Chicken curry was a traditional Indian dish that was believed introduced to the Philippines by Sepoy Troop with 500 soldiers who settled down in Manila during the British occupation during the 18th century. Over the years, a Filipino version was developed to cater Filipino tastes which includes coconut milk, potato, and carrots.
The Filipino version was lighter than the original Indian version. Because of the popularity of the dish the researcher has decided to develop a processed version. The purpose of this home-based trial is to see if chicken curry will work with canning technology and if the canned version will be acceptable to the consumers.
Canning technology is a method of preserving food by storing in a hermetically sealed container and sterilized by heat treatment using a specific temperature and time to properly process the product. Canning was invented by Nicolas Appert of France in 1809. Appert developed this technology as response for the call of the government to preserve food for navy use. Canning is one of the most popular preservation technologies used by Food industry today.
All raw materials were washed using running water to remove possible contaminants from the farm market to the travel of raw materials to the processing area. The potato carrots and the green bell pepper were diced into approximately 3 X 3 cm size. The chicken breast was deboned and cut into 1” X 3” strips. The jars were also cleaned with antibacterial dishwashing soap and subjected to steam sterilization for 30 minutes to lower the initial bacterial load of the jars.
Garlic and ginger was peeled and sliced into small dice for easier blending; then both spices were blended using a commercial blender and a tablespoon of vegetable oil was added and blended until it reached paste like texture.
The cooking of chicken curry starts with pre-heating the oil and sautéed onion until it caramelized; garlic ginger pastes was then sautéed until the smell infused the oil. Carrots and potato were then added and cooked for 3 minutes before adding the chicken and all the remaining spices and one cup of water was added, then let it simmer until the chicken was two-third done.
After cooking the chicken curry was canned immediately and sealed. This process is called hot packing where the product is packed while it is still hot. The researchers have also removed air bubbles in the can by inserting a plastic spoon to release the bubbles. This process also prevents microorganisms from contaminating the product while it is still hot and sealed.
After canning the product was subjected to heat treatment to kill the possible microorganisms present in the product; this method should use a pressure canner to properly monitor the pressure and temperature inside where the products are including its processing time. The pressure and high temperature can destroy microbial spores; the pressure and temperature of a product will depend on what product is used to can. But during this home based trial the researchers have used a regular pressure cooker to process their product for 30 minutes, this practice is actually not advisable; because the pressure and temperature inside the pressure cooker cannot be monitored and can possibly under process the product that may cause product failure.
After the pressure canning; the can should be cool naturally for 12-24 hours at room temperature and should not be forced to cool down.
The product should be stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. Avoid the product to be exposed with heat, freezing temperature and light because these factors help to decrease the quality and shelf life of canned food.
