Basic Chicken Curry, with Potato

 

 

I don’t put many curry recipes in my food blog, despite curries being some of the most frequent cooking I do for family and business. My reasons are that the cooking procedures are generally complex, take a lot of time, and many fresh and dry seasonings are used that may not be in most non-Indian home kitchens. Typical curries that I make at the restaurant use 8 or more dry spices, plus fresh ginger, garlic and onion.

 

I mostly cook North Indian non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes. That’s based on what I learned to love while living in Malaysia (including from cooking classes taught by a Sikh lady) plus working on a number of occasions in India and Pakistan, and eating extensively at Indian restaurants in the US and Asia..

 

But cooking with several college and medical student friends in Athens a while back who liked to cook as a hobby, I worked out a few recipes that minimized the steps and spices necessary yet still produce tasty and credible curries. Here’s one I found in my old file recently which makes an intensely flavored Punjabi-style chicken and potato curry. 

 

The recipe will serve six or more, accompanied by unsalted Basmati rice, a chutney or two, plus yogurt. (Recipes for a fresh tomato chutney and rice cooking methods can be found elsewhere in this blog.)

 

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh

2 teaspoons salt for chicken

1 teaspoon turmeric for chicken

1 very large onion

1/4 cup sunflower or canola oil

3/4 inch fresh ginger

1 large clove garlic

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons turmeric for spice mix

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt, for spice mix

2 medium potatoes

1 cup water

1/4 cup plain, whole milk yogurt

Chopped cilantro leaf for garnish.

 

Trim tough parts and excess fat (a little fat can remain) off the chicken thighs, then cut them cross-wise into 1-inch wide pieces. Mix well with the salt and turmeric. Set aside to marinate while doing the next steps.

 

Finely dice the onion. In a cooking pot over low heat, gently fry it in the oil, keeping the pot covered but stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot every 3-4 minutes, until golden.

 

While onions are frying, scrape the skin off the ginger piece and slice ginger very thinly. Add the garlic, peeled, and mince them together very finely on a cutting board, or pound them together till smooth in a mortar and pestle. Set this paste aside until needed.

 

Measure the dry spices plus the salt for the spice mix into a cup or bowl and set aside. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks and place them in a bowl of water to prevent browning.

 

As the onions become well softened, and begin to take on a pale yellowish tint (this may take 30 minutes or more with the low heat recommended), stir in the ginger-garlic mixture and continue to fry the mixture 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the spice mixture and stir for another minute. Add the cup of water and let the mixture simmer a few minutes.

 

Add the potatoes, drained, raise the heat somewhat and simmer them 5 minutes, covered but stirring frequently.

 

Add marinated chicken and any juices. Stir and cook gently 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add yogurt and simmer five more minutes. Taste sauce and add salt if necessary. If the sauce is becoming dry, add a little water. Cut off a piece of potato and a piece of chicken and bite into each to test for doneness. Cook a little longer if either potatoes or chicken need it.

 

Serve now, or cool, refrigerate and reheat, stirring several times, either in a covered casserole in the microwave or in a pot on the stove top.

 

To serve, sprinkle with coarsely chopped cilantro. Accompany with unsalted rice, preferably Basmati, some yogurt and a chutney.

 

“Peach Marsala” is easy and delicious

 

The idea started with a chef friend’s experiment years ago in Atlanta. He toyed with a sweet, creamy bourbon-enhanced sauce for a peach cake. In the end he abandoned the effort, but not before I had tasted his sauce and saw possibilities. 

I stole the idea, frankly, but changed the flavor from Jack Daniels to aromatic Marsala wine. And I envisioned the sauce over broiled peaches. That was as the peach season was winding down that year.  The idea dwindled. But the following year, having received some luscious peaches from a traveler from South Carolina (I know, I know… but they grow them well up there, too), I revived the thought of a rich, Marsala-laced sauce on peaches. And in particular, peaches over good vanilla ice cream.

 

Marsala, a fragrant, fortified wine made for centuries in Sicily, draws its name from its town of origin. Produced from local grapes, the wine ages for years in a system of connected barrels from which a portion of older wine is drawn off from the bottom to sell and new wine is added to the top to replace it. Thus wines of different vintages mingle as their flavor and fragrance intensify. The barreling system is similar to the “solera” used for producing sherry and port wines.

 

California Marsala made by Cribari, a company best known for sacramental and altar wines, is inexpensive and quite decent for cooking. But Marsala varieties from Italy are not expensive, either. I prefer the non-sweet version (“secco” for Italian­­-made Marsala) since I also use it cooking chicken.

 

In this dessert fresh sliced peaches are placed over ice cream and the sauce is poured lightly over them.

 

The recipe makes sauce enough for six servings over peaches and ice cream .

 

1/3 cup Marsala wine

1/4 cup brown sugar

Large pinch of salt

2/3 cup sour cream

3-6 peaches, depending on size, peeled and sliced

Vanilla ice cream

 

In enamel or stainless steel pot, bring wine, sugar and salt to a rapid boil, stirring. Simmer for two minutes. Whisk in the sour cream until smooth, then remove from the heat. Let cool.

 

Serve from a small pitcher or serving bowl. Spoon sliced peaches over ice cream and drizzle with the sauce.

 

Quinoa Pilaf -- Easy

 

 

I’m a recent convert to quinoa. I’m not sure quite why it took me so long. Probably because the grain had such a cultish following, and because I loved rice so much in so many forms. 

But trying to get more iron into the diets of several family members who go light on, or without, meat, and cooking occasionally for several people dealing with diabetes or pre-diabetes, have both encouraged me to try more dishes with quinoa. The grain (technically a seed) is highly nutritious and has a relatively low glycemic index.

 

What I have learned is that quinoa is easy to cook, is fairly flexible in the variety of dishes that can be prepared with it, and (most important to me) I find I like quinoa. I’ll still cook and love rice, potatoes, grits/polenta, and pasta, but now I’ve expanded my repertoire for side dishes.

 

Raw quinoa has a negative feature that needs to be dealt with for best flavor. The seeds have a light coating of naturally occurring, bitter, soap-like saponins, which apparently give the plant protection from grazing animals and microbial organisms. This should be removed by washing the grains before cooking. (Some quinoa is already washed before it is sold, in which case further washing is not necessary.)

 

Here’s a pilaf-style dish I made using red quinoa, which is very attractive, to accompany roasted salmon. White, black or tri-colored quinoa would also work. I used a rice cooker, but also suggest how to cook the dish on the stove-top instead. I made the version with chicken broth and rendered chicken fat, but I include a vegetarian option in the recipe, as well.

 

The recipe serves six as a side dish.

 

1 1/2 cups quinoa, red or mixed color for attractiveness

1/2 small onion, finely diced

1 small Roma-type tomato, cored and finely diced

3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or a medium pinch of dry thyme

2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat or olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of cayenne

2 2/3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water

Minced parsley for garnish, optional

 

Place quinoa in the rice cooker container or the pot in which it will be cooked. Add plenty of cool water, then rub the grains between your hands for a minute or so. Drain off the water through a sieve and rinse well with running water. Drain, then return rinsed quinoa to the rice cooker container or cooking pot.

 

Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well.

 

Rice cooker method: Cover and turn on rice cooker. Let cook through its full cycle, then rest, unopened, for ten minutes after the light switches from cook to “keep warm.” After 10 minutes, open cooker and fluff quinoa with a rice paddle or fork to mix well. Remove the bay leaves as you see them. Cover and keep warm until served.

 

Stove-top method: Keeping pot uncovered, bring contents to a boil. Stir, cover pot, and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Set timer for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes, keep pot covered but turn off the heat and let rest 10 minutes. Open and fluff quinoa with a rice paddle or fork to mix well. Remove bay leaves as you see them. Cover again until served.

 

If quinoa cools off, or there is some left over, it’s easy to reheat in a microwave oven in a covered casserole, fluffing a time or two during reheating.

 

Serve in a shallow bowl, dusting the top with a little minced parsley, if desired.

 

 

Indian Spiced Tea – Masala Chai

 

 

“Chai,” as many Americans call it, is correctly “Masala Chai,” meaning “spiced tea.” “Chai” alone simply means “tea” in the Indian subcontinent. It’s composed of black tea brewed with milk, sugar, and fresh and dried spices. A classic street vendor drink, it was once sold in throwaway thin-sided clay cups. It is now often served in small glasses or brass cups.

Masala Chai with its spices

 

This is not my recipe. Rather it is basically the recipe of my sister in law, Karin Downs, who spent a college semester in India and later spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal, where Masala Chai is also common. This is the way my wife Christina makes the drink at home, where the grandkids enjoy it. It’s also the way we make it at the family-run restaurant, Donderos’ Kitchen, in Athens, Georgia.

 

In India the drink can be quite sweet. We make it less sweet, but the sugar can be increased if preferred.

 

The  recipe makes over 6 cups, or about 8-10 servings. Leftover Masala Chai is nice cold too.

 

4 cups water

5 (1/8-inch) slices fresh ginger, not peeled

2 (3-inch) sticks whole cinnamon

8 whole green cardamoms

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

3 tea bags (or 2 tablespoons loose) black Indian-type tea

3 cups whole milk

2-3 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste

 

In a cooking pot, simmer together the water, fresh ginger, and all the dry whole spices for 20 minutes. Add the tea bags or loose tea, and simmer 5 minutes. Add milk and sugar and bring it to just heated but not boiling (it could foam over if it boils).

 

Pour through a strainer into a tea pot, from which to serve the tea. Serve in cups or small glasses.

 

Spicy Pinto Beans

 

 

Here’s an easily made pinto bean dish of the sort that goes well as an ingredient in tacos, fajitas, nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and burritos. Alternatively, the beans go well with rice as a lunch or snack.

 

The recipe serves six people as a light meal, or serves more people if used as an ingredient in one of the Tex-Mex dishes mentioned above.

 

1 small green bell pepper or 1/2 a medium one

1 medium jalapeño pepper

1 small onion or 1/2 a medium one

1 clove garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 (14-ounce) cans pinto beans

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, if available, or 1 extra teaspoon regular chili powder

1 teaspoon regular chili powder, or 2 teaspoons if chipotle chili powder not used

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/3 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup water

Coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired

 

Core the bell pepper and cut it in chunks. Cut the stem off the jalapeño, and cut the jalapeño in half, keeping the seeds. Peel the onion and the garlic clove. Chop all four vegetables very finely in a food processor, or on a cutting board with a chef’s knife. Place vegetable mixture in a heavy pot with the olive oil. Set aside.

 

Open the cans of beans, and holding their lids on, drain off as much liquid as you can, but do not rinse. Add 1 cup of water to one of the cans of beans. Measure the salt and dry seasonings and put them in a small bowl or cup.

 

Place the pot with the chopped vegetables and olive oil on the stove, and fry, stirring very frequently, until the vegetables are softened, but not browned. Add the beans and their water plus the spices to the pot. Heat, simmering for about ten minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot, so that the beans don’t stick.

 

Remove from the heat. Taste, and add salt if needed.

 

Use a a lunch dish with rice, sprinkled with chopped parsley, or use as an ingredient on nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, fajitas or burritos.

 

 

Red Lentil Dal with Spinach, a good Iron Source

 

One of my teenage grandchildren has been vegetarian for some years. And as she is active in sports, getting enough iron to avoid anemia is a challenge. She loves Indian food, and does some cooking. So this one is for her. 

Lentils, and especially red lentils (called “masoor dal” in India), and spinach (called “palak” or “saag” in India) are both good sources of dietary iron. They also have many other nutritional benefits, including protein, soluble and insoluble fiber, and multiple vitamins.

 

Here is a delicious Indian vegetarian dish, Dal Saag (or Dal Palak), that brings together these two fine iron sources. It also makes a great meal, accompanied by rice or chapati flat bread, plus yogurt and a fresh chutney (I have a good recipe for fresh tomato chutney elsewhere in this blog).

 

Masoor dal, split and hulled red (or “Egyptian”) lentils, are available inexpensively at supermarkets, Indian stores, and natural food stores. The spices are relatively readily available at the same places. Frozen spinach is the easiest for this cooking, but fresh could be used if preferred. Indian cooks would typically fry part of the cumin seeds and part of the onion in a little oil or clarified butter (ghee) and stir it in at the end for heightened flavor. For simplicity (and for a teen-aged cook) I leave that step out and just cook those seasonings in with the lentils.

 

The recipe makes about a quart and a half, enough for six people. It keeps well in the fridge and reheats easily in the microwave.

 

1 1/2 cup split red lentils

5 cups water

4 tablespoons butter (or vegetable oil for a vegan dish)

1 small onion finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 1/4 teaspoons whole cumin seeds (or ground as a second choice)

1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or ground as a second choice)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1 (12-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (not thawed)

Coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired

 

Rinse and drain the lentils. Place in a pot with the water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of thee pot. Skim off and discard the foam that arises as the lentils boil.

 

Add the butter, onion and spices (not the salt), and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot, until lentils are tender and start to disintegrate, 25-30 minutes. If the mixture is getting somewhat dry, add a little water.

Add the salt and simmer a few more minutes.

 

Finally, add the frozen spinach, and stirring frequently, cook only until the spinach is heated. Do not cook after the mixture boils.

 

Remove from the heat, taste for salt and add a little if needed. Let cool. The flavors are enhanced as the mixture rests.

 

Reheat to serve. Top lightly with coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, if desired, when using as part of an Indian meal with rice or chapati.

 

 

Spring Greens and Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette – All Year Long

 

Bright, young leafy greens and gorgeous red strawberries combine for a delightful salad that screams “springtime.” But -- happily -- the story is  more complicated. 

“Spring Mix,” a collection of young salad greens is now available throughout the year. And most of it is hydroponically grown in greenhouses. Increasingly it’s produced locally in all seasons. Strawberries, which in my childhood were very seasonal and locally grown, are available year round, and are either shipped in, or now also greenhouse grown. Strawberries are safest if organic or at least raised in greenhouses.

 

Here’s my “springtime” salad offering, which was previously a column in Boom Magazine, an Athens publication for which I regularly write about food and cooking.

Using some of the strawberries, particularly the less beautiful ones in the package, to infuse the salad dressing makes the salad an even more intense celebration of spring. And, thanks to modern agriculture, it can be enjoyed any time of year.

 

The recipe serves six. The salad dressing can be made in advance.

 

1 pint (16 ounces) strawberries, organic or greenhouse grown

1 sprig fresh mint or other herb, optional

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus to taste

3 tablespoons wine vinegar or cider vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil or part olive oil

4 cups (loosely measured) spring mix salad greens (from supermarket)

 

Divide the strawberries into two halves, the prettiest berries in one half. Save those for topping the salad.

 

Using the less pretty berries, cut off the hulls and stems and chop or mash the berries finely. Mix them in a bowl with the fresh herb, if used, sugar, salt, vinegar and water. Mix well and allow to sit for an hour or more. Put mixture through a strainer into another bowl and press down firmly to extract the juices. Discard the squeezed-out strawberry pulp. Add the black pepper and oil to the liquid in the bowl. Mix and taste for salt, adding a little, if needed, to taste. It should be faintly salty.

 

Place the spring mix (no need to rinse the leaves if the package indicates they were already washed) in a salad bowl. Hull the reserved (prettier} strawberries. Slice them from top to bottom 1/4-inch thick and distribute them on top of the salad greens. Transfer the dressing to an attractive jar. Just before serving, and preferably at the table for the diners to see, toss the dressing with the greens and berries.