Honey Curry Chicken, modified

Sister's Cafe has a recipe that I tried out.  I modified it a bit and LOVED it!  What was even better, I made a curry chicken salad sandwich with the leftovers and it was GREAT too!

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ c. butter
½ c. honey
¼ c. prepared mustard
1 ½ tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red curry paste
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1 TBS. chopped cilantro
½ tsp. pepper

Place chicken in greased casserole dish. Melt butter in microwaveable bowl. Add other ingredients and warm in microwave. Pour mixture over chicken. Place in oven, bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. Garnish with sautéed mushrooms and serve with extra juice from the pan over rice.

*RESERVE YOUR LEFTOVER CHICKEN AND MARINADE and stay tuned tomorrow for a yummy way to use your leftovers!*

African Chicken Stew

This recipe was a GREAT way to break in my new Christmas gift of a STAUB dutch oven. I loved this meal, and I LOVE my new dutch oven!

1 TBS Olive Oil

1 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into one inch pieces

1 1/2 c Chopped onions

2 Garlic cloves; minced

28 oz Can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 c Creamy peanut butter

1/2 ts Chili powder

1/2 ts Salt

1/4 ts Crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste

3 c Cooked rice

1 c Chopped dry roasted peanuts

Heat oil in Dutch Oven or large saucepan over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken, onions and garlic; cook about five minutes or until chicken is browned and onions are tender. Stir in tomatoes, peanut butter, chili powder, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 35 minutes.

Serve over rice; sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Goes great with cooked vegetables and my favorite naan.

Indian Lamb & Spinach Curry

This was delightful (adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Slow Cooker).  And it didn't hurt that it was in the CROCK POT!!!  Set it and forget it, baby!

1/3 c. oil
2 vidalia onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
2 tsp. cumin
1.5 tsp. cayenne pepper (more or less for heat, this was just right for us)
1.5 tsp. turmeric
2 c. beef broth
3 lbs. boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes
6 cups baby spinach
1 1/3 c. plain yogurt

In large frying pan over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic in oil.  Stir in ginger, cumin, cayenne, and turmeric and stir until fragrant.  Pour in broth and deglaze pan by scraping browned bits on the bottom.  When broth comes to a boil, remove from heat.

Place lamb in slow cooker, sprinkle with 1 TBS (I used less) of salt.  Add contents of frying pan.  Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours, or low heat for 8 hours.

Add baby spinach about 5-10 minutes before ready to serve and replace lid on crock pot until spinach wilts.  Just before serving, stir in yogurt.  Serve over rice with naan.

Raita by Guest Chef Scott

*Raita* A tangy yogurt that is often served on the side of spicy curries.


1 large tub of Plain low fat yogurt (any high quality organic yogurt will be fine)

1 large cucumber

1 large carrot

1 small tomato (optional)

½ bunch of cilantro

1 tsp cumin or cumin seeds

Juice of 1 lime

Start by pouring the yogurt into a strainer. The idea is that you are going to drain off the excess liquid, or whey. Better quality yogurt tends to have less liquid. After you have drained off the excess liquid, place the remaining yogurt into a bowl.

Peel and dice your cucumber, grate your carrot, dice your tomato, and chop your cilantro. Add all of these goodies to the bowl

Take your cumin or cumin seeds and dry roast it in a frying pan. Meaning, put the spice in a dry frying pan. Turn on the heat. Wait for the color of the spice to change (slightly), and the scent to fill the air. Remove from heat and let cool. If you are using cumin seeds, grind them. Add this to the bowl.

Your Raita is now ready. I like to make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge, so the flavors can mingle. But it’s your thing do what you want to do.

Before serving, squeeze the juice of one lime into the mix.

Lamb Curry by Guest Chef Scott

*See the next post for the Raita pictured in the blue bowl.

Ingredients


3 chopped onions

2 fresh chopped tomatoes

2 chopped chili peppers

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp chopped ginger

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 Tbsp cumin

2 – 2 ½ lbs lamb leg

½ bunch fresh cilantro

½ cup water

½ cup toasted almonds

1 tsp chili powder (optional)

Dash salt and pepper
Dry Rub

1 Tbsp roasted curry powder (you can roast your own spices)

1 Tbsp roasted cumin (you can roast your own spices)

Juice of 1 lime

The night before, trim the fat off of the Lamb. You won’t be able to remove all of the fat, but you’ll be able to get a lot of it. Cut the Lamb into small cubes. Place in a Ziplock back, and combine with 1 Tbsp roasted curry powder, 1 Tbsp roasted cumin, and the juice of 1 lime.

To roast your own spices - Take your spices and dry roast them in a frying pan. Meaning, put the spice in a dry frying pan. Turn on the heat. Wait for the color of the spice to change (slightly), and the scent to fill the air. Remove from heat and let cool. If you are using cumin seeds, grind them in a mortar or spice grinder

The day off, In a sauté pan (preferably an oven safe pan) heat olive oil until warm. Add diced onion. Sauté onions until completely transparent, cook onions for about ten additional minutes. Add Garlic and Ginger mix thoroughly and let cook for a couple minutes. Add spices; stir well and let sit for a minute. Add lamb meat; stir occasionally until lamb is browned. Once lamb is browned, add tomato paste and water. Stir well; turn heat to medium-low and cover. If you are using an oven safe pan, place the pan in a 200° degree oven. Cook the lamb for 1 ½-2 hours. If cooking on the stove top, you’ll want to stir occasionally. Then add tomatoes, stir well and cook for 3-5 minutes. Garnish with Cilantro and toasted almonds.

Serve with Rice

Hold for Applause

Guest Chef Scott's Sri Lankan Dal Curry

Ingredients:

2 lbs. dry dal (I like Toor Dal, Channa Dal, or Moong Dal)

dal is a lentil

1 large onion

1 medium tomato

1 bell pepper

1 carrot

2 cloves garlic

½ inch fresh ginger grated

1-2 cans coconut milk

1 ½ Tbsp Curry Powder

1 Tbsp Cumin

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp ground mustard seed (optional)


It is easier to use two. It works best to soak the Dal overnight, but if you forget no major problem. In one pot add the dal and water; you want to add about twice as much water as dal. Bring pot to a boil, and periodically stir. The dal will cook in a pressure cooker in about 20 (from boiling) and about an hour in a regular pot. The dal will be done when it is soft and no longer crunchy. Drain the dal and set aside.

Finely chop the garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, and carrot. Sauté the onion until transparent. Add the garlic, ginger, tomato, pepper, and carrot; sauté until vegetables are thoroughly cooked. I usually blend the mixture at this point, but that’s only because I don’t like tomatoes. Add to the cooked vegetables the spices. Mix in the cooked dal. Add coconut milk, you want enough coconut milk to make the dal a little soupy. Depending on how it cooked and what type of dal you used you will need 1 to 2 cans of coconut milk – adding too much coconut milk is impossible.

Periodically stir and bring to a low boil. Let simmer till ready to serve.

Chicken Coconut Curry by Guest Chef Scott

1 large yellow onion, diced


2 medium sized boneless chicken breast, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp chopped ginger

1 peeled potato, diced

¼ - ½ cup Lemon Juice

1 can Coconut Cream

Spices

2 Tbsp Curry Powder

1 Tbsp Cumin/ Cumin Seeds

1 Tbsp Turmeric

½ - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper
In a sauté pan heat olive oil until warm. Add diced onion. Sauté onions until completely transparent, cook onions for about ten additional minutes. Add Garlic and Ginger mix thoroughly and let cook for a couple minutes. Add spices, stir well and let sit for a minute. Add chicken. Stir occasionally, until chicken is cooked. Add diced potato and just enough water to submerge the potatoes. Turn heat to medium once water comes to a boil, Cover and cook on medium until potatoes are soft.

Add Coconut, stir until gentle boil. Leave uncover and stir occasionally. Once sauce thickens it is ready to serve.

Serve over rice

Note: This is a milder curry sauce. For those of you, who love spice, add twice the spices, and diced chilies.

Naan

This Indian flat bread is one of my favorites. We had it with some korma and rice.

2 TBS. active dry yeast (or a packet)
1 c. warm water
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. milk
2 tsp. salt
4.5 cups all purpose flour
Butter/Vegetable Oil
2 tsp. minced garlic (optional) - I do some plain, some garlic

Mix yeast and warm water, let it sit for 10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy. Add egg, sugar, milk and salt. Slowly mix in flour (more or less) until you get a soft dough - Knead on lightly floured surface for 6-8 minutes. Place in well oiled bowl. Cover with a warm, damp cloth until the dough doubles in size (about 1 hour). After dough has risen, punch down and pull off small handfuls of dough and place on greased tray or cookie sheet, add garlic if desired. Cover tray with towel. Let handfuls rise again until double in size (about 30 min.).
Heat grill on med-high heat. Press out balls of dough until you have a flat piece of dough. Spray grill, place dough and let it cook for 1-2 min., meanwhile, butter uncooked side of dough, and flip to cook other side for another 1-2 minutes.

About 10 servings.

Yummy Pineapple Chicken Curry

* My sis Em gave this recipe to me, and I modified it a bit based on what I had and what I needed to get rid of. It was delish!

3 T EVOO
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
5-6 T curry powder (add more or less to taste)
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t paprika
1 bay leaf
2 t FRESH ginger root
¼ c. sugar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
2 potatoes, par-boiled
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 can tomato paste
6 oz. plain fat free yogurt
1 can coconut milk
1 lemon, juiced
1 t cayenne pepper
1 can pineapple tidbits (drained)
Salt to taste

Heat EVOO in skillet over med heat. Saute onion until translucent. Stir in curry powder, garlic, cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar and salt. Stir for another min or so. Add chicken pieces, potatoes, pepper, carrots, tomato paste, yogurt and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Remove bay leaf and simmer 5 more min

Delicious served with warm naan and rice!

Navratan Korma - the easy way

We are big fans of Indian food at our house. This one was no exception. There is nothing quite like a tasty korma!

1 TBS. vegetable oil
1/3 c. cashews
1 medium onion, grated
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ginger paste
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans mixed vegetables, drained and patted dry
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garam masala
1 c. water
1/4 c. golden raisins and 1/4 c. shredded coconut
1 c. premade frozen paneer cubes (optional)
1/2 c. heavy cream (or milk, for less fat and runnier consistency)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Place cashews in skillet, cook and stir until golden brown, set aside. Stir onion into skillet, cook until tender and clear. Mix in garlic and ginger paste, cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and all of spices. Pour in water, raisins, coconut, and canned tomatoes and mixed vegetables. Bring to a boil. Add paneer cubes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until paneer is heated through. Stir in cream, bring to a boil. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with naan and basmati rice.

Murgh Makhani (aka Butter Chicken)

2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp. garam masala (you can buy this at any ethnic grocery store)
1 1/2 tsp. minced ginger
2 TBS. minced garlic
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 6oz. container plain yogurt
Add above ingredients and saute together. Add 4 chicken breasts cut into small cubes to the mix. Set in fridge and let marinate for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, in large pan, melt 1 stick butter, add onions (and peppers if desired) and saute until translucent. Add chicken mixture. Cook 5-7 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add whipping cream and cilantro, mix well. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat, and serve immediately over basmati rice.
1/4 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. butter
1 large onion thinly sliced
2 TBS. chopped fresh cilantro