Chicken Pathia

Are you squeezed for money but yearn for your favourite takeaway? Here’s one British Indian restaurant favourite you can prepare at home – chicken pathia!

Want to know how to make chicken pathia? This recipe will help you to create this classic curry, showing you the ingredients you’ll need and guiding you every step of the way.

So, fancy a spicy, sweet, sour, tasty curry with minimal prep time? This is the recipe for you!

What is chicken pathia?

A sweet and sour sensation, chicken pathia (sometimes known as patia curry) is a very popular dish that can be found on curry house menus all throughout the UK. And for good reason – its distinctive hot sweet and sour taste is something you have to experience!

But why go to an expensive Indian restaurant for a taste of chicken pathia, when you could save money and make this sumptuous sweet and sour curry yourself? With a 30 minutes cook time and very simple ingredients, it’s so easy to make!

Chicken pathia is a seriously tasty curry that originated in ancient Persia. Its exact origins are a mystery, although its thought that the Parsi, a religious group who followed the teachings of Iranian prophet Zarathustra, brought the delicacy to India.

Fast forward hundreds of years and chicken pathia arrived on the UK’s shores, blowing curry lovers away. It’s thought that this fantastic hot sweet and sour curry was brought to the UK by Bangladeshi chefs, keen to create a rival for the sweet and sour dishes so popular in Chinese restaurants all over the country.

Chicken pathia recipe

Unlike korma and tikka massala, which are very creamy, heavy and calorific curries, pathia – a Parsi dish which is a fusion between Persian (Iranian) and Gurarat cuisines – has a tomato base and is sweet, sour and spicy in flavour. By multiplying ingredients, its a great recipe for batch cooking and freezing.

Since the sauce is so versatile you can substitute the chicken with lamb, vegetables or prawns – prawn pathia is delicious! If you’re thinking of using one of the latter two ingredients, cook the sauce first and add the cooked ingredients afterwards.

If you look elsewhere for Pathia recipes on the web, you’ll find that most Indian recipes start with a base sauce and then different ingredients are added according to the style of curry you’re after.

Restaurants use this method because they work in massive quantities and creating the base sauce and cooking the meat in it first simply saves some time and effort. Don’t worry though, this recipe is straight forward and suitable for the casual home cook.

It’s always a good idea to get all your ingredients ready before you start cooking. Having everything organised will reduce the prep time for the recipe. This is a simple one pan dish with a 20-25 minutes total time for cooking.

Once your sumptuous curry is cooked, let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes. This will allow all the flavours to settle and will add to the taste of the curry. So this recipe is 30-35 minutes total time.

How spicy is chicken pathia?

Chicken pathia curry is usually a fairly hot curry. But of course, like most curries, it’s quite adaptable.

You can tweak the ingredients to how hot, sweet or spicy you like it. Not only is it healthier than most restaurant curries out there, but it is low-fat, diabetic friendly, and gluten and lactose free!

How many calories are in a chicken pathia curry?

Chicken pathia is a supremely healthy curry recipe! It’s true… while there are so many delicious curries out there, not all curries are good for you. But chicken pathia is a great example of tasty, healthy cuisine. Indian curries don’t get much healthier than this.

On average, there are 292 calories in a 1 cup serving of Chicken Pathia. When each calorie is broken down, that amounts to 28% fat, 18% carbohydrates and 53% protein.

Let’s compare that to chicken korma. On average, there are 462 calories in 1 cup of chicken korma. When each calorie is broken down, that amounts to 61% fat, 10% carbohydrates and 29% protein.

So, there’s about 50% more calories in a korma compared to a pathia curry, while a pathia has almost twice as much protein!

The sweet part of chicken pathia

While there are many mouthwatering creamy curries to choose from, the thing that makes pathia curry stand out is its distinctive sweet and sour flavour. It really is absolutely divine – one taste and you’ll be hooked!

But how does this heavenly curry recipe get that sweet and sour element? It’s all down to a few key ingredients that really bring this curry recipe alive!

To sweeten this chicken pathia curry, you can use brown sugar. However, the traditional ingredient for this curry is jaggery.

A sumptuous, sweet ingredient, typically used in Indian cuisine, jaggery brings a deep brown colour and a syrupy richness. It’s a little less sweet than maple syrup, slightly thicker than honey and is a fantastic ingredient to use when sweetening curries.

This is because it has a slight spiciness and a buttery caramel taste. It really is a star ingredient and, if you can find some, it’ll really take this chcken pathia recipe to the next level.

You should be able to find jaggery at good international food shops or Indian markets. You can also get it online here.

The sour part of chicken pathia

For this recipe, I’ve gone with lime as the sour element for this curry. Lime is a key element in many Thai curries, and is often used in Indian cooking too. In India, lemons and limes are interchangeable – if a recipe calls for lime, you can easily substitute it with lemon and vice-versa.

Other fruits that can bring a sour kick to curries are oranges and grapefruits. Grapefruit in particular is great when paired with various spices, such as cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, as well as chillis. When you add a pinch of salt to grapefruit, you intensify its sweetness.

The traditional sour element of pathia curry is tamarind. A type of tropical fruit native to Africa, tamarind is used in many dishes throughout the world. It’s hugely popular in Indian cuisines, hence its nickname ‘the date of India.’ It has an earthy sweet and sour taste, which makes it great for this recipe.

You should be able to find jaggery at good international food shops or Indian markets. You can also get it online here.

The sour part of chicken pathia

For this recipe, I’ve gone with lime as the sour element for this curry. Lime is a key element in many Thai curries, and is often used in Indian cooking too. In India, lemons and limes are interchangeable – if a recipe calls for lime, you can easily substitute it with lemon and vice-versa.

Other fruits that can bring a sour kick to curries are oranges and grapefruits. Grapefruit in particular is great when paired with various spices, such as cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, as well as chillis. When you add a pinch of salt to grapefruit, you intensify its sweetness.

The traditional sour element of pathia curry is tamarind. A type of tropical fruit native to Africa, tamarind is used in many dishes throughout the world. It’s hugely popular in Indian cuisines, hence its nickname ‘the date of India.’ It has an earthy sweet and sour taste, which makes it great for this recipe.

Feel free to add tamarind to this curry in place of or mixed with lime juice, for a more traditional taste.

Bay leaf in chicken pathia

Using a bay leaf (also called laurel leaf) in this recipe adds further sourness, with a little hint of bitterness that balances out the sweetness of the jaggery (or sugar).

Bay leaves are quite common in Indian cooking. Unlike curry leaves, they are added at the beginning of the cooking process and removed before serving. Although they are technically edible, you really don’t want to be chewing on a bitter bay leaf, so it’s definitely best to remove once the dish has taken on its flavour.

Curry leaves are normally added at the end of the cooking process. This is because if cooked for too long they will lose their flavour. When added at the end, they bring a nice freshness to the dish.

What other Indian curries are sweet?

• Korma – creamy, sweet and utterly delectable, korma is one of the most popular types of curry. Try lamb, beef, paneer (Indian cheese), vegetable or, the most common, chicken.
• Dhansak – another vibrant curry, with a sweetness and a sour element, dhansak is a warming curry packed full of flavour. Try this chicken dhansak recipe if you want something similar to this pathia.
• Ceylon – more Sri Lankan than Indian, ceylon curries typically use coconut as a thickener, bringing a mild sweetness.
• Kashmir – kashmiri curries are normally chicken based, using whole garam masala and dried fruit to create a mildly spicy curry with a sweet creamy richness.
• Dopiaza – derived from the Hindi word ‘do piyaz’ which translates as ‘double onion’ dopiaza has a sweet kick that comes from its caramelised onions. Traditional dopiza recipes call for fried onions to be sprinkled on top. Try this mouthwatering lamb dopiaza recipe.

What to serve with chicken pathia

• Mushroom pakora – one of the healthiest and tastiest pakora recipes, this mushroom pakora is lightly spiced and absolutely delicious
• Potato bhajis – one of the most popular Indian street foods, potato bhajis are a great Indian starter, with a deep fried crunch and subtle spice that makes a perfect pre curry snack.
• Bombay chutney – an intensely flavoured traditional Indian chutney. Once you’ve made your own, you’ll never look back.
• Coconut chutney – a healthy, aromatic heavenly tasting chutney that’ll knock your socks off!
• Coriander chutney – a fruity, sweet and tangy chutney that explodes in your mouth.
• Peshwari naan – a traditional Indian bread with a dried fruit and coconut filling, peshwari naan will be ideal for mopping up the sweet and sour juices of the chicken pathia curry.
• Kerala peratha – a flaky doughy flatbread that will be delicious when served alongside this hot sweet and sour chicken pathia curry.

Other delicious curry recipes

• Mung bean curry – this sumptuous bean based vegan curry recipe mixes spices like asafoetida, ground cumin, ground coriander and fenugreek seeds for a fantastically flavoured dish.
• Peanutty sweet potato curry with mushrooms and spinach – another delicious and extremely easy to make vegan recipe, this West African sensation is full of incredible flavours.
• Mixed vegetable curry – a delicious recipe, perfect for a midweek curry in a hurry, this vegetable curry clocks in at 30 minutes cook time.
• Beef madras – a deeply rich dish with a complex combination of flavours, master this madras recipe and you’ll make your loved ones very happy indeed!
• Chicken chasni – very similar to chicken tikka masala, this wonderful recipe is another sweet and sour Indian dish that combines sweet and sour flavours, with ingredients including mango chutney, lemon, lime and sugar.

Cook More Curries At Home

• The Curry Secret: How to Cook Real Indian Restaurant Meals at Home
• The Curry Guy: Recreate Over 100 of the Best British Indian Restaurant Recipes at Home
• The Curry Guy Easy: 100 fuss-free British Indian Restaurant classics to make at home
• Rick Stein’s India

What are your favourite sweet and sour dishes? Did you attempt this chicken pathia and, if so, how did it come out? Let me know in the comments below!

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Chicken Pathia

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★★★★★

4.9 from 10 reviews

• Author: Michelle Minnaar
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Chicken Pathia is chicken cooked in a spicy, sweet and sour sauce. Learn how to make this favourite at home for the fraction of the price.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 45ml (3 tbsp) vegetable oil
• 500ml (2 cups) chopped onions
• 10ml (2 tsp) garlic, crushed
• 5cm (2 in) fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.25ml (¼ tsp) salt
• 1.25ml (¼ tsp) turmeric powder
• 450g (1lb) chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 5ml (1 tsp) cumin powder
• 5ml (1 tsp) ground cayenne
• 250ml (1 cup) chopped tomatoes
• 15ml (1 tbsp) tomato paste
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) white vinegar
• 10ml (2 tsp) brown sugar or jaggery
• 1 fresh lime, juiced
• 125ml (½ cup) water

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Instructions

1. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, salt and turmeric powder and fry until the mixture turns golden brown. It should take about 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken to the pan and brown the meat.
3. The other spices: chillies, cumin and cayenne should now be added and stirred in thoroughly.
4. Add the tomatoes and fry until they form a shiny paste and the oil starts to separate.
5. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, lime juice, sugar and water.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Simmer for 10 minutes then turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
7. Sprinkle chopped coriander on top and garnish with a slice of lime.

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Notes

• To date I’ve only used fresh, ripened tomatoes. That said, you can use tinned tomatoes but stick to the specified amounts.

• Category: Dinner
• Method: Pan Fry
• Cuisine: Indian

Keywords: chicken pathia, pathia recipe, pathia curry, persian curry recipe, persian chicken curry