Good Golly it's Gumbo

Long before ever visiting Louisiana, and later actually living there over the Y2K times, I had heard of Gumbo, as well as Etoufee, Jambalaya and a lot of other dishes, not all of which I really associated with Louisiana. Red beans and rice I'd had in Guatemala as a very young newlywed expat. maybe these were not the Louisiana-spiced version, but the concept was there. Boudin rouge or boudin noir are a sausage made with blood as part or most of its ingredients, but I had eaten those in Guatemala as well, under the name Moronga or Morcilla. Not a banana fan at any time, Bananas Foster never held any interest whatsoever. And long, long before ever learning that bread pudding was pretty much Louisiana's state dessert (according to me, anyway, as it was found in every single restaurant), I had been making and loving bread pudding.

When it came to hearing about Gumbo, I heard about okra as an ingredient, and I am absolutely not an okra fan. Thus, Gumbo held no interest. I like tomatoes, tomato sauces, spaghetti sauces, but there are times I just cannot abide them. At least my stomach seems to completely rebel at times, and then sometimes not. Etoufee, mainly tomato-ey red in color, was not high on a list of things I wanted to try. 

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

And then, we moved to Louisiana. Just north of Lake Ponchartrain, there were an amazing assortment of the best eating establishments all grouped so closely near to one another that you could barely toss a stone without hitting one, and we frequented them, almost all, in a constant rotation. My husband will not touch seafood, and not even fish. This is a mental allergy mind you, not a physical one. But as Louisiana cuisine is really all about fish and seafood, crawfish being absolutely huge there, there were many restaurants that had no meat on the menu, and some with a whole lot of truly stellar gourmet seafood dishes available, and with one lone hamburger plate on the menu, generally served with coleslaw (which my husband will not eat) and fries. They truly are not catering to the meat lover diet.

Exploring Gumbo Flavors

As we began exploring food in our new home area after we moved there, I was excited to taste this Gumbo I had heard and read about. I was willing to overlook okra, if the dish was good enough. And I had a couple samplings that were passable, for sure. But it was down in New Orleans proper, that I first had a small bowl of File Gumbo. Being a complete neophyte in the Gumbo world, I had asked the waitress what was the difference. she explained that Okra Gumbo used the okra as a slight thickening agent, whereas File Gumbo used File powder as it's slight thickening agent. Obviously okra has its own flavors as well, as does file powder, but I wasn't aware of that, then. 

➤File powder is nothing more than the powdered leaf of sassafras. It is generally

File Powder

available in the spice aisle. This flavoring agent should never be added to the pot, but only stirred in at table. If cooked, it can become stringy.

On tasting the little bowl of File Gumbo, I was suddenly aware that this was amazingly good! Oh my, was it good! And then I went on a search. In each and every restaurant, I tried at least a small bowl or cup of Gumbo, just to see the range of flavors, and just how good, good can be. 

While living there, I never even attempted to make Gumbo. More often than not, the Gumbo in restaurants contained crawfish or shrimp. At the time I still wasn't aware of why I was swelling so much all the time, so I blithely ate my way through crawfish, shrimp, crab, blue crab, lobster and a lot of other shellfish. Now, sadly, I have long been aware of my intolerance for those most wonderful foods. Sigh.

Making Roux

Moving away from Louisiana, as all good things must end one day, I longed for Gumbo. As I set about learning what made a good Gumbo, I learned about roux. While I had made roux plenty of times, in preparation for a gravy, those were always a very blond roux, just cooked enough for the raw flour taste to be gone, but not for color. In Louisiana, there is ROUX. Pronounced, "ROO." And this is one not to be messed with. Every young girl must learn the way to make a proper roux, or you will not ever attain a proper gumbo. And this roux must be cooked until "mahogany colored." This requires constant attention to the pot, or the roux will burn. This disaster cannot be repaired, and the only solution is to begin again. This process of cooking oil and flour to a mahogany color can take 15 minutes or it can take an hour, completely dependent on the skill and ease of the one making it. If unskilled, as I was the first time, it took an hour over medium or medium low heat. Over a higher heat, and a lot of quick stirring, it can be accomplished in much less time, but without this very dark roux as a base, the gumbo will not be right. 

Holy Trinity added to Roux

The next important thing to know is that many, if not most, dishes in Louisiana are based on the flavors of the 'holy trinity, a phrase coined by chef Paul Prudhomme. This trinity is a combination, in equal parts, of chopped onion, green pepper and celery. These should be prepped and ready, as they are the first addition to the Gumbo pot, once the roux is ready. 

Andouille sausage, pronounced ahn-DOO-ee, in Louisiana, is generally very highly spiced, with a strong chili kick. For the unwary, this can be a shock. The Andouille found in other areas of the country is but a poor relative, in comparison. I've used Aidell's brand, as I can tolerate the salt levels, though it is not spicy hot. 

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Serves 8 to 10

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

ROUX:

½ cup shortening or oil
½ cup all-purpose flour

----------
2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 medium onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 whole chicken, cut up
2 - 4 Andouille sausages, sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¾ teaspoon dried oregano flakes
¾ teaspoons dried basil leaves
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon ancho powder or cayenne
6 cups water or stock
Salt & pepper, to taste

File Powder, for serving

MAKE ROUX: In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the shortening or oil over medium heat. Add in the flour and stir continually with a wire whisk until the mixture becomes a deep mahogany brown. This can take from 10 minutes to half hour, depending on your heat setting. Do not scorch the roux or you will need to begin again. Set aside, off the heat.

ASSEMBLE GUMBO: In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onions, green pepper, celery and garlic until softened, about 10 minutes. Add to the pot with the roux. Dry the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides in the skillet, then remove them to the pot along with the sliced Andouille, all the spices, chili powder and water or stock. Add in about 1 teaspoon of salt, to start, and some freshly grated black pepper. Stir well, then cover and cook on very low heat for an hour, or until the chicken is very tender. Once the gumbo has cooked, check for seasoning and adjust as needed. Leave chicken on the bone, or remove the skin and bones, if preferred, returning the chicken meat to the pot. Serve with a scoop of rice. Serve File Powder on the side. Use 1 to 3 teaspoons per serving, to taste.

NOTES: If using shrimp or crawfish, add these in to the pot only about 5 to 7 minutes before ready to serve, to just cook through. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Really Good Curry

Just want to say . . . I am not a huge fan of Thai food. 

WHAT?!?!?!? You may exclaim.

It's true. While I have eaten some things that are tasty, it seems that no two restaurants even come close, for flavor and style, and the inconsistency makes it difficult (for me, anyway) to figure out what I like. I am not fond of peanuts. At all. And many Thai dishes call for peanuts or peanut sauces. I like a little spice, but not overwhelming spice. That is less of an issue for me, but if something is spicy, that leaves my husband out. I am allergic to shellfish, so anything with shrimp or dried shrimp or the like means I swell up like a toad. 

Get my drift?

Thai Red Curry

Okay, so the thing is, I have been making my own version of a Thai Red Curry Paste for years and years and years. And the reason I make it is to use in ONE recipe - one that we dearly love - called Red Curried Chicken Kebabs. I have never ventured out farther than that with my curry paste. I think my curry paste tastes great - at least by the standards of the chicken kebabs, which have excellent flavors. Back in February, my son and his lady came to visit and brought Thai food, from a restaurant they like. I have to admit, most of it was certainly delicious. The one single problem? too much salt. Holy moly, the salt made my mouth and tongue hurt. And that is why I like making my own things from scratch, even the curry paste.

Thai Red Curry

Granted, my curry paste recipe makes a fair amount. That said, it is not at all hot spicy, so it can really be used as much as wanted in a recipe. And I got thinking, not long after the kids left here and I was eating some leftovers from their largesse that I though about the fact that I really had never used my excellently flavored curry paste for anything else. And so I set about trying to see what I could come up with. I found recipes all over the internet for Thai Red Curry. Most of them called for similar ingredients, like coconut milk. Many called for chicken with little vegetables, some for vegetables and no meat, and some were somewhere in between. I opted for in between, using one huge chicken breast and a lot of vegetables. 

First though, I had to make a batch of my curry paste. When we moved to Arizona, I had my little frozen packets of my curry paste in my cooler with all the other cold foods, but with the extreme heat in the southwest in late June, the curry paste leaked out everywhere, staining my cooler forevermore. So a new batch was the first priority. Then, since it was just made and not frozen, I went ahead and created my own recipe for Thai Red Curry, and ended up using fully half of the curry paste in one recipe. It was so delicious, and my husband said this recipe was a real "keeper" (his way of saying, "Please make this often!"), so I went ahead a few days later and used up the remaining curry paste in a second round of Thai Red Curry. I don't have any idea how authentic this may be, but it certainly bears repeating. Yum!

Thai Red Curry

Thai Red Curry

Serves 4

¾ - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (dark or white as preferred)
oil for frying
4 - 6 dried shiitake mushrooms (or fresh if available)
1 - 2 shallots, sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 - 3 green Thai chilies, or Serrano, minced (seeds left in or out as preferred)
1 can (14-ounces, approximately)
2 - 4 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste (if store bought, use discretion with the amount, if heat is an issue)
1 tablespoon Fish Sauce, optional
2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
1 cup snow peas (or snap peas, sliced across diagonally)
1 cup red bell pepper, in thin strips
1 cup butternut squash, small cubes
1 - 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
------
½ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup scallions, sliced thinly

If using dried shiitake mushrooms, set them into boiled water and top with a bowl to keep them submerged for at least 20 minutes.

Cut the chicken into smaller cubes and brown them in the oil, then set them aside. 

In the same pan the chicken was browned in, adding more oil if needed, lightly saute the shallot, then add in the ginger and garlic with the green chilies. Saute for another 3 minutes. (If a lot of heat is preferred, simply slice the chilies across and toss them in. I prefer to keep the heat low, so I remove seeds and mince the chilies.) Pour in the can of coconut milk and stir in the Thai Red Curry Paste to combine. Add the brown sugar and fish sauce and all the veggies. Cook until the vegetables are tender, then add in the chicken and cook for just a few minutes longer. Sprinkle on the cilantro and scallions and serve over rice.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

An Idea for Leftover Turkey or Chicken

I realize that not everyone has leftover turkey in September. I did happen to bake a turkey breast recently, and even with just the breast, there were leftovers. Plenty of them, really. 

I have a very old cookbook, "Better Homes and Gardens Favorite Ways with Chicken, Turkey, Duck and Game Birds," copyright 1967. Long title, but the part that is biggest and boldest is just "Favorite Ways with Chicken." Chicken and turkey can be interchanged in a recipe, so this book has been very handy over the years. The difficulty lay in the fact that when I began learning to cook, I was in Guatemala, where many of the things called for just did not exist. Like canned soup. If anyone is fond of reaching for a can of soup to make a sauce or gravy, not having them is a distinct disadvantage. 
 

Turkey Crepe Casserole

When I went to Guatemala, I was just 20 years old. Just barely out of teenage, and still very full of myself, with all the pride and hubris only a teenager can have. It is only later, when one looks back on her life that this becomes very apparent. And yet, without all that, I may never have managed to learn all that I did. I learned, not just to cook things I knew of from home, but new foods, some I'd never heard of prior to my time there. I went about learning all I possibly could. I felt I needed to prove myself. Prove I was a good housewife and mother. Learn the language, so I could understand and be understood. I applied myself diligently, although sometimes kicking and screaming.

So, when looking through this cookbook, I found the idea of making crepes quite interesting. I didn't generally have access to turkey, but chicken? Yes, of course. And then I ran into the problem of canned soup. I did know that a creamed soup straight from the can was thick, and had to be diluted. So, I felt I could create a similar product by making a roux and adding less liquid to keep it thick. The liquid would have to be well flavored, to be able to flavor the casserole. At that time I did use bouillon cubes. The ones most commonly available in Guatemala were "Maggi" brand. As it turned out, this approach worked out well, and I have made the recipe the same ever since. Except I don't use bouillon cubes anymore, because of the amount of salt and MSG. Instead, these days I use either a chicken "base" or a chicken demi-glace for the chicken flavor I am looking for. 

Back at that time in Guatemala, I kept milk in the house, as I had growing kids, and I did eat cereal. These days, I don't keep milk in the house, as we don't drink it, nor do we eat cereal (except for me and oatmeal, but no milk there either). What I do keep is either heavy cream or evaporated milk, and usually both, in case of need, such as this. So when mixing milk into some of the faux "can of soup" mixture, I either dilute the cream or the evaporated milk with half water and use that. 

Ultimately, the recipe is fantastic, making use of some leftover cooked chicken or turkey, albeit in very small portion. It is delicious, and with a salad and some green beans alongside, a very nice and satisfying meal indeed, whether as a dinner or as a brunch.

Turkey (or Chicken) Crepe Casserole

Turkey Crepe Casserole

Serving size 2 - 3 crepes

CREPES:
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1 cup finely diced cooked turkey or chicken
1 (9 - 10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
¼ cup Panko crumbs
¼ cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup finely minced shallot

CHICKEN BECHAMEL:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon chicken "base" or chicken demi-glace
1¼ cup hot water
-----
1 cup milk
½ cup sliced almonds

Make Crepes: Beat egg, milk, melted butter and flour, either with a whisk or a blender, until smooth. Do not over beat. Heat a small (7 to 10-inch) nonstick skillet. Lightly grease the skillet (nonstick cooking spray works well). Pour in 2 tablespoons of the batter and lift the pan, swirling the batter to as large a circle possible. Set pan on heat and allow the top of the crepe to become dry, similarly to a pancake. Remove the crepe to a plate and repeat this procedure, 2 tablespoons at a time, until you have 12 crepes, lightly browned on the bottoms but not the top. Set them aside.
 

Making Crepes

Make the Filling: Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Make the Bechamel: Mix together the hot water and the chicken "base" or demiglace, stirring until dissolved together. Set aside to cool while beginning the sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, stir in the flour, salt and white pepper until smooth. Add in the chicken base mixture, stirring, until the mixture is thick. Pour half of this thickened mixture into the Filling mixture, as a binder, stirring to incorporate.

To the remainder of the bechamel, add the last cup of milk and stir well. Set aside.
 

Filling crepes and arranging in casserole

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready a 9 x 13-inch casserole, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Set one crepe, unbrowned side upwards. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling onto one end of the crepe and roll up. Set into the casserole, then repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. 

Once filled, pour the remaining bechamel mixture over top of the crepes. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds. Bake the casserole for 30 minutes, until bubbling. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Different Kind of Potato Salad

It seems I have barely gotten around to trying anything new on the recipe front. So much stress has been present in other areas of my life, that sometimes it is all I can do to make some old tried and true recipes and have done with it. Not that there is anything wrong with the old tried and true, but it makes for scant blog posts.

Lamb Curry - Indian Rice & Cabbage - Rhubarb Pecan Coffeecake

Last week on Monday our friend Rich arrived with two fishing buddies, both of whom have visited in past. They are fun to be around, so that part is good, and they love to eat, so that is also good, for someone who loves to cook to please people. The guys went out at 7 in the morning and returned around 4:30 PM for the first three days. They did catch some fish, and ceviche was planned, in that eventuality. Meanwhile, I had my hands full with cooking dinners to feed three guys and me. Plus desserts. The first night I had made a lamb curry recipe; Curried Lamb with Peas. With the curry, I made Indian Cabbage and Rice, using brown rice to add a little fiber with the cabbage. I had some Naan breads in the freezer and pulled them out and everything went, with the guys practically licking the serving bowls. I had bought rhubarb at the Farmers' Market, so I made Rhubarb Pecan Coffeecake for dessert, and there was very little of that 9 x 13-inch pan of cake left! I had substituted all but ½ cup of whole grain Kamut Khorasan flour for the amount called for in the recipe, and no one noticed, so I got a little extra fiber and whole grain goodness in there without difficulty. 

Gumbo - Chocolate Beet Cake - Cream Cheese Icing

On Tuesday morning, I had absolutely nothing at all planned for dinner, and was starting to panic, trying to think of what I could make. I ended up making Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, with white rice on the side. I would  have preferred to make whole brown rice, but didn't have enough and didn't want to take the time out to run to the store. That recipe makes a very large pot, so even with everyone serving themselves second helpings, we had Gumbo leftover. That night I made my Chocolate Beet Cake, revised for dessert, frosting it with Cream Cheese Frosting. I used Kamut Khorasan flour in the Chocolate Beet Cake, revised recipe also, and it was delicious that way. The guys made a very serious dent in that cake too, though there was enough for the next night's dessert.

Lamb Burgers with Greek Olive Tapenade

Day Three I made Lamb Burgers, served with my usual Greek Olive Tapenade. The big difference in the burger recipe is that ever since making them in mini size for last year's wine tasting event, I had grated the feta and added it to the burger mixture before grilling. This worked so well that this is how I do it now, and it is so much better and easier. 
 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad

For a side dish to go with the Lamb Burgers, I did actually create a new salad side dish. Not a salad in the sense of "greens" but I used roasted sweet potatoes as a base and added in things as I thought of them. I wanted to use some leftover grilled corn kernels, and black beans, since they make a great contrast. I wanted to use a vinaigrette and no mayo. Into the vinaigrette I added some odd mixtures, but it all came out tasting wonderful. For crunch, I went for celery, red bell pepper and scallions. It came out colorful and absolutely delicious, and the guys polished all that off too. And it all happened so fast I totally forget to take any photos! That was no hardship though, so I made another batch that my husband and I have been enjoying for these past couple of days on our own. 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad

Serves 6 

1½ pounds sweet potatoes
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

VINAIGRETTE:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 teaspoon Curry powder or Garam Masala
½ teaspoon salt
dash pepper
-----
1 cup roasted/grilled fresh corn kernels
¾ cup red bell pepper, small chunks
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, well rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped scallions
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped cilantro (or parsley, if preferred)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into about 1-inch cubes. Toss the cubed sweet potato with the olive oil and salt, then spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly before combining.

Place all the vinaigrette ingredients into a medium mixing bowl (one that will hold all the salad, ultimately) and whisk until combined.  Add in the slightly cooled sweet potatoes, and all the remaining ingredients and toss well. Garnish with cilantro leaves.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

An Indian Dish from Telangana

State of Telangana in India

As I mentioned in my last post, I made quite a few Indian recipes last year, then was so busy I just never got around to posting them. Some of them were amazingly good, as was this chicken dish. I saw a recipe for "Telangana Chicken" from Padma Reddy in an article in Saveur magazine. It sounded interesting, and since I mainly have made dishes from the northern parts of India, and which are the type of dishes generally served in Indian restaurants (at least all the ones I have frequented, to date), I felt that since this dish came from one of the more southerly states of India, I might just have to try it out. 

As it happens, Telangana is the newest state of India, formed in June 2014. It was formerly a part of the Princely State of Hyderabad, and was formed of ten districts from north-western Andhra Pradesh. I will not go further into any history, as even this little bit was entirely unknown to me prior to looking up more on where this state existed. Suffice to say that this dish is found in many forms in and around Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Telangana is also known for their breads (roti) made from millet and other millet based dishes. I have yet to explore making breads with millet, so I served my Curried Chicken dish with regular Parathas and rice on the side, though this may not be too authentic. Though it was delicious!
 

Telangana Chicken

As I mentioned above, I found this recipe and it sounded good. That doesn't mean I didn't make changes. I wanted the recipe to be mine, and so I did look up other recipes for Telangana Chicken, just to see what the general concept was. Then I started making alterations that I felt fell within the main idea of this dish. I did make it with skinless, boneless chicken, which is not authentic in any way. I just prefer these days not having to fiddle with chicken on the bone while at the table. Outside of that, I used most of the ingredients, added some, deleted some and changed the amounts of most of them! 

Telangana Chicken

I mentioned curry leaves in my last regular post about Goan Pork Vindaloo. Curry leaves are from the Curry Leaf Plant (Murraya koenigii). If you love to cook Indian food as I do, then investing in a plant is truly worthwhile. I love the flavor these leaves give to a dish. It has a somewhat citrusy smell and flavor, but it is really a flavor all its own. The leaves are edible, though my husband spends his time pulling them all off to the side of the dish to be tossed out. I eat them. They are also found, fresh, on Amazon (of course), and when I ordered some they arrived quickly and I stuck the package right into the freezer. While the leaves blacken in the freezer, they still retain their flavor and fragrance, unlike if they were dried, where they completely lose all their flavor and aroma. If thawed, they regain their green color.

Aside from curry leaves, the only other unusual spices or flavors are white poppy seeds and methi leaves. Methi is fenugreek (click the link to learn more), and fenugreek is interesting in that the plant can be used as a fresh vegetable, the leaves can also be found dried as an herb, and then there are the seeds, which have a scent much like maple syrup, though they are bitter.  

Black ("Blue") Poppy Seeds left and White Poppy Seeds right

The white poppy seeds are often used in Indian cuisines, as a part of the spices or as a thickener. The white seeds come from the same kind of poppy plant (papaver somniferum), as the black (or "blue") variety, similar to white and black sesame seeds. If you cannot find the white poppy seeds, they may be left out of the dish. Seen close up as in my photos above, poppy seeds are shaped like kidney beans and their outsides look like (very miniature) peanuts.

Now, on to the recipe:

Telangana Chicken

Telangana Chicken

Serves 4 or more

1 can (13.66 ounce) coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Garam Masala
½ teaspoon pure red powdered chili
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, minced
1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken, cut in chunks
8 green cardamom pods, slightly bruised
1 piece mace (or a pinch ground mace)
1 star anise
1 Tej Patta Leaf (Indian "bay" leaf), optional
1 (4-inch) piece true cinnamon quill
¼ cup cooking oil
3 Thai or Serrano chilies, minced
2 medium onions, halved and sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons cooking oil

MASALA:
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons white poppy seeds
15 cashews
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
20 curry leaves, if available
cilantro for garnish

Mix together in a large container with a lid the coconut milk, lime juice, Garam Masala, powdered chili, garlic and ginger; stir to combine. Add the chicken pieces along with the cardamom pods, mace, star anise, tej patta, cinnamon, oil and green chilies. Stir well, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

To make the dish: Saute the onions in the cooking oil of choice until browned. While the onions are frying, combine the Masala spices in a spice grinder or blender and grind to a powder. Just as the onions are done, add in the curry leaves with the ground masala to the onions and stir for 2 or 3 minutes. Add in the chicken along with its marinade and bring to boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Indian Chicken Kebabs are a Real Hit

As a caveat, before I even begin, I just want to say that I tend to go to extremes in my quest for making things from scratch. Because of this, though our dinner last evening was simple, in the sense of a kebab in the shape of a hot dog, a chutney to go along with these, a bread to hold it, and a side dish, making these 4 things took me all the day long. 

Chicken Seekh Kebabs

That said, if I hadn't just suddenly gotten the yen to make an Indian meal that morning, but instead had planned ahead, things could have been far easier. The chutney could have been made a week ahead of time. The Dhal could have been made a day or two in advance and not suffered for it. Even the kebab mixture itself could have been made a day before. So making all this in the same day was probably not the very best thing, but I want it understood that bringing all this together can be accomplished in steps, over a period of days, making it a much easier proposition. 

Chicken Seekh Kebab served on Paratha

I will say that as we ate dinner last evening, my husband and I uttered a long series of "mmmmm, this is so good!" as we ate, so it was really all worth it. These kebabs are called Chicken Seekh Kebabs, and in some places I have seen it spelled Chicken Sheek Kebabs. Whatever the spelling, there are a lot of ingredients and the chicken is well spiced. Not your average hot dog by any stretch. I felt that these would be nice wrapped in some kind of Indian bread. I know Parathas are slightly thicker than Rotis, but less hefty than Naan, so I went for making the Parathas. Parathas are made from "atta" flour, which roughly translates to part all purpose flour and part sifted whole wheat flour. Since I have my own grain mill, I ground wheat berries, passed this through a very fine sieve (amazing how much bran is left behind this way, leaving a lighter version of whole wheat) and used that flour in equal parts with all-purpose flour to make the Parathas. A Paratha can be made stuffed with things like potatoes or herbs, or made plain. Since my Kebabs were highly spiced, I wanted a plain bread. 

Parathas

Parathas

Makes 6 to 8

1 cup all-purpose white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour passed through a sieve
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons melted ghee or vegetable oil
¾ cup water, approximately

more oil or ghee for cooking the Parathas

Place both flours and salt in a bowl. Add in the water to make a soft dough. Turn out on a surface and knead the mass for 2 minutes. This kneading is to build gluten so the Parathas hold together later. Let the dough rest, covered for at least 30 minutes. If longer, refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to make the Parathas, turn dough out onto a surface and cut into 6 or 8 equal portions. Have the ghee or oil ready. Heat a skillet to medium or slightly lower. 

Fold, brush with ghee                   |         fold again; press to seal        |                    roll again                   |               cook

Roll out one portion of the dough to a relatively round shape about 6 to 8-inches in diameter. If you are making 8 Parathas, the amount of dough will be less, so the size will be smaller. Brush the ghee or oil over the surface. Fold the circle in half. Brush with more ghee or oil. Fold again to a quarter. Now press firmly all around the edges to make the folded dough adhere, then once more roll out to a relative circle. Brush oil in the hot pan. Set the Paratha in the pan to cook until the bottom is browned. Brush oil over the top and flip the Paratha, to brown the other side. Remove to paper toweling. Repeat these steps for all the remaining pieces of dough. Serve warm.

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To make the chicken mixture, remember this can be made earlier in the day or even the day before. The flavors will meld well over this time. If you have a meat grinding attachment and want to grind your own chicken, that's great. I used my food processor and pulsed until the chicken was fine. Pre-ground chicken may also be used. If desired, these can be made with hamburger meat or even ground lamb.

As with making a meatloaf, I absolutely hate raw onions, so I always fry the onion until golden before adding to the ground meat. I did the same with these kebabs, using a good sized onion, finely minced and sauteed slowly in ghee until golden before adding to the ground meat. If you are new to Indian spices, you may not have heard of white poppy seeds, but these are used in many Indian dishes. The small amount used is easily left out, if they are not on hand. This will not truly affect flavor.

Chaat Masala is another spice mixture, similar in concept to Garam Masala, but with slightly different flavors. This mix is often used to sprinkle on foods just before eating. It is in the meat mixture in this recipe, but can be left out and used when serving if preferred. On the other hand, Chaat Masala ingredients (such as asafoetida, dried mango powder, tartaric acid) might be a bit more difficult to get hold of, so if this is not available, simply leave it out.

The cooking method for these kebabs can be a Tandoor oven, or your own oven, set at very hot (Tandoor ovens use flame and get exceedingly hot), or they can be fried; either deep or shallow-fried. I chose to shallow fry them and they took about 5 minutes per batch in a very wide skillet. 

Chicken Seekh Kebabs

Chicken Seekh Kebabs

Makes about 12 kebabs or 6 portions

14 cashew nuts
10 raw almonds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 pound ground chicken meat (thigh, breast or a mix)
1 large onion, minced and sauteed golden
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
4 -6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white poppy seeds, optional
½ teaspoon cayenne, optional
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon coriander seed, ground

1 tablespoon Garam Masala
ground pepper, to taste
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
1 cup bread crumbs
1 - 1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Chaat Masala, optional
-----
Oil for frying
Bamboo skewers about 9-inches long

Grind the cashews, almonds and sesame seeds in a food processor, until fine. 

Place ground chicken in a large bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients through the Chaat Masala, if using, along with the finely ground nut mixture. Mix well with hands, then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day.

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Divide the chicken mixture into 12 equal portions. Form each portion around one of the soaked skewers, forming a long, hot-dog shape. If frying these, it is important to keep the diameter consistent along the length of the kebab for even cooking. 

Heat a wide, shallow skillet and add in a little oil. Fry the kebabs, about 4 at a time (or whatever fits easily in your skillet), turning often to brown evenly for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the skewers and serve on a bed of lettuce and with bread of choice alongside. Even a hamburger bun will do. Chutney of your choosing would be wonderful on top.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Sort of Chicken Curry with Lots of Pepper

I have been making a Pepper Curried Chicken dish for a lot of years. I love pepper, as many might know! Really good quality black Tellicherry Peppercorns have such an amazingly floral bouquet. Having a really good pepper mill is also a real plus, because pre-ground pepper just tastes awful. It really makes me question what might be mixed in with it, because it tastes nothing like the pepper I have come to know.

Pepper Curried Chicken

Pepper and Pepper Grinders

I have two pepper grinders I use all the time. Many pepper grinders do not have mechanisms large enough to accommodate Tellicherry peppercorns. Tellicherry are fully ripened pepper berries, so they are much larger sized and also have the most full flavor. Next down the scale are Malabar, which are not perfectly ripened berries, and just slightly smaller. If you buy whole peppercorns without one of these two labels, they will be imperfectly ripened and much smaller, including many and varied sizes of berry. The two grinders I favor (shown as the first two in the photo here below) have larger grinding mechanisms. 

All My Pepper Mills

One of them, a brass mill shown second in the lineup above, is actually a Turkish coffee grinder, so of course it will easily accommodate the larger pepper berries, which are far smaller than any coffee beans. It grinds exceedingly fine. While it is supposedly adjustable, I have never, ever, tried to change the fine setting. I love this one because it grinds a whole lot of pepper, really, really fast. Twenty-five quick grinds with the handle will give me approximately ½ teaspoon of very fine pepper in no time flat. My husband cannot tolerate coarse pepper. If it gets in his throat he completely loses his breath and coughs like he might die, gasping for air. His sister is the same. I use this fine grind for anything I am cooking, so neither of them have this difficulty.

The other grinder I love is the kind that Mario Batali favored in some of his old shows. It used to be "Vic Firth" brand but this was bought out (apparently), and now is called "Fletcher's Mill". It is widely advertised as a "Mario Batali Pepper Mill". It is the exact same mechanism, in many of the same shapes and sizes of mill body. I love red, so I got myself a pretty red one, in the same shape as the orange one Mario used on his TV shows. This particular one is so simple to adjust and works so well, both grinding a relatively good amount quickly, and grinding to whatever size grind I prefer for the moment, from very fine to very coarse. It will grind Tellicherry peppercorns with no problem. 

I am not affiliated with this product or any distributor in any way - I just love the mill and can vouch for its efficacy through over 10 years of usage.

I have other pepper mills I've accumulated over years, that do less of a good job, either because they grind poorly or just barely grind anything at all. They also will not grind Tellicherry peppercorns, which just get caught up in the mill, and preventing other peppercorns from getting through. I use those other mills for things like all white peppercorns (for occasions where they are needed), and in another one, a mix of green, white and pink (for light meats like chicken, pork or fish), and on like that. 

Caveat: Do not use pepper mills for salt!

There are lots of coarse salts available these days also, but beware! Do not use a pepper mill for salt, as the salt will badly corrode the metal grinding mechanism, and you've spent money for nothing. There are special salt grinders available with a plastic grinding mechanism, so corrosion is not a problem.

On to the Recipe

Fresh Curry Leaves - Murraya koenigii

With as much as I love pepper, the amount of pepper that goes into this dish is just wonderful. I am not sure I have ever seen a recipe using this much black pepper, and if you are leery, just reduce the amount to what might be better tolerated. I used no green hot chilies in the dish last evening, though I usually do (I had none in the fridge), so pepper was the only heat component, and it was lovely. Just the bare mildest sense of spice came through as heat on the tongue. The flavor though, is magnificent. The only particularly "Indian" ingredients, pointing to an Indian curry, are cumin, coriander and turmeric. The rest is just a really great combination of ingredients that make up a wonderful dish for dinner in short order. Last night I happened to have fresh curry leaves on hand, so I used about 12 leaves in the dish, which also made it taste great. If you live anywhere near an Indian market, look for them next time you try Indian. They give a vaguely citrus-like, savory flavor. Each stem holds about 11 to 21 leaflets. Use them fresh. Once dried, they lose most of their flavor. Frozen, however, though they do turn dark, they do retain all their marvelous flavor.

Pepper Curried Chicken

Pepper Curried Chicken

Serves 4

2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
2 teaspoons coarsely ground, good quality black pepper
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, or equivalent thigh meat
2 tablespoons coconut oil, or olive oil if preferred
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 or 2 Serrano chilies, minced, optional
10 to 12 fresh curry leaves, from one stem
1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 cups frozen peas
½ cup raw cashews, roasted in a dry pan

Mix together the first 5 ingredients and set aside. Cut the chicken into 1½-inch pieces and place in a bowl. Pour spices over and toss to combine. Set aside while preparing the rest of the dish.

In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil and saute the onions until they are a nice golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add in the ginger and garlic (and chilies and curry leaves, if using) and continue to saute for about 30 seconds, or until very fragrant. Add in the chicken and toss to coat. Saute on medium high until the chicken pieces are all beginning to turn brown. Add in the coconut milk and stir. Bring to boil, lower heat to medium low and allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Add in the frozen peas and continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.