Coconut Chicken

Slightly spicy with thick creamy sauce, yum! And quite easy to make too. Recipe adapted from Indian Food and Folklore.

Ingredients:

14.5 oz (400 ml) coconut milk
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teasoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
~ 200 g mushrooms
1 lb (450 g) chicken pieces, skinned
2 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Heat the oil in a pan and brown the chicken pieces.
Add mushrooms.
Add the coconut milk and all spices.
Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Mint Chicken Curry

This is a recipe that combines mint, yogurt and tomato flavors. It is not something I'd have every week, but it is definitely interesting. Recipe from my Indian recipe book.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint*
1 tablespoon grated ginger
3 tablespoons ghee
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 lb (~ 750 g) boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
6 oz (180 g) chopped tomatoes

*I cut up 4 peppermint teabags, which came up to about 4 tablespoons dried mint.

Directions:

Place onion, garlic, mint and ginger in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
In a saucepan heat the ghee and gently fry the paste for about 5 minutes.
Add the garam masala and chili powder and fry for 1 more minute.
Add chicken, toss to cover with spice mix and cook for further 5 minutes.
Add yogurt and tomatoes, stir well.
Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the cover and simmer for 30 more minutes to thicken the sauce.
Serve with steamed rice (or loads of bread :).

Daal Curry

This is, of course, vegetarian though my husband adds sausage on the side. Recipe from my favorite Indian recipe book.

Ingredients (for about 4 servings):

250 g (about 1 1/2 cups) red lentils
3 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 chilli pepper
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander (cilantro)
1 teaspoon salt
25 g (~ 3 tablespoons) coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

In a saucepan heat ghee and sautee onion, garlic, chilli pepper, bay leaf, cumin, coriander for 30-40 seconds, stirring continuously.
Add lentils, rest of spices.
Add enough water to cover the lentils and cook until lentils are done (about 15-20 min).
Remove from heat and discard bay leaf and chilli pepper.
Stir in coconut milk (you can skip it, it makes the spices milder).
Before serving, stir in lemon juice.

Not that you haven't seen cooked lentils, but here's a pic:

Curried Rice and Vegetables

This is actually based on Ivayla's recipe, with a few alterations. It came about because X's family gave him a few pounds of chicken, so I found Ivayla's recipe. I made the curry half with veggies, half with chicken. We had left juice and left-over veggies, so I added two cups of rice to it. It turned into a fantastic side dish or light meal

Ingredients:

- Two cups cooked rice

- Vegetables (whatever you have on hand. We used leeks, potatoes, onions and carrots, I think.

2 cups plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teasoon turmeric

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1.5 tsp. curry

2 tablespoons oil

Instructions:

- Mix yogurt, spices and garlic in bowl.

- Add the oil to large skillet, letting it heat. Add in a few extra cloves of garlic and then the onion.

- Sautee until onion is soft and slightly golden. Add in the rest of the veggies and yogurt mixture.

- Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes, depending on the veggies.

- Add in cooked rice and continue to simmer for five minutes.

It's really good and fairly easy.

Chicken Curry

Recipe from Indian Food and Folklore.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teasoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 lb (450 g) chicken pieces, skinned
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Place yogurt, garlic and all spices in a large bowl and mix well.
Add the chicken pieces and toss to cover with yogurt mixture.
Cover and leave to marinade for at least 4 hours.

Heat the oil in a pan.
Add the onion and fry until golden.
Add the chicken and the marinade.
Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Cod Pakistani Style

A friend sent me this recipe with very high recommendations. We don't eat tilapia at home, but I tried it with cod. It turned out delicious just the same.

Ingredients:

1 lb (450 g) cod fillets
1/4 cup olive oil
14.5 oz (400 g) canned diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons ginger
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves (skinned)
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek seed
the juice of one small lemon
2 teaspoons salt
2 jalapeno peppers slit in half, length-wise. I used 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder instead - we cannot tolerate that much spiciness :).

Directions:

In a food processor blend tomatoes, garlic and ginger into a smooth paste. Add oil and pulse a few times.
Put the paste in a skillet and simmer on low heat, uncovered, for about 5 minutes or until the oil begins to separate from the liquid.
Add the bay leaves, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek seed, salt and the jalapenos.
Stir well and allow the mixture to cook for a few more minutes.
Poke a few holes in each cod fillet, and add them to the paste.
Add the juice of the lemon.
Simmer for 10 more minutes or until fish is cooked through.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve over white rice (or, with a lot of bread).

Curry Couscous

I love curry, I love couscous... Yeah!

Put the amount of water your couscous package says to use for 2 servings into a small pot. Add:

1 1/2 tsp Curry Powder (I used 1 tsp Sweet Curry and 1/2 tsp Maharajah with saffron in it)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Poultry Seasoning
Lemon pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste

Finish couscous according to the directions and add 1 Tbsp butter. Serve as a side dish (I suggest with baked chicken).

Info on my spices:
Sweet Curry: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyscurryswe.html
Maharajah Curry: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysmaharajah.html
Poultry seasoning: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyspoultryseas.html

Tai's Curried Mince

This is my own recipe so it is has a very mild curry taste because of the kids. You could add more curry depending on your taste.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10-15 mins
Cooking time: 30-40 mins

Ingredients -

500grams mince

1 whole sliced garlic

4 cups water

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen beans

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon steak spice

1 teaspoon mixed herbs

6 tablespoons plain flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions -

Brown the mince over medium heat. Add garlic, water and vegetables. Stir in curry powder, steak spice and mixed herbs. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Slowly add flour (I do it a tablespoon at a time so that it won’t cause lumps) then simmer for another 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve with rice.