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Recipe: Chicken Korma (Take 2)

Mab — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:00 +0000

I’ve made Chicken Korma before but as you can note from that entry I wasn’t really in love with that recipe. It seemed a little off to me at the time but I can say, definitively that the recipe below is delicious. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to make it because it’s a luscious and flavorful dish with just enough spice and heat to balance out the smooth and earthy yogurt and nuts.

Chicken Korma

1 lb chicken, skinless and with bone or boneless
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 inch ginger, grated
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 medium size red onions
2 green chilies
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnishing at the end
6 to 7 almonds, blanched and skin removed
6 to 7 cashews
1 tablespoon white poppy seeds
3/4 cup plain, flavorless yogurt
1 tablespoon cream (optional)
1 cup tomato puree, canned or homemade
1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 to 3 green cardamoms
2 tablespoons ghee/ cooking oil
salt to taste

Using a food processor, puree the onion, fresh cilantro and green chilies. Add 2 tablespoons of yogurt then add to the processor the cashew, almond and poppy seeds and blend in to a fine paste
Marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric, garlic and ginger, and the nuts/spice paste you made and let it rest for a minimum of five hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
In a wok on a deep pan add 2 tablespoons of ghee and bring it to heat. Add cumin, coriander, fennel seeds, green cardamoms cook for 20 seconds then add onion puree to the wok/pan, add a pinch of salt and cook at a medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the marinated chicken and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the chicken in partially cooked through then add chili powder and freshly cracked pepper. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes.
Continue cooking in medium heat until the oil starts to separate. If it gets too sticky, add a little bit of water. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in the tomato puree to the wok. Add some water, if the gravy gets too thick. Cook for a couple more minutes and add cream, if you are using any. Check for salt and once the chicken is cooked through, switch off the heat.
Garnish with some cilantro and serve with rice, naan or your choice of bread.

Source: Sunshine and Smile

Lazy Week

Mab — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:55 +0000

We’ll be back from Pittsburgh by the time this gets posted but since I will likely be exhausted from our trip and we won’t be able to do a full shopping before the next week this menu is largely simple food and not the world’s healthiest menu either but definitely leans on the time saving aspects in the supermarket.

Monday
lunch: minestrone, carrots and hummus
dinner: pizza

Tuesday
lunch: salad w/ boiled egg, apple
dinner: pancakes and eggs

Wednesday
lunch: Piroshki
dinner: Frozen Mushroom Ravioli

Thursday
lunch: BBQ chicken (crockpot) + steam veg
dinner: cup lasanga

Friday
lunch: Piroshki
dinner: BBQ chicken + cornbread

There’s no prep since we’ll be getting home at 7pm on Sunday and I’ll probably just pick up a few things (milk, hummus, fruit) to fill in the holes in our pantry.

Recipe: New York Style Bagels

Mab — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:46 +0000

Making bagels is an art. It’s one that I might never perfect but I did want to try my hand at making them just to see what it was all about. Despite the reasonably good results that I got from this recipe for the two or three times a year I want a bagel I think I’ll stick to a local bakery. While I miss NY bagels, I wasn’t quite able to conjure up their magic.

NY Style Bagels

Makes 6-8 bagels

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

In a small bowl, add yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup of the warm water; do not stir. Let mixture sit 5 minutes until yeast is foamy, then stir with a fork until yeast dissolves.
In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, stir together flour and salt. Make a well in the center; add yeast mixture. Pour 1/2 of the remaining warm water into the bowl; stir to combine. Mix, adding remaining water as needed until a smooth dough forms.
Knead dough by hand on a lightly floured counter top, adding more flour as needed until a stiff, firm but smooth and elastic dough forms, about 10 minutes; OR, increase speed of stand mixer to medium and knead dough with a dough hook, adding more flour as needed until a stiff, firm but smooth and elastic dough forms, about 5-6 minutes. Shape dough into ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Once dough is doubled in size, punch down and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Use your finger to poke a hole in the center of each ball, stretching the hole until it is as big as half the diameter of the entire bagel (it might look too big at first, but it will shrink when you boil/bake it). Place bagels on a lightly greased or silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel or lightly greased plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then reduce heat to just below a simmer. Using a slotted spoon, lower a few bagels at a time into the water. Allow bagels to float to the top. Leave bagels in the water 1-2 minutes, then flip over and leave in the water another 1-2 minutes (the longer they stay in the water, the chewier they become). Remove bagels with slotted spoon and return to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bagels.
Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

Source: Girl Vs Dough