp Red Masala Paste
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1/2 cup lemon juice

Garnish 

• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt
• A handful Crushed Crispy Fried Onion
• 1 x 5-cm piece fresh ginger, cut into sticks and fried in 3 Tbsp sunflower oil until crispy
• 1 tsp chopped fresh mint (or leaves)
• A handful chopped fresh coriander (optional)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, roasted
• 2 stems curry leaves (optional)

Marinade base 

Bring the oil to a high heat in a pot, then reduce the temperature to medium. Add the onions and deep-fry until golden-brown and slightly crispy.

Remove the onions from the oil using a slotted spoon and transfer them to a food processor. Place the dried red chilli, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick in a non-stick pan and dry toast until fragrant.

Add the toasted spices to the onions in the food processor. Grind until it forms a thick paste.

Korma

Place the butter in a large pot over medium heat and allow to melt. Add the garlic and ginger, and allow to brown slightly.

Stir in the marinade base, mixing well. Add the fresh green chillies and salt. The oils from the butter and onion should start to rise to the top.

Gently stir in the mutton and allow to cook in the spice mixture, stirring and adding splashes of water to prevent burning. The mutton should cook for a minimum of 40 minutes over medium heat to ensure it is tender and cooked through.

During this time, place the saffron fronds on an ice cube in a small bowl and place a saucer over the top. The saffron should melt gradually with the ice cube, leaving behind a glorious yellow liquid.

Once the meat is tender, add the ground almonds, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red masala paste, yoghurt and saffron liquid.

Mix well. At this stage, you may need to add water (a splash at a time) to prevent burning, and to allow the korma to develop a rich gravy. Once the gravy has developed, stir in the lemon juice and cook for a further 10 minutes before switching off the heat. Prepare the garnishes during this time.

To serve

Spoon the mutton korma into a serving bowl. Top with yoghurt, crispy fried onion and ginger, fresh mint, roasted slivered almonds, and finally some fresh coriander and curry leaves (if using). Serve with Naan.

Recipe extracted from The Journey by Naqiyah Mayat.

3. Fatima Saib’s Butter Chicken

Rich, creamy and unapologetically made to impress. “My sister, Fahmeeda, makes the best butter chicken,” Fatima writes. “She is one of the best cooks I know”. Inspired by her sister’s approach, Saib’s version pairs yoghurt-marinated chicken with a velvety sauce thickened using cashews, which “adds a subtle sweetness that elevates the dish”. Fragrant whole spices, cream and tomato paste create depth, while fresh coriander and toasted cashews finish the dish beautifully. Coming from The Hungry Table, it is, as Saib says, “another one of my show-stopping dishes” where “the compliments will roll in for months to come”.

Serves: 4 to 6

For the marinade

• 2 tsp chilli powder (or less, depending on your preference)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 6–8 Tbsp plain yoghurt
• 1 kg chicken breast fillets, each cut into 4 pieces

For the butter chicken sauce

• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 cloves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 2 Tbsp ghee
• ¼ cup ground cashew nuts
• ½ cup water
• 1½ Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup fresh cream

Fresh coriander and toasted cashew nuts, to serve

To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a large stainless-steel bowl. Add the chicken and mix to combine. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

To make the butter chicken sauce, in a large pot, braise the onions and whole spices in the ghee over low heat until golden-brown. Add the ground cashews and allow to toast for 2–5 minutes. Add the water and stir – it will be very creamy. Remove the whole spices and add the mixture to a blender along with the tomato paste. Blend until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the pot. You can use an additional ¼ cup of water to rinse out the remaining paste from the blender into the pot, if needed.

Add the marinated chicken and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, then add the cream. Cook for another 10–15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Top with fresh coriander and toasted cashew nuts, and serve with roti.

Recipe extracted from The Hungry Table by Fatima Saib.

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