Easy Indian Chicken Khadai

I've expanded my repertoire of culinary adventures. About 5 weeks ago, I began making baby food. Things started out splendidly. My little eclair gobbled up my homemade carrots, squash and sweet potatoes. Green beans and peas caused a bit of a setback but then we got back on track with apples. But now I'm depressed. She's got a new favorite food: peaches. Given the time of year, I couldn't get fresh peaches to make homemade, so I had to buy them pre-made. And now she likes them so much she doesn't want to eat anything else. She doesn't just zip her lips for the other stuff, she blows it off the spoon. I can't help but laugh at her little lips pursed in an "O" blowing squash all over me. But now I've got a freezer full of bags of perfect little cubes of organic fruits and vegetables and she wants the store-bought stuff. Go figure! This too shall pass (and who could resist this face, even when it's covered in peas, squash or oatmeal).



But enough about my adventures in baby food land. This next recipe isn't for the little ones, unless they like a spicy kick. The ingredients are all common, with the possible exception of garam masala, but even that can be found in the Indian section of many markets and Williams-Sonoma makes a version now too. It's an easy intro to making Indian food at home and you can adjust the heat level to suit your taste. One thing to note, don't use fat free yogurt, it just doesn't work.

Serve with naan and steamed basmati rice.

Chicken Kadhai
adapted from From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail by Madhur Jaffrey

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 to 1 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 Tbsp. plain yogurt (not fat free)
3/4 cup finely chopped tomato

For the final flavoring
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, cut into very fine shreds
7 to 8 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
2 to 3 fresh hot green chilies, finely chopped
2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 cup finely chopped tomato

Pour the oil into a well-seasoned pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the onion, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the salt, cayenne and turmeric. Stir once or twice, then put in the chicken. Fry, stirring at the same time, until the chicken pieces turn opaque on the outside. Add the yogurt and tomato. Cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until the yogurt disappears. Cover and cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes for dark meat and 6 for light. Stir in all the ingredients for the final flavoring, cover, reduce the heat as low as possible and cook for about 5 minutes.

Last Supper #8: Vimal Dhar

Indian chef Vimal Dhar listed 7 different dishes for his last supper, of which I selected three to make. All are Indian: Lamb Rogan Josh (chunks of lamb with yogurt, almonds, green chiles, and lots of spices), his recipe for tangy eggplant, and potatoes.

The lamb turned out wonderful. I'm not going to put the recipe here because Lamb Rogan Josh is a farily common dish so recipes aren't hard to come by.

The eggplant recipe appears in the book and I have to say we just didn't like it. The amount of spice paste in it overpowered the eggplant.

I couldn't find the specific potato recipe chef Dhar mentioned, so I chose one for Aloo Timatar (Potato and Tomato Curry with Cilantro) which appears in one of my very favorite cookbooks: From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail. The book was a gift from my sister a few years ago and I don't think I've found a recipe in it I don't like. Here's the recipe for the potatoes:
Aloo Timatar (Potato and Tomato Curry with Cilantro)


Serves 4 to 6

• 1 1/2 pounds wxay boiling potatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 3 Tbsp. corn, peanut or olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. asefetida (substitute garlic powder)
• 1/2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. whole mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 cup grated fresh tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
• 4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Boil the potatoes, drain them and cool. Don't refrigerate. When cool enough to handle, peel them and cut or break into bite-sized pieces. Put them in a bowl and add the salt, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Toss to mix and set aside.

Pour oil in a lidded pot over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the asefetida (or garlic powder), cumin seeds, and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, put in the ginger and stir for a few seconds. Add the grated tomatoes. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until the oil separates from the tomato puree. Add the potatoes and stir to mix. Add 1 1/2 cups water, stir and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes. (You can extend this cooking time and remove the cover to reduce the broth a bit if wanted. this will give a slightly thicker sauce)

Put the yogurt in a small bowl and beat lightly. Add about 4 Tbsp. of the sauce from the potatoes and mix it in. Stir in the cilantro then pour this mixture into the pot, stir to blend and check for salt.