Chicken Curry

One of my dear friends gave me a collection of her favorite recipes for our wedding. As a mother of 5 kids, she definitely knows what it means to make a fast, easy, and delicious meal. So this is one of those recipes.

This recipe was perfect when I wanted something exotic, but not as time-intensive as this dish. Because... lets be honest. We make Indian food in our house once a week. We just can't get enough. And I feel like when you make Indian food you just have to have Naan bread. And a strawberry lassi is such a cool, refreshing contrast to the spice, so you have to have that. Sooo if I want to cut down on time prep, I go with an easier main dish. This was perfect.

Curry Chicken

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon slat
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
cilantro (optional)

Melt butter and saute onions. Stir in flour and spices. Cook 5 minutes. Add broth and cook until it thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and sour cream. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Note for Next Time: I thought the sour cream made it a little too....sour creamy. Next time I would substitute at least half of the sour cream with plain yogurt.

Naan Bread...the real deal

I have already posted one recipe for Naan bread, but this is more like the Bombay's House...which is basically the gold standard, as far as I'm concerned.

We served this bread to Ryan's grandma when she came over for dinner last week andshe dreamed about it the night after. It is just that good.

Naan Bread

2/3 cup warm water
3/4 teaspoon yeast
2 cups flour (the recipe recommends cake flour, but I just used all-purpose. I think the cake flour would have helped it be lighter...)
3 1/2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
sunflower oil or melted butter
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley (optional)
garlic, minced (optional)

Pour the water into a bowl. Whisk in the yeast, then add half the flour. Mix together with a fork, then cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Stir in the yogurt, then add the rest of the flour, the salt, and baking powder. Mix together with your hands into a soft, sticky ball. Spoon 2 teaspoons oil or butter into the bowl and rub it over the top of the dough, then pick the dough up out of the bowl and roughly squeeze it once or twice. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and leave for 15 minutes.

Pour another 1 teaspoon oil or butter onto the dough and rub lightly all over, then turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Knead lightly for 30 seconds, then return it to the bowl. cover and leave for 15 minutes.

By this time the dough should be much smoother. Knead lightly on the oiled surface for a minute, dust with flour and leave for 5 minutes. Begin heating the wok over medium heat.

Take one piece of dough and roll it out into a teardrop shape, dusting well with flour as you go. You want to get the dough as thin as possible. The best way we have found to do this step is to roll out a chunk of dough as thin as you can into a 12" circle (or so) and cut the dough into pizza-shaped slices with a pizza cutter. This works PERFECT!

When the wok is very hot, gently lay the dough on the wok. Brush the surface with butter, mixed with herbs and garlic (if you are using them). Place the lid on the wok and leave for 1 minute while you roll out another piece of dough.

The naan should rise slightly and bubble. With tongs, lift the bread. If it is slightly browned on the under side, flip it and cook for 1 minute longer.

Remove from wok and wrap it in a clean dish towel while you finish rolling out the rest of the bread.

{Adapted from The Cook's Book}

Strawberry Lassi

This drink is a traditional Indian drink, but you can make it for ANY occasion. So yummy.


Strawberry Lassi

2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
12-15 frozen (or fresh) strawberries
handful of ice

Blend all the ingredients until smooth.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Not a big fan of Indian food? Don't be deterred by the name! TRY IT! It isn't too curry-ish, just lots of yummy spices and flavor.

So this is one of the best dishes at Bombay House and we have been searching high and low for a recipe that compares. This one was DELICIOUS. Ryan couldn't stop eating. It was perfect with this, this, and this. Great birthday dinner.

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (If you no-likey spicy, cut it down to 1/2 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped (again...leave out if you don't want it too spicy)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

{As found on mykitchencafe.blogspot.com}

Curried Coconut Chicken

Ryan & I don't get out much any more. I can't even remember the last time we went out to dinner - honestly. Which is so sad because it used to be a weekly event.

So these days instead of eating at restaurants we try to make fun meals at home.

Tonight was Indian night. My brother & sister-in-law posted the following three recipes on their blog last month and I finally got a chance to try them. They all turned out so good that I had to put them on here so I won't lose them! So thanks, Chris & Brittney for the delicious recipes.

For a moment, we were back at the Bombay House instead of here in Calgary where food is expensive and not-so-good.

This dish had amazing flavor and was surprisingly easy with common ingredients!

Curried Coconut Chicken

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

{courtesy of allrecipes.com}

Pea and Almond Pulao (Basmati Rice)

This is the rice we serve with any Indian food. And it makes a huge difference over just regular rice.


Pea and Almond Pulao (or fancy Basmati Rice)

3 TB vegetable oil
3 cups water
1 small yellow onion
1 tsp salt
1 TB cumin seed
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 1/2 c Basmati Rice

Wash and drain rice 3 times to remove starch and foreign debris. With burner on high,heat oil in heavy duty brasier. Add onion and cook until translucent (not brown), about 2 minutes. Add cumin seed and black pepper and stir until bloomed, 1 minute. Add rice and stir, 3 minutes. Add water and salt--stir well. Let rice boil on medium heat until all liquid is gone. Turn off heat. Cover with lid. Let stand 20 minutes. Fluff rice gently with a fork. Before serving gently toss in toasted almonds and peas.

Naan

This bread was delicious. We had to leave out the garlic (so baby Austin wouldn't be upset with me) but it was still yummy.


Ingredients

• 1/2 heaping tsp active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat broiler.
4. Roll balls of dough out into thin circles and place on a cookie sheet. Brush top side with melted butter. Place cookie sheet on rack 3-5 inches from broiler and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Cook until browned, another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

{courtesy of allrecipes.com}