As you may know from my Q+A tag, I LOVE Indian food. Of course, I have to be careful to avoid the kind containing dairy. But other than that, I could eat the stuff all day.
About a year ago I was visiting my grandmother and uncle, and volunteered to make my uncle's birthday dinner. I made two Indian dishes and they turned out great!
I think everyone was kinda wary at first because no one in my family likes that "curry smell". But my family was pleasantly surpirsed when it in fact smelled delicious!
I used this Indian Chicken Stew from Everyday Maven as inspiration. Thanks!!
Indian Chicken Thigh Stew
Serves 3-4
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
TBSP coconut oil
1 small jalapeno, deseeded
2" fresh ginger
large onion
10 small cloves garlic
4 sardines, chopped
TSP ground cinnamon
TSP cardamom
TSP cariander
Sea salt and pepper
14.5 oz can light or full fat coconut milk
Large handful freshh chopped cilnatro
1) I actually had to deskin my thighs manually. So if this needs to be done, do so !
2) Prep your onion, garlic, jalepeno and ginger before you start cooking. This will make things go SUPER smoothly as you cook. I also suggest to at least lay out your spices before you start cooking too.
(Im sure this is obvious to anyone who is a professional chef. But seeing how I am not exactly Gordan Ramsay... I learned the hard way.)
3) Saute your mix over medium high heat in the coconut oil. Saute for about 5 minutes. Then, add in your spices, and saute until fragrent, another minute or so. Stir non stop.
4) Add in the chicken! Hopefully you have a pot with a wider bottom than I did. I had some difficulty with this step, but you should be fine with a different cooking pot.
5) Stir the chicken around so the spices can coat it, and let the chicken cook until browned. Then, flip it over and let the other side brown.
6) Pour the coconut milk in the pot alongside the sardines. Bring the mix to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium/low. Cover the pot and let it simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes.
7) Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a plate. Cut the chicken into chunks, then return it to the stew.
8) Before serving, add in the cilantro, and turn the heat off (or on warm). Serve alone, or over brown rice, like I did!
This meal is SO full of flavor, nice aromas, and love. I was surprised by how simple it was to make, and that such basic ingredients can produce HUGE flavors.
Are you a fan of Indian or another cultural food?
Natalie
