Indian Spiced Chicken Curry

So the recipes I found on this dish called it "Sri Lankan Chicken Curry". But as I dug deeper, many people disagreed with that label and swore it was Indian. Call it what you want. This is my version:

• 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp ginger, finely grated
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (native to Asia & Southern Europe, the seeds are bitter and used most often in curries)
• 1 tsp tumeric or yellow curry mix
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground fennel
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 3/4 cup zucchini (cut into chunks)
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1 can coconut milk
• a spoonful (or so) of flour

Heat butter.

Fry fenugreek seeds until they start to brown (which happens fast, so watch closely).

Add onion, garlic & ginger & heat until onions are golden & soft.

Add tumeric, coriander, cumin, fennel, paprika, salt & vinegar. Stir well.

Add chicken & stir over medium heat until fully coated with spices.

Add cardamom, cinnamon stick, lemongrass & chopped veggies.

Cover and cook on low for 40-50 minutes.

Add coconut milk (do not cover after adding the coconut milk).

Stir flour with a bit of broth or water and stir it in while the sauce is still boiling. Remove cinnamon & lemongrass.

Taste & add salt, spices or lemon juice to taste.

Serve over jasmine or basmati rice (frankly I can't tell the difference between the two).

Cream of Cauliflower Soup w/ Ginger

How do you "core" this thing???

• 2 leeks, roots trimmed, including 2 inches of green
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 celery rib, with extra leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp finely minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 6 cups chicken broth
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 head cauliflower, cored & broken into florets. Here we go - anyone know how to core a cauliflower? I asked around and the answer was no. So I just cut the bitch.
• 1 cup half & half
• salt & pepper
• crystallized ginger

Cut leeks in half, lengthwise. Wash to remove dirt. Pat dry & thinly slice crosswise.

Heat the oil with the butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Wilt the leeks & celery with leaves until softened, 10 minutes; add garlic during the last 5 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder & ginger and cook over very low heat to permeate the vegetables, 1 minute. Add the broth, lemon juice & cauliflower florets. Raise the heat to high & bring to a boil; reduce the heat & simmer, partially covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree in a food processor until very smooth, adding half & half thru the feed tube. Add extra broth for desired consistency. Salt & pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with crystallized ginger, sliced leeks or florets.

Creamy Lemon Rice

Oh so good. Goes great with herbed chicken. I adapted this one for a rice cooker.

• Basmati or Jasmine rice
• 1 can of chicken broth
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp butter
• sea salt
• cream
• lemon juice

Prepare rice in rice cooker as usual, but use chicken broth instead of water. Add other ingredients to taste.

Chicken w/ Garam Masala

Modified Indian recipe. I go heavy on the garam masala (it's mild) and extra light on the cumin (because it can easily overwhelm a dish. This cooks up in 5-10 minutes.

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 two-inch piece fresh gingerroot, grated
• pinch (PINCH!) cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala (or more)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 tbsp hot water
• salt & pepper

Rinse chicken, pat dry & slice thinly.

Heat oil in a large skillet, add onions and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove onions from pan & set aside.

Add chicken to pan & cook over high heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until browned all over.

Stir in garling, gingerroot, cumin, garam masala as well as salt & pepper to taste.

Cook 1 minute, then stir in cooked onions, lemon juice & water.

Cover & cook over low heat about 10 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Serve hot over jasmine rice.

*Garam Masala is a blend of common indian spices. It differs regionally but the basic combination usually includes: peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, anise & coriander.

(picture from Flickr)

Seven-Spice Vanilla Chai

This is so great because it makes my entire apartment smell lovely and spicy. It's an easy thing to throw together when someone calls at the last minute and says they're coming over or just for a nice lazy Sunday by the fire.

• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
• 5-7 cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp anise seed
• 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 dash ground nutmeg
• 1 black teabag (or 1 tsp black tea leaves)
• 2 cups water
• cream, half & half, milk or condensed milk - to taste
• I also add a splash of vanilla to mine. But it's up to you.

Combine spices & water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil & simmer three minutes. I usually let mine simmer much longer than that. I love the way it smells!

When you're ready to drink it, add the tea & steem for 3 minutes.

Strain into teapot or cups & stir in milk or cream.

Yes I actually took this picture!

Chicken Curry Lentil Soup

Ok I made this up on the fly last winter but it turned out great. I didn't put down any of the measurements but you don't need them. I'm serious - you don't! Just add the ingredients in the amounts that look good to you. It's a soup, so all you have to do is add more broth if there's too much seasoning, and boil it down to reduce it if there's not enough to it. Ok? Here we go:

• 1/2 lb chicken breast strips (or any chicken, meat or even tofu would work fine)
• 1-2 cups lentils
• 3-4 cans chicken broth
• minced garlic
• stewed tomatoes
• vegetable flakes (you can get big bags of these at farmer's markets!)
• curry powder
• 1 whole clove
• dried parsley flakes

Bring broth to a boil & add lentils. Then just add everything else and taste as you go (except the raw chicken, don't taste that until it's cooked through!) haha

Saffron Rice (Kesar Chaval)

My husband usually looks at ethnic seasonings (read: anything that's not salt & pepper) as creepy and weird. Not when it smells this good! This stuff makes my apartment smell wonderful and spicy (if you like that sort of thing. If you don't, then pop another frozen pizza in the microwave and be done with it).

• 1 cup basmati rice (just buy the 25lb at Costco already!)


• 1/2 tsp saffron threads


• 3 tbsp butter


• one 1-inch stick, cinnamon


• 3 whole cloves (I used 5!)


• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion


• 1 tsp salt


• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

If you have a rice cooker, just add everything and cook to instructions, stirring occasionally to make sure it's mixed well. Otherwise, just follow the instructions on the bag of rice. You're basically just making rice, the added spices and such don't really change a thing in terms of the process. That's why I like it!

New flavor without having to learn anything. Lovely.