I’m a bit disappointed that I had to put the word ‘salad’ in there because the ‘C’ alliteration was going so nicely…

That said, this is a delicious salad! Well, perhaps I should qualify that. It’s not for everyone. H and I made this fascinating twist on the typical chicken salad. It’s got all of the crunch and creaminess usually found in a chicken salad, but the creaminess is from plain yogurt and the very yellow colour is all curry powder. Yum!

The fact that this was a cold salad didn’t appeal to H; and the sister is rather picky about her curries- this one didn’t appeal. I really enjoyed it quite a bit- I love the textures, the crunch, the flavour combinations. I quite enjoyed it cold, but I love cold, crunchy, creamy chicken and tuna salads, so perhaps this will only appeal to those who share that joy.

Crunchy Curried Chicken Salad

Adapted from Curried Chicken Salad from Green Black Red

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (organic, hormone-free, all-natural, grass-fed), cleaned from fat
• 1 medium Red Delicious (or other red) crunchy apple, diced into large 1-inch chunks (skin on, rinsed thoroughly)
• 1/2 cup green grapes, halved
• 1/4 cup black grapes, halved
• 1/4 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 large celery stalk, diced coarsely
• 2 tablespoons mango chutney
• 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
• 1/2 heaping cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat. Brush the chicken with the olive oil on one side, and season with salt and pepper. Then flip on the other side and repeat. Place chicken on the silpat and set to bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly and crisp on the outside.
3. Place the chicken aside to cool as you chop the grapes, apple, and celery. Place all vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add chicken, yogurt, chutney, curry powder, and remaining salt to veggie/fruit mixture. Toss thoroughly; serve immediately with hot, fresh naan (yum).

I brought he leftovers for lunch to work the next day and it keeps very nicely overnight in the fridge- in fact, the yellow and curry taste intensified. It may be a bit more watery at that point- the grapes and apples will sweat out some moisture- but the deliciousness remains. Please do note that people who don’t like cold curry salads won’t care for this one- but those who do should greatly enjoy it :).

My apologies, I realize that’s a ridiculously long title. That said, it needed to be descriptive! Last night the boyfriend, as per usual, declared his hunger, and I opted to do some fridge cleaning. I had two cutlets of pork loin left over from some time ago in the freezer, and an older chicken breast. I also had a number of tiny potatoes that were itching to be used in SOMEthing, so I thought, all right, a marinade and some mashed potatoes.

It took about an hour and a half all together to assemble, which for me is quite quick for a complex dish. The meat was incredibly flavourful and a bit spicy (for me, meaning for you not at all, chances are) and I was surprised at how well it captured the marinade’s flavour despite the short time they spent together in the fridge.

The mashed potatoes are rich and very, very creamy, thanks to skim milk, parmesan cheese, and nutmeg- the secret to mashed potatoes, just like my mother taught me. Nutmeg + potatoes = match made in Heaven. You’ll have to trust me on this one and see for yourself :)

Indonesian Curry Marinade Grilled Pork or Chicken with Creamy Nutmeg Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients (for two) (meat & marinade):

• 2 portions of white meat (I used one chicken breast and two small pork loin cutlets – go organic!)
• 1 tsp each of garam masala, minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of cumin, ground cloves, coriander, sea salt
• 1/4 tsp each of balinese chili powder, powdered ginger, pepper, and carry ou curry bombay
• 1.5 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients (potatoes – makes one rather large bowl, serves 6):

• 8 small potatoes (Yukon Gold and Red, mixed)
• 1/2 stick soy butter (or 5 tbl)
• 7 tablespoons organic skim milk
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp each of pepper, nutmeg

Process:

1. Mix marinade ingredients together and whisk briefly in a medium-sized bowl. Dunk in meat and drench completely in marinade. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Place softened butter, milk, parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg at bottom of a large bowl.
3. Rinse the potatoes, place on a plate covered by a damp paper towel, and place in microwave for 5 minutes.
4. Heat a grill pan on medium high heat.
5. Turn potatoes over to their flipside and microwave for another 5 minutes. Continue flipping and microwaving until the potatoes yield easily to the touch and become softened.
6. Peel potatoes one by one and mash into the large bowl’s mixture with a fork, continually folding it over and under. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap to keep warm.
7. Remove meat from fridge; place onto grill pan and grill for approx. 5 minutes, then flip onto reverse side and grill for another 5 minutes (timing will depend on thickness of meat cuts).
8. Serve potatoes with an ice cream scooper and serve with a refreshing and light summer salad to balance the carbs.

And you’re set! It’s a rather simple recipe but chock-full of flavour and is a nice mix of down-home good ol’ Southern cooking with a flare of Indian and Indonesian curries. Yum! I plan to keep experimenting with this marinade… next time there’s yet another curry from Bali I’d like to try :).

A.M. and I made- or tried to make- naan to go with our curry dish. A few mistakes on my part made for some rather creative naan… but hey, that’s beside the point.

My Curry Cuisine book calls it ‘probably one of the best gifts from the tandoor to humankind’ and I really can’t agree more: naan is other-worldly. There’s truly something magical about it- I don’t know what it is, but when it’s a bit crispy on the edges, soft on the inside, easily breaking apart so you can dip it in your curry sauce… perfection, right there. My attempt at naan resulted in some problems: I used 4 cups AP flour and 2 self-rising- which made these rise far too much- and then did not flatten them out enough to bake. Thus, I ended up with a sort of cross between naan and a biscuit… hence the name… naanscuits. Warm, with a bit of butter, you’d never know the difference. Maybe this could be some sort of new fusion Southern-Indian cuisine… hmm…

Naanscuits (Naan / Biscuit Cross)

Adapted from Naan in Curry Cuisine

Ingredients:

• 2 rounded tsp granulated sugar
• 2 whole eggs, brown, cage-free, organic
• 1 & 2/3 cups organic skim milk
• 6 cups organic AP flour (or, if you want to make the same mistake I did, use 4 cups AP flour and 2 cups self-rising AP flour)
• 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder (make sure it’s fresh!)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 & 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used organic canola oil; take your pick)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place two nonstick baking/cookie sheets in oven to heat.
2. Whisk together sugar, eggs, and milk until the sugar has fully dissolved.
3. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and mix in the salt and baking powder. Gradually pour in the milky mixture and mix with a rubber spatula. Knead lightly until a soft dough is formed, and don’t overknead. Cover with a damp kitchen towel for 15-20 minutes; set aside.
4. Pour in the oil and knead it into the dough. Scoop out the dough in tiny balls and roll them into small, flat rounds. Pull on one end to make a teardrop shape and place the naan pieces on the hot baking trays.
5. Bake for 5 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked inside (mine took 15-20 minutes due to their odd thickness) and serve warm and yummy!

With some luck, yours will come out better than mine :) as mine as so odd and…. biscuit-y. But very good! Therein lies the important part… still tasty. Yes? yes. Right, A.M.?

I have a confession to make: I have a thing for chicken curry (so long as it’s mild enough for me to eat it). There’s something delicious and delectable about curry that’s really quite irresistable. My mother knows this, and so, for my birthday (back in May), she gifted me with a wonderful book (Curry Cuisine, containing curry recipes from over the world) and several large bags of spices from Indonesia. Fantastic!

A lovely friend of the boyfriend’s neighbors (say that three times fast) came over for a dinner date recently and, being more of an expert in Indian cuisine than I, I much appreciated the help! A.M. (my guest) and I made the most delicious curry that has thus far been made in this apartment: murgh makhani. It was SO good- honestly- so delicious!! I’m already pining to make it again.

One note: the chili powder… ohmygoodness. This had A.M. and I in coughing and sneezing fits. We used a Balinese chili powder my mother gave me, and it looked deceptively kind… but this stuff was STRONG. We were sneezing like mad, several minutes after having been away from it. Beware of your chili powders, that’s all I’m saying.

Murgh Makhani (Old Delhi-style Chicken Curry)

Adapted from Mugh Makhani in Curry Cuisine

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cleaned, skinned, de-boned, cut into large cubes
• 3/4 cup low-fat vanilla european-style yogurt (O Organics!)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 1 tsp Balinese chili powder (aaaah)

Sauce:

• 1 can 12 oz Italian-style diced tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1/2 cup water, room-temperature
• 1.5 tsp powdered ginger
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp cloves (powdered)
• 1 tsp Saigon cinnamon
• 1/2 stick soy butter, softened
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar

Process:

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, add the chicken, coat thoroughly on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 25-30 minutes.
2. Preheat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-to-low heat.
3. We at first put the chicken on skewers to grill, but found that because of the angle, the chicken wasn’t cooking properly, and decided to take the chicken off the skewers and cook as cubes. Take your pick! If you use wooden skewers, be sure to keep the skewers in a shallow dish filled with awter for 5-10 minutes prior to grilling so that they will not burn. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken has a coloured crust on all sides.
4. To prepare the sauce, place the tomatoes and juice in a saucier pan (make sure it’s deep enough) with the water, ginger, carlic, cloves, and cinnamon. Cook until the tomatoes become very soft and shredded. Once the sauce is thickening, take the half stick of butter and melt it into the sauce, mixing in thoroughly.
5. Take the cooked chicken cubes and add to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the salt and sugar, and serve the curry with rice or naan (see naanscuits recipe for ideas).

It’s hot, it’s just just just the right degree of spice, and all of that can most certainly be attributed to my fortune in having had A.M. join me for a cooking date. She knows the spices inside and out and truly understands the relationship between their flavours. Thanks for a delicious and wonderful date, A.M., and I hope your travels in India right now are going safely and wonderfully! :)

I really, really like mango. Not only does it have a fantastic taste, but the texture is so thick that it can be used for a great many things. That thickness is the reason it’s so adept at smoothie-ing… and at making marinades, dips, and other thick sauce-like items. As per usual, the boyfriend was hungry, I was in the mood to experiment, and thus decided to try out a few things I had been meaning to look into for some time: a curry-marinade and the odd marriage of strawberry cucumber. I had long heard of this myth but was wary- cucumber is such a strong flavour in my opinion, and it’s hard to say what it will happily make off with… and strawberry was not a prime suspect on my list. But you never know until you try, right?

The result was quite nice, on both ends. The marinade was thick and flavourful (long live yellow curry powder and garam masala!) and the salad was fresh fresh fresh! That’s really the only word I can use to describe it. I’ll post the recipes in two pieces here below:

Mango Curry Marinade Grilled Pork Loin

Ingredients (for two people):

• 1/2 lemon’s juice
• 1/8 tsp lemon zest
• 2 mangoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp of paprika, garam masala, and coriander
• 1 tsp yellow mild curry powder
• 1 tsp orange juice, no pulp
• 1.5 tbl low fat sour cream
• 4 pork loin cutlets
• 1 tsp organic canola oil
• pinch sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper

Process:

1. Place lemon juice, lemon zest, paprika, coriander, garam masala, curry powder, orange juice, sour cream, salt, and pepper in a bowl; mix together
2. Puree mango in blender or food processor until creamy and smooth. Add to rest of mariande and mix thoroughly.
3. Place pork in bowl and make sure it is fully covered by the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and cool for 30 minutes- preferably longer (overnight will be the most flavourful).
4. Once the marinade has cooled thoroughly, heat grill pan with canola oil drizzled over the pan.
5. Place pork (try to keep as much coating on as possible) in grill pan and grill on all sides, flipping over every 5-6 minutes until grill marks have a golden colour and prok is firm to the touch.
6. Season with freshly-chopped chives or parsley on top for garnish

Fresh Spinach, Cucumber, and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients (salad for two):

• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves (can leave stems on)
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced very thinly (paper-thin)
• 10 dried apricots, quartered
• 2 tbl raspberry dressing or 1.5 tbl balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Process:

1. Clean spinach, drain, and place in large mixing bowl
2. Slice strawberries rather thinly (about 1/4-inch thick) and add to bowl
3. Add thinly-sliced cucumber to bowl along with quartered apricots
4. Drizzle on raspberry dressing or balsamic vinegar and olive oil
5. Toss thoroughly to mix!

It’s a bit of a fusion dish, these two things together, but it’s quite delicious, and very fresh. The heat, though mild, from the curry marinade is offset by the freshness of the salad. Pair these together for an irresistable summer dinner!

I’ve been happily playing with my new toy (the grill pan) making a flurry of panini. They’re quick, they’re simple, and they’re hot- why would I not be making them in excess? This variant included my second-favourite fish: tuna! There are pro’s and con’s to tuna panini, I have found, the most important part being: use large chunks! I had some smaller chunks which fell off the sides and sadly immediately began to burn. That said, despite this issue, it was a very yummy sandwich.

Tuna Pesto Panino

Ingredients (makes one sandwich):

• 2 slices cut approx. 1-inch thick of rustic bread of your choice (french boule, rustic/country bread, a fairly dense ciabatta, etc- so long as it’s got few holes and a good crust)
• 1 can chunk light tuna (larger chunks are preferable!)
• 2 medallions fresh mozarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon of traditional basil pesto (half spread on each slice of bread)
• 2 cherry tomatoes, sliced into 1/3 inch thick slices, blotted dry with a paper towel

Process:

1. Heat panini press or grill pan
2. Spread pesto onto the bread slices
3. Spread tuna over one of the bread slices, arranging evenly
4. Place mozarella cheese over the tuna
5. Place tomato slices over the mozarella (open-face down onto the mozarella for end slices)
6. Put bread slices together carefully so as to not spill ingredients
7. Place sandwich on panini press and pull down the top; or, place on grill pan and place pressing tool on top; or, place on grill pan and if you do not have a panini press, put a heavy weight on top
8. Grill/press for 4-5 minutes, then if browned to your preference, flip over and grill for another 4-5 minutes
9. Remove from heat, slice in half at a slight diagonal, and dig in :)

For added fun, use chicken of the sea and have a laugh. I used Starkist, but any brand will do! Try it out, this is a very nutritious and hearty panino!

The last time I had been making chicken tikka masala, a magical thing happened: prior to adding the chicken to the tikka sauce, my sister announced that she enjoyed the chicken- spices, yogurt, and all. This was, naturally, a rare and exciting phenomenon, and so when we had company over recently, I sought to recreate the magic from that former recipe attempt.

I used the same recipe for chicken tikka as a base- but, naturally, made changes. For the  spice rub on the chicken, I used the following:

• heaping tsp salt
• heapting tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground corriander
• heaping tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 tsp cinnamon
• large pinch of garam masala

I cleaned, rinsed, dried the chicken, then rubbed it thoroughly on both sides with the spice mix and refrigerated it for about 30 minutes.

While it was refrigerating, I prepared the sauce, which consisted of:

• 1.5 cups low-fat european-style vanilla yogurt
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• dash of turmeric

I mixed the sauce together in a pyrex, then also refrigerated (again, this is mostly following the recipe linked above, thus far only minor changes).

I then dunked the chicken thoroughly in the yogurt mixture on both sides and placed on the aluminum-covered-baking-sheet-with-rack, and added some extra yogurt sauce to the top of the chicken pieces. I then broiled it at 525 degrees for 14 minutes, removed the chicken from the oven, flipped it, spooned on another layer of yogurt sauce, and broiled for another 12 minutes.

Once out of the oven, I suggest a) cleaning your rack immediately so it won’t be a miserable event doing so later, and b) serving with some cool vanilla or plain yogurt on the side, I think it would have been a terrific addition.

I opted to make this iteration with something not remotely Indian: broiled parmesan broccoli. To do this:

• Cut crowns of broccoli into small chunks and haphazardly arrange in small baking pyrex
• Drizzle heavily with olive oil, salt, pepper, and grated parmesan
• Broil (in bottom-most rack of oven) in pyrex at 525 for approximately 10 minutes
• Sprinkle on a tiny bit more parm after removing from the oven to add some final nuttiness
• Serve warm! :)

This dinner was incredibly flavourful (the spices were perhaps a tad bit too strong, but the health benefits are worth it) yet nicely healthy (the yogurt is low-fat, the chicken well-cleaned… the oil’s the worst of it, really) and really yummy. It’s quite simple, I’m just slow and indecisive, but try it out!

Mmh, mango lassi. It’s so thick, so tangy, with this light syrup-y-ness that just makes it a divine treat. Thicker than your average smoothie but not thick enough to be a custard, a lassi (or at least those I have had) can sometimes even be too thick for a straw! But this does not deter their delicious nature.

As I had a few over-ripe ataulfo (best. mangoes. ever) mangoes in the fridge waiting to be eaten and some hungry people waiting on my slow cooking skills for dinner, I opted to complete the Indian theme I had going for the night with a few glasses of lassi.

A friend has recently informed me that there’s a far easier way to do this: blended mango and yogurt, and nothing more. But you know how I am, I prefer to make things complicated :) so herein was my version:

Mango Lassi

Ingredients (Makes 3 small glasses):

• 5 quite ripe mangoes (I used ataulfo- but if you’re able to use alphonso, then go for it! they’re gorgeous)- pulp only, no skin
• heaping 1/2 cup of honey (local is best)
• 3/4 cup low-fat european-style yogurt
• 3/4 cup fat free organic milk
• 1/2 cup orange-mango juice

Process:

I realize it’s a bit heavy on the honey, and more complicated than your standard lassi, but I thought it would be interesting to try making one without looking at any recipes or standard procedures, going only on taste to recreate it based on my memories, and see where it took me. It includes milk, yogurt, and mango, so the necessary base ingredients are there, and I’ve found a number of areas that make it with honey, so I wasn’t far off with getting the syrup texture and taste attributed to something. Sure, it’s just one variation of this, but I think it’s a rather yummy recipe, and an excellent summer snack!

I’ve made CTM a few times using a variety of recipes, and it’s never quite right- right being by my standard of this fabulous Indian restaurant in Cincinnati on the UC campus. It was amoung the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten, and since then I’ve been on a fervent search to re-create (or re-find at some local eatery) the equivalent! Despite claims by my Indian friends that it lacks some authenticity, Clay Pit is the yummiest replacement I’ve yet to find. This recipe, though, was certainly closer than my previous attempts.

The boyfriend’s best friend- let’s call him Ogir from here on in- was recently telling me of how he and his girlfriend made CTM last week. Naturally, after hearing him casually (he says most things casually, this was no exception) say that it was rather enjoyable, I asked for the recipe. This was a fun one!

Over came H bearing two packages of whole wheat naan, bless her, and so we began. I’m usually prepared with the mise en place, but was a bit scrambled today, as I had just literally seconds before arrived home from an after-work info-session-thing at which I was presenting and thus didn’t have my thoughts all arranged. Poor H had to constantly be bopping about the kitchen asking where I had placed the bag of sugar or the can opener. Note to self, in future, lay out all ingredients- or at least the non-refrigerated ones- beforehand.

The recipe we used is from the PBS Test Kitchens, and can be found here if you sign up for a free 14-day trial of the website (do remember to deactive your trial should you not wish to continue their service after cooking this one!). Note that you’ll need a wire rack (like those used for cooling cakes/cookies, or for grilling), a cookie/baking sheet, and tongs (metal or something that won’t melt, as your chicken will be coming out of a 525 degree oven!) in addition to the usual accoutrements.

We followed the recipe as written, except for the following changes: no onion, cayenne, or serrano (we didn’t have them handy and aren’t crazy about spice, though H is more tolerant of it than I); a bit extra on the coriander, cumin, and ginger; the yogurt we used was yoplait pro-health vanilla low-fat yogurt: and it had a very thick consistency, so really, no need to go using whole-fat milk yogurt if you can find a thick low-fat one!; olive oil in place of ghee- H and I both lean towards mediterranean cuisine and thus are great advocates of EVOO; no cilantro; cooked the chicken for about 12 minutes per side to make sure it was well cooked; added two extra cloves to garlic to each of the sauces.

Out came the most buttery and smooth chicken I’ve ever cooked, and a very yummy, spiced- but not spicy- tikka masala sauce. Mmmh! And the rice- a combination of jasmine and basmati (first toasted in olive oil, salt, and pepper, then boiled in low-sodium chicken stock) which I thought I had botched, came out as a textured yet delicate mix (the jasmine mushed a bit but the basmati remained a bit crispy… it was an interesting duo between the two of them).

It’s a recipe that H and I agreed we would both make again in the future, perhaps adding some cayenne and onion on the next try. Try it out and see what changes you make- it’s fairly alterable! :)