Kurma – Quick Chicken Curry

Curries. I love ’em. Thai, Indian, African – vegetarian or otherwise – they’re all so good. These perfectly spiced stews with complex flavors are one of my favorite meals. Truth be told, I haven’t had much luck making curry dishes at home. Inspired by some of my favorite dishes at local Indian or Ethiopian restaurants, my homemade versions always fall short of my expectations. Too spicy, too sweet or just missing some esoteric ingredient I can’t put my finger on, my curries have been edible but disappointing to say the least.

What’s even more frustrating is the time and super-long list of ingredients invested in making a fine curry. I seriously have more fenugreek seeds, cardamom pods and Garam Masala powder than I know what to do with. Buying in bulk at my local Indian grocery store seemed like the most cost-effective and logical approach…

After a recent inventory of my spice drawer, I felt it was time to give some homemade curry another chance. Maybe if I made a recipe that I had never eaten before, I wouldn’t be disappointed as there was no point of reference? Brilliant.

I do have a great Indian cookbook that I referenced for my very first recipe, but I remembered another cookbook in my collection that listed several curry dishes. The Africa News Cookbook  is another book of mysterious origin. I seem to remember borrowing it from someone years ago but can’t remember who. I remember briefly looking through this book for an Injera (Ethiopian flat bread) recipe but never got around to actually making that or anything else. So, like many other books in my collection, it sat unused, neglected (and unreturned to its rightful owner) on my bookshelf until this project.

I decided to make the Quick Chicken Curry Kurma of South African origin. This recipe caught my eye because it promised to be quick and had relatively few ingredients, most of which where already in my possession! Here’s the recipe:

1 chicken, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)

1 large onion, sliced

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 stick cinnamon

2 cardamom pods

2 small chili peppers

1 cup of water or chicken stock

salt and pepper

Now I’m overzealous in the kitchen and also fairly frugal, so typically buy whole chickens, rather than parts, when they are on sale. For recipes like this, I just break down a whole chicken myself. Whole chickens are so much cheaper and are also great to have around for roasting whole or making AMAZING chicken stock (with the addition of a few chicken feet, of course). I am absolutely NOT formally trained in chicken butchery and have just taught myself how to do this by watching videos or reading cookbooks. You can see how I take down a chicken here, or find other -likely more accurate- resources on the world-wide web. Another option… just buy the chicken parts at your local butcher or grocery store. I don’t expect everyone to be as crazy as me!

Cutting up the chicken was the hardest part of this recipe but not even really that hard. It’s a good skill to have and one that I hope to improve on for sure! If you’re in a hurry, I would just opt for the pre-cut chicken pieces but would recommend finding bone-in since the bones help to give the sauce a richness and impart valuable minerals and gelatin, not to mention killer flavor! As always, find the best quality chicken you can afford. I like to get organic, pasure-raised chicken and stock up when they’re on sale.

Now for the rest of the ingredients! Pre-measure all of your dry spices and set those aside.

Slice up your onion.

And garlic.

Grate the fresh ginger or mince it finely. I got this really cool ceramic grater years ago and it’s perfect for grating up ginger and other super-fibrous foods. I don’t really even bother peeling the ginger.

In a large, heavy pot add the ghee (or other fat of your choice) over medium-high heat. If you’ve never used ghee before, you should run out and buy some right away! It has a high smoke point, great for pan frying, but is also super tasty! It’s like butter-squared. It’s very digestible (because the lactose from the milk solids has been removed) and is also available in a cultured variety, for even better digestion. I’m addicted to this stuff.

Brown your chicken pieces in batches. I did this to render some of the fat out of the chicken and add a little more flavor to the curry. Since this is a stew and the chicken skin wasn’t going to stay crisp, I made an executive decision to eat some of the skin at its height of flavor and texture. This isn’t mentioned in the original recipe but it just seemed right.

Once all of the chicken is browned and set aside, add the onions, garlic and spices to the pot.

Next, add chicken pieces and cook, stirring constantly until contents are steaming. Reduce heat and add liquid. I used some chicken stock I had on hand but water is what the recipe called for. Cover and simmer until chicken is done.

The curry is done once the bones are easily removed from the chicken meat. I let my curry cook on the stove for a few hours but it was done much sooner than that. Here’s what you’re looking for:

If you can pull a bone out and it looks this clean, your curry is done!

The truth is, this and many other curries I have enjoyed over the years just don’t look pretty. There’s no way to style a pot of chicken meat and bones to make it look really appetizing but never you worry, this dish is a winner! I served it over a batch of Yellow Quinoa (up next) and some pan seared greens. It had a really complex flavor and was a welcome change to the usual disappointment I feel when attempting homemade curries.

This is a great way to stretch out a whole chicken and the perfect use for those cinnamon sticks we all have hanging around our pantries, likely from some cider mulling recipe we never followed through with from the holidays. If you are following a Paleo lifestyle, this recipe packs a ton of flavor with none of the no-nos. Skip the quinoa and serve this on a bed of steamed greens! This would be a great crock-pot meal for my friends who don’t want to deal with the stove.

I’ve never ordered anything like this from a menu but am so happy I gave this one a try and can finally make a decent curry in my own home. It’s not Chicken Tikka Masala, or Massaman Curry but it’s fantastic and will definitely make another appearance on my dining table sooner rather than later.

By the way, if this is your cookbook I have, ahem, borrowed, please let me know and I’ll send you a new one!

Chicken Pepperonata – Fastest. Meal. Ever.

It’s no secret that I love to eat good food. Furthermore, I actually like being in the kitchen so don’t mind taking the time to prepare delicious, and some would say, overly complicated food in my own home. Since I have no children and a flexible work schedule, I probably do spend more time preparing food than the average American. Possibly even more than the average “foodie.” Even so, there’s nothing better than putting together a really quick meal that’s healthy, affordable and tasty to boot.

My friend, Herb, requested that I make some meals this year that are quick and easy, so he inspired me to dust off a few books that illustrate how to do just that. Long before the Rachel Ray 30 Minute Meals franchise, a cookbook called 365 Great 20-Minute Recipes was published. Take that, Rachel, 10 minutes less.

I’m sure I’ve never opened this book before this experiment and haven’t the foggiest where it came from but I have to say, this one was a pleasant surprise. As the name suggests, there are 365 recipes that take 20 minutes or less to prepare. There are the usual suspects: soups, salads, sandwiches and pasta, which are the obvious choices for a quick meal but there are several recipes that don’t fall into these categories. I found a recipe for Chicken Pepperonata that sounded really good to me, only took 14 minutes and required a handful of ingredients that I had on hand. This recipe is perfect for my busy friends with kids and might I add, is also Paleo-esque, for my CrossFit friends! I made a few modifications outlined here:

1 pound chicken breasts

1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette

1 1/2 tablespoon drained capers (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

The recipe called for 1 pound of chicken tenders but I never buy them because it’s cheaper to get chicken breasts or thighs. My suggestion, just get the chicken breasts and either cut them into strips or butterfly the breasts to create more surface area. Season both sides of your chicken with the Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.

Slice up your red bell pepper and onion. The recipe didn’t call for this but I would also suggest mincing up some fresh garlic as well. Garlic makes everything better. Duh.

In a large skillet, pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. If you don’t have a pan large enough to cook all of your chicken at once, you can cook it in batches.

Brown each side of the chicken breast. This should take a few minutes per side. If you are cooking the chicken in batches, please continue to cook the chicken until fully done, then set aside. If you are able to cook everything in one large vessel you can leave the chicken in the pan and continue on.

Make a little room and add the garlic, onion and bell pepper to the pan. Add salt and pepper to the veggies. Stir occasionally until the vegetables are slightly softened. About 2 to 3 minutes. If your pan is smaller, remove the fully cooked chicken before adding the veggies.

Once the veggies are slightly softened, reduce the heat to medium low and add the vinaigrette and capers. Cook until chicken is done and the vegetables are crisp-tender. I don’t use pre-made balsamic vinaigrette so just made a quick dressing of balsamic and olive oil. The general ratio for that is 3:1, three parts oil to 1 part vinegar. I usually go heavier on the vinegar. Go with your gut!

Give everything a quick stir and you have yourself a batch of Chicken Pepperonata!

This is definitely one of those recipes you can really play around with. If you want it spicier, just add more crushed red pepper. If you want it a little tangier, just add a little more vinegar or try it with a red wine vinegar instead of Balsamic. If you don’t like capers, just leave those little guys out! I think this would be really tasty with some mushrooms added in, maybe I’ll try that next time.

The sweetness of the peppers and Balsamic are a great contrast to the salty brine of the capers and bite of the crushed red pepper. This meal came together really quickly and was really inexpensive too.  I served it with the equally quick to prepare, Arugula and Fennel Salad and enjoyed fast and healthy dinner in less than half an hour!

Next time you are tempted to swing by a drive through or order a pizza in, I hope you’ll give this recipe a try instead. More yummy 20-minute recipes are definitely in my future. Thanks for the inspiration, Herb!