SPICY CREAMY TOMATO STEW BASE
A flexible creamy tomato-and-spice stew base for chicken or meat
This rich one-pan stew base starts with onion, oil, and warm spices, then simmers gently with chicken or meat, diced tomatoes, and heavy cream for a deeply comforting result that can be expanded into many different stews.
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
Base
- 1 mediumonion, diced
- 3 tbspvegetable oil
Protein
- 1 lbchicken or meat of choice, cut into about 0.25-inch bite-size pieces
Tomatoes
- 1 smalltomato paste (6 oz / about 150 g)
Dairy
- 4 ozheavy cream (about 100 ml)
Seasoning
- 1-2 tbsp curry paste or vindaloo curry, or spices of choice
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- chili flakes, to taste
For serving
- fresh green herbs, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- 1
Heat a cast-iron pan or any heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil
- 2
Add the diced sweet onion and cook until half transparent and lightly brown at the edges, about 3-5 minutes, without burning
- 3
Add the curry paste, vindaloo curry, or spices of your choice and cook about 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant
- 4
Add the chicken or meat cut into about 0.25-inch bite-size pieces
- 5
Season with salt, black pepper, and chili flakes to taste
- 6
Cook, stirring often, until the pieces are lightly browned, about 5 minutes
- 7
Add the diced tomatoes with their juices and the heavy cream, then stir well
- 8
Reduce the heat to very low so the stew cooks at a gentle simmer, not a heavy boil
- 9
Cook until the protein is fully done and tender, about 20 minutes for chicken bites or about 30 minutes for meat, stirring occasionally
- 10
Top with chopped green herbs and serve hot
NOTES
This is a universal base recipe and scales easily up or down. A cast-iron pan is preferred, but any thick-bottomed pan works. Keep the heat very low after adding the cream: the stew should barely simmer, not boil aggressively, or the meat may release too much liquid and the flavor will be less concentrated. Chicken cooks faster than red meat, so adjust the final simmer time as needed. Curry paste or vindaloo curry works especially well, but you can use nearly any spice blend you like. This stew base freezes perfectly in portions, so you can keep it on hand and easily turn it into a delicious full stew later by adding fresh or frozen vegetables or potatoes. For U.S. supermarkets, a standard small can of diced tomatoes is typically 14.5 oz rather than about 200 ml.