Chicken Korma

Lately I've been starting to look at dishes that I cook as a production, like a play. Some plays, you can just look at the actors on the bill and know that the end result will be enjoyable to watch. Likewise, with some dishes, I can just look at the ingredients (or cast, if you will) and know that I will enjoy the dish. Now, just as there are some plays who despite an all-star cast just aren't good, there are dishes that similarly don't live up to the ingredients placed in them. However, in the case of this dish, the recipe does justice to the ingredients.

Just look at this cast:

Cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and 3 whole cloves

chopped fresh tomatoes

And the ingredient that makes me swoon...

fresh gingerroot

It may not look like much, but just a whiff of fresh ginger is all I need to put a smile on my face.

Are you intrigued yet? Take a look at the rest of this recipe, then. It might appear like another simple chicken and rice dish, but this Indian meal is full of subtle flavor that makes it a hit in our house.

Adapted from a recipe found in a Taste of Home magazine.

Chicken Korma

printable recipe 

1 large potato

1 medium onion

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

3 whole cloves

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 garlic clove

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp minced, fresh gingerroot

2 medium tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sour cream

Peel potato and cut into 1/2 in chunks. Place in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside. 

While potato is cooking, mince garlic and gingerroot and place in a small bowl with curry powder. Set aside.

Chop the tomatoes, place in another bowl, and set aside.

Cut the chicken into 1/2 in chunks and set aside.

Chop the onion. In a large skillet saute the onion, cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves in oil until onion is tender. It should be very fragrant at this point. 

Add the chicken, garlic, curry and ginger, cook and stir 1 minute longer. I use medium to medium-high heat.

Stir in the tomatoes, salt and potato.Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. 

Remove from heat and pull out the cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves. At this point I was wondering why it didn't look like it normally does, until I noticed the half cup of sour cream in the top left corner of this picture, waiting to be stirred in. Duh.

Stir in sour cream. 

Serve over rice, garnish with cilantro, if desired. Obviously I have not mastered the art of garnishing with cilantro. Mine looks pretty lame. But the food was good!

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan: December 20-26.

 

Keema (Indian Spiced Ground Beef with Peas)

I have been inspired lately by my sister to try more Indian food, so I was pretty excited when I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com. Despite the word "Spiced" in the title, this was mild enough for even my toddler and picky preschooler to enjoy. I recommend pairing the Keema with Chapati (Indian Flatbread). You can either use the Chapati to scoop up the Keema or spoon Keema down the center of the Chapati and roll up like a burrito.

Keema

printable recipe 

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion, minced

1 lb ground beef

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 firm, ripe tomatoes, diced

1 Tbsp minced gingerroot, or 1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp Garam Masala (see below)

1 tsp minced fresh hot green chilies

1 cup frozen peas

1 lemon, juiced

2 to 3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro, or to taste

Garam Masala substitute

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

a pinch of nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

In a nonstick skillet set over moderately high heat, warm the oil until hot. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

Add the beef and salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink.

Add the garlic, tomatoes, gingerroot, Garam Masala, and chilies, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add the peas and continue to cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes more, or until flavors blend.

Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro and correct seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Transfer into a bowl and serve with warm Chapati or tortillas.

This recipe is featured in Meal Plan: December 6-12. 

Chapati (Indian Flatbread)

When my sister taught me how to make Butter Chicken a couple of weeks ago, she also made chapati, an Indian flatbread, to go with it. She pulled this recipe right off of the allrecipes website, and it turned out great!

Chapati

printable recipe 

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup hot water or as needed 

 In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. 

*Please not that this recipe is halved in the pictures.

Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. 

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. 

Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla.

When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough. 

This recipe is featured in Meal Plan: December 6-12.