Easy Chicken Curry

I'm not very familiar with Indian cooking, but am excited to learn more so when I came across this recipe that doesn't have a million unfamiliar ingredients I gave it a try.  It was originally on the New York Times website with lots of great suggestions from reviewers, several of which I used.  As written, if you use a mild curry powder it's a very mild dish.  Of course, if you use hot Madras powder it's a whole different story.  Being a relative newbie to Indian cuisine, I used mild curry powder and really liked it a lot.  It's rich and creamy with a very complex and exotic flavor, but it's still chicken and rice.  And it's easy, as the title suggests - the whole thing comes together in about the time it takes to cook some white rice, making it a great weeknight meal.

The garnishes are the most fun part, where you can go wild with little bowls of this and that and let everyone customize to their own taste.  The garnishes add fresh pops of crunch, or greenery, or tartness depending on which ones you use.  The Lawyer, of course, added them all.  If you're a relative newcomer to Indian foods, this is a good one to try.

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Easy Chicken Curry

Serves 4

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (14 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into ¾“pieces

1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomato (if using canned, drain before measuring)

2-3 cups baby spinach, rough chopped

Grated zest of a lime

Hot cooked rice

Suggested garnishes (some or all):

Chopped basil, cilantro, mint

Toasted sliced almonds

Dried currants or raisins

Pomegranate seeds

Lime wedges

Place oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.  Stir in ginger, garlic, curry powder and cumin and cook, stirring, for another minute or so.

Add coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken, stir, and cover.  Cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is done.   

Remove the cover and add the tomato, spinach and lime zest; cook for another minute until the spinach is wilted.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve over hot cooked rice with some or all of the suggested garnishes.

Thai Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

I've been having fun lately with recipes from Morocco, Korea, Thailand, Jerusalem - anything with interesting flavors and spices.  I think it's my way of dealing with cooler weather without heavy carbs and cheese (can you say lasagna?).

Anyway, soup is one of my favorite cool weather foods so when a family member offered up a recipe for Thai Butternut Squash Soup, I had to make it.  It's an excellent and very satisfying meal with some crusty bread on the side.  The squash and coconut milk make it smooth and creamy, while the seeds add crunch. You can make it as mild or spicy as you want - as written, it's quite mild.  Add more red curry paste or hot sauce if you like the spice.

I won't lie - it's a fair amount of work if you make it start to finish all in one go.  Peeling and seeding and cubing the squash is not all that fun or easy in my book.  But, there are two ways you can simplify everything - either prep your vegetables in advance (this is what I did), or buy cut-up squash at the store and skip the squash seed garnish.  And since it makes a lot you'll have containers to freeze for the next rainy day, metaphorically or otherwise. (That's my standard rational for any soup recipe, by the way.)

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Thai Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Serves 6-8 Note: you can buy cut-up squash to save time and skip the squash seed garnish, using just peanuts. Soup 3 tablespoons  olive oil 1 sweet onion, diced 1/4 cup red curry paste 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 8 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups uncooked butternut squash peeled, cut into 1”cubes, seeds separated 1 large sweet potato peeled, cut into 1”cubes 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 14 oz. can coconut milk  1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon dried basil 2 tablespoons lime juice Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce to taste (optional) Honey Sriracha Butternut Squash Seeds (optional) Reserved butternut squash seeds 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha/ Asian hot chili sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Garnishes Freshly squeezed lime juice 1 cup peanuts 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped  ½ cup plain yogurt

If you’re making the squash seeds:  preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking tray with a slip mat, parchment paper or foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse squash seeds and pat dry. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, olive oil, Sriracha, salt and cumin; add seeds and stir until evenly coated. Spread seeds out evenly on baking sheet in a single layer. Cook for 30-35 minutes until golden, stirring every 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and stir so the seeds don’t stick; let cool.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan (may use large soup pot or Dutch oven), over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and sauté until onions are soft, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add red curry paste, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic; stir to combine with onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add squash, sweet potatoes, carrots and chicken stock. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Meanwhile, toast peanuts lightly in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden. Let cool and rough chop.

 Once vegetables are soft, pour half of the vegetable mixture into a blender. Remove the middle piece of the cover and drape a towel over the cover before blending (this prevents explosions with hot liquids). Puree until soup is smooth, then transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining soup and pour everything back into the soup pot.

Add coconut milk, fish sauce, and basil to the soup and cook until soup is heated through (2-5 minutes). When ready to server, stir in 2 tablespoons lime juice. Taste soup and add desired amount of Sriracha, salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, squeeze fresh lime juice onto individual bowls for a fresh pop and garnish with roasted seeds, peanuts and cilantro.  Drizzle with a spoonful of plain yogurt.

Filipino Chicken Adobo

Last Year's Post: Egg Gratin
Two years Ago:  Swordfish en Papillote

If you ever find yourself in a state of peace and clarity with the world such that it makes you nervous, as in things are going too well so something bad must be about to happen, I can fix that for you.  Just start pondering the word "adobo" and your mind will get so twisted up, it will forget how much fun it was having.  Really, what is adobo?  Isn't it some sort of Mexican spice mix?  But apparently the same word is used for Hawaiian and Filipino meat-based dishes with vinegar that have absolutely nothing to do with the Mexican spice mix, or do they? And what about canned chipotles in adobo? See, you just forgot about peace and clarity, didn't you?

As with all conundrums, a little Google search reveals the answers to the universe.  In this case, blame it all on the Spanish.  The word adobo means "marinade, sauce or seasoning" and originally was a Spanish food preservation method that involved submerging raw meat into a vinegar-based sauce.  As the Spanish traveled around the world, so did the term. In Mexico and Puerto Rico it came to mean a salt-based seasoning mix in addition to the tomato-based sauce used to stew jalapenos (chipotles).  In Hawaii and the Philippines  the Spaniards encountered an indigenous cooking process that involved stewing with vinegar that reminded them of their own process so they called it adobo too, even though it's really not the same.

Confused yet?

Let's just say I've tried Hawaiian Chicken Adobo and love the taste although I can see how it might be a bit too vinegary for some people, so I was very interested to try this variation from Luzon (the largest island in the Philippines) where pretty much everything contains coconut in some form.  Adobo is so popular that it's the national dish of the Philippines, and chicken is one of the most popular versions. This recipe is adapted from America's Test Kitchen where the liner notes state that the coconut milk tempers the acidity of the vinegar and the saltiness of the soy sauce, bringing the dish into balance.

A note about boneless skinless chicken thighs - I've noticed considerable size differences from one brand to another.  If your chicken thighs are large, cut them in half to make them easier to work with (and serve), and cut down the number of thighs in the recipe to 6 rather than 8.

Some adobo recipes call for adding the garlic cloves whole, which doesn't make sense to me.  Who wants to eat a whole garlic clove?  Others call for crushing but not mincing or grating the garlic, so I made sure I really crushed the dickens out of it before adding it to the sauce.  By the way, don't worry about the amount of garlic (6 cloves) - the flavor is very subtle in the finished dish.

When I previously tried Hawaiian Chicken Adobo, it was very salty due to the soy sauce and a long marinating time.  For this recipe I used low-sodium soy sauce, and found it actually needed a touch of salt at the table to bring out the coconut, vinegar and garlic flavors a bit.  That's a good thing because you can add it to your taste.  I thought this was an excellent, easy, and unusual chicken dish and was happy to have tried the national dish of the Philippines.  Cooking is an adventure.

p.s. Next time I think I'll add some toasted unsweetened coconut as a garnish in addition to the green onions to heighten the coconut taste and for some toasty crunch.

printable recipe

Filipino Chicken Adobo

Serves 4

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk (unsweetened)

¾ cup cider vinegar

6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

4 bay leaves

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 green onions, sliced thin

Hot cooked rice

Combine chicken thighs and soy sauce in a bowl, then cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a large saucepan.  Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the soy sauce (except the green onions and rice) and stir to combine, then add the sauce to the pan with the chicken.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.  Flip the chicken pieces and simmer for an addition 15 minutes, then remove the chicken from the pan.  Thicken the sauce over medium-high heat for approximately five minutes.

Serve the chicken and sauce over hot cooked rice and garnish with green onions.