Monday, November 16, 2009

Recipe of the Week: Curried Coconut Chicken

I have a confession to make: I'm addicted to Indian curry. Trouble is, we can't afford to run out for some Indian food as frequently as my curry craving strikes-- which happens to be 2-3 times a week lately.

One day I was going through some serious curry withdraw and decided to figure out how to make it at home. Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, I found a recipe that is almost as good as the chicken coconut kurma that I get at my favorite restaurant. I also found some recipes for the fragrant rice and flat bread (naan) that we get there too. Try it, but beware-- you might get hooked!

Here are some of my notes on the recipes (click on the recipe name to be taken to the recipe):

Curried Coconut Chicken: Use boneless/skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for really tender meat, add a few dashes of ground cinnamon to the curry powder, and add about 1/3 c. golden raisins and 1/3 c. cashews to the sauce as it simmers. And don't try light coconut milk-- you need the real stuff for full flavor.

Indian Style Basmati Rice: Use brown basmati, and transfer to a rice cooker before adding the liquids.

Naan: I use whole wheat flour for these lovelies and they taste lovely, but probably not totally authentic. Be careful not to add too much flour, or the bread will be really tough. I usually end up using just a bit over 3 1/4 cups. This works fastest on the grill or a large electric griddle (so you can cook multiple rounds at once)-- but a skillet will work just fine if you prefer.

P.S. My apologies for the lack of a photo. I never manage to snap a shot of this stuff-- I'm too busy eating it!

6 comments:

Jessica said...

Have you ever made your own coconut milk?

Steph said...

I have Not made my own coconut milk, but you know that's right up my alley Jessica. Have you? Will you tell me how?

Jessica said...

So i just found out I could make my own. I am planning on doing it next week for my pies. So basically it looks really easy and cheap. And yummy. If you have ever made nut milk its the same thing. The ratio for a bit less than a cup is 3/4 c water and 1 cup coconut.

Get dried unsweetneed coconut
Water
Blender or Food processor.
Strainer

Let water and coconut sit till soft
Blend really really well
Strain Milk through cheese cloth or nut milk bag.
Coconut can be saved in fridge or deyhrated for other uses.

I am totally stoked. I love coconut milk

Steph said...

Very, very interesting...

I'm putting this on my list of things to try. Thanks for the pointer!

Lindy Johnson said...

Dear Steph,
Just clicked over to see your site, and the first two things I see are snickerdoodles and curried coconut chicken??? Oh my. We are destined to become great friends!
--Lindy
p.s. you're hot!

Jessica said...

so I made the milk. It rocked. Way better than the canned stuff. It even made the coconut oil and the cream and the milk so super tasty. I used the big flaked bulk stuff from good earth. I soaked it for a few hours and then blended then let it sit while I was at church and then blended again and then strained.
Using a nut milk bag would be the best. You can make one with organza and just make a simple bag shape. i made pumpkin pie ice cream with the milk. It was so creamy and so good. I am making curry this week that is the real test :)