Tandoori Chicken

This is another of my mother-in-law's recipes.  She serves this often when we have big summertime gatherings with the whole family.  It's easy to multiply if you're serving a big crowd, and can be prepared the night before to save time.  You can also adjust the amount of hot pepper if you prefer it less spicy (I generally use 1/4 tsp instead of the given 1/2 tsp).  We like to serve this with rice, Cucumber and Vinegar Salad and Mango Chutney.  Delicious!

Tandoori Chicken
Recipe by Ruth Beal

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" strips
1/2 tsp hot chili powder, such as Cayenne or Chipotle (you can use less to make it not so spicy)
1 tsp salt
2 T fresh lemon juice
4 T melted butter
3 T plain yogurt
1 T chopped raisins
2 inches ginger root, peeled and grated (or finely chopped)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a Ziplock bag and shake well.  Let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.  Thread meat onto skewers if desired, and grill over medium-high heat for 9-12 minutes, turning every three minutes, or until cooked through.

Makes 6 servings.

Indian Chicken Kebabs

We used to live in the Middle East and we had some pretty fantastic food there.  There were lots of Indian people there, and they brought their food with them!  We loved getting kebabs there, and these were so good it was like being back in Asia.  Serve this with saffron rice and raita, and some warm pita or naan if you can find it!

Indian Chicken Kebabs

Ingredients:
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 T grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp saffron threads, crushed
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1" cubes
1 medium red onion, cut into 1" cubes

Combine first 12 ingredients in a large ziplock bag.  Seal, shake to combine, and let marinate in fridge at least 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally.  Thread chicken, peppers, and onions onto skewers.  Spray vegetables lightly with cooking spray. 
Prepare grill by spraying with cooking spray, then heating to medium-high heat.  Grill 3 minutes per side, then reduce heat to low and grill an additional 3-6 minutes, or until cooked throughout. 
Serves 8.

Raita (Cucumber and Yogurt Salad)

This dish goes great with any Indian food.  It tones down the heat of curry dishes and adds a nice contrast to spiced meats.  Note that you'll need to prepare the cucumbers a few hours ahead of time so they have time to drain.

Raita (Cucumber and Yogurt Salad)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup diced, seeded tomato (about 1 medium tomato)
1 medium cucumber
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp minced seeded jalapeno pepper, OR 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt

Peel the cucumber, then grate it.  Put the grated cucumber in a sieve and press out as much water as possible.  Then let the cucumber sit in the sieve, over a bowl or sink for at least one hour.  Before using, squeeze out as much remaining water as possible.
In a small bowl combine the cucumber and all other ingredients.  Stir well.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Saffron Basmati Rice

This goes great with anything Middle-Eastern or Indian in flavor.  Yum!

Saffron Basmati Rice

Ingredients:
5 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp saffron threads
6 whole cloves
3 cups basmati rice

Stovetop Directions:
In a large saute pan, bring the water, salt, saffron, and cloves to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, let stand (covered) for 5 minutes.  Remove cloves before serving.
Makes 10 cups.

Rice Cooker Directions:
In 1 cup of hot water, stir saffron and cloves; let sit 15 minutes.  Pour rice into rice cooker, then saffron water, salt, and additional 4 cups water.  Cook.  Remove cloves before serving.
Makes 10 cups.

Javanese Chicken Curry

This is another recipe from my M-I-L.  Thanks, Ruth, for all the great things you've taught me, especially to love Indian food!  And I do love it!  In fact, since marrying into this family I've learned to love curry in lots of forms, be it Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, whatever.  It's just good!  I don't like it too spicy (one pepper on the menu is perfect, two is do-able but just barely, three is HOT MAMA get me some chocolate milk!), but I do like it.  This, again, is my version of her recipe.  My kids LOVE this.  I know, they're weird kids.  They love curry, and won't touch mac-n-cheese.  Somehow that doesn't bother me much.

Javanese Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 cup curry powder (I use mild, but you can adjust the spiciness and amount of curry to taste)
1 tsp brown sugar
1 cup cream
2 T butter, melted
4 tsp flour
1 lemon, juiced
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 lb chicken, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces (use leftover chicken or grill up 2 large chicken breasts)
Shredded coconut
Chopped almonds
Mango chutney
Steamed rice

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Saute onion and garlic for 1 minute, then add 1 cup of the chicken broth and heat until warm.  Stir in cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, peanut butter, tomato paste, and curry powder.  Stir and simmer 10 minutes, reducing heat to medium-low.  Add remaining broth and the brown sugar, then let simmer while you prepare the cream.

In a small mixing bowl combine the melted butter and flour until a smooth paste forms.  In a separate small saucepan heat the cream over medium-high heat for 1 minute.  Stir in the flour mixture and whisk together until the cream begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and whisk cream mixture into the curry mixture.  Add lemon juice, then stir in mango and chicken.

Serve over hot steamed rice, and top with shredded coconut, sliced almonds, and a hefty dollop of mango chutney.

Serves 5-6.

Mango Chutney

Mango chutney is one of my favorite sides.  I love it.  I love it, I should say, when it's homemade.  I am not a fan of the store-bought stuff, which tastes (to me, anyway) like floor cleaner with some sugar stirred in.  I like my mango chutney sweet and sour and spicy and sticky and delicious.  I love it on curry. It's also good poured abundantly over a whole package of plain cream cheese, and then dipped into with crackers.  My mother-in-law makes a mean mango chutney.  This is her recipe, the way I make it.  It keeps practically forever if you put it in jars in your fridge or freezer.  Enjoy!

Mango Chutney

Ingredients:
3 large mangos (unripe is better than ripe)
1 stick cinnamon, or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 T ginger root, grated OR 1/2 tsp ground dried ginger 
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp chili powder 
1 T salt
1/4 cup white raisins (regular are also fine)
1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
4 cups sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir well.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 30 minutes.  It should be really juicy by this point.  Remove the cover, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thick, about 45 minutes.  Pour into jars and let cool completely before covering.  Chutney will thicken upon standing. 

Makes about 6 cups.

Turkey Curry

If you're like me you're tired of eating Thanksgiving leftovers by now.  I love Thanksgiving, but going on six days now is a bit much.  I saw on my friend Olivia's blog a recipe for Turkey Curry and thought I'd try it out.   I was skeptical because it calls for Cream of Mushroom soup, and I try to stay away from recipes involving that.  But it was really good!  My kids devoured it and asked for more!  You can see the original recipe on Olivia's blog, and this is what I did (a bit altered due to what I had on hand).

Turkey Curry

Ingredients:
Leftover Thanksgiving turkey, in bite-size pieces (I had about 1-1/2 cups of meat)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup whole milk
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
2 T curry powder (I use Sharwood's brand, mild.  You can add more if you like)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic salt

Put the turkey, coconut, and milk in a medium-sized sauce pan.  Heat over medium-high heat until the milk is bubbling and it smells like coconut.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.  Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Serve over rice and with a green vegetable on the side (we had peas).
Delish!