Jean's chicken curry

I've stopped calling this my mum's curry because it doesn't taste the same as the ones she makes. Honey told me on the weekend that my mum uses tomato sauce which is missing from my recipe, but somehow I think it's more than just tomato sauce. Her curries are always a richer colour than mine. Maybe she cooks hers longer, or perhaps she uses far more cooking oil than I do? Rob likes my curries, and I guess they are okay in their own right if only I could stop comparing it to my mum's! She uses chillies, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves fresh from her garden so maybe that's the difference! I did add paprika too which is not something my mum does..

A thing about curries is that they are better the next day, so cook it the night before to allow the flavours to develop overnight. I think the trick is to let the curry cook for quite a while to let the flavours to emerge and mix together. I like to use potatoes and/or other starchy veges like pumpkin because I feel it gives the curry some body, if that makes sense. Use chicken on the bones with skin on (any parts) to give that extra flavour and sweetness to the gravy. I used drumstick and wings, but in future I'll stick to drumsticks and/or thighs simply because there are more meat to skin/bone ratio. I add the coconut milk towards the end of the cooking process because my mum does it and I think her reason was to prevent the coconut milk from curdling. Oh, and another important thing is not to cover the pot tightly after adding the coconut milk, even after the heat is turned off otherwise the coconut milk will curdle (so I'm told).

The curry is great to dip bread/naan/chapati/roti paratha into.

Ingredients
8 pieces of chicken (~1kg) - if possible, cut into smaller pieces (eg cut one drumstick into two or three pieces)
2-3 tablespoon of curry powder for meat
1 tsp paprika
2-3 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped/minced
fresh chopped chillies or dried chilli flakes (to taste - I use lots)
2 lemongrass stalks, cut into ~3inch lengths and bruised
500g potatoes, cut into biggish pieces (so that it doesn't disintegrate in the long cooking process)
water
curry leaves
kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 cup coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Methods
Add some salt, pepper and enough water to make a paste with the curry powder and paprika, and coat the chicken with the curry paste. Marinade for at least a few hours if possible. Heat some oil in a large pot, put the onions and lemongrass in and cook until onion is browned and lemongrass is fragrant. Add the garlic and chilli and 'roast' for a minute. Add the chicken and stir for a couple of minutes. Some of the curry paste will stick to the bottom and brown, but don't worry - it will come off later when deglazing - just make sure it doesn't burn. Add the potatoes, stir to mix with the chicken, then add enough water to cover the chicken and potatoes. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the pan - roasted spices are good. Add the curry and kaffir lime leaves and the tomato sauce to the pot, cover and let the curry to gently simmer for 1 to 2 hours (coming back to it occasionally to check on it). When the chicken and potatoes are cooked, add in the coconut milk and stir. Add salt to taste.

Serve with rice and veges.