Chickpea Curry with Mango and Coconut

There are many, even in my own family, who do not care for chickpeas / garbanzo beans. For some it's texture related. For others, just plain dislike. I am not among those. I love chickpeas, whether in a salad, as hummus, as a dessert (Garbanzos en Dulce), in Indian mixtures like Channa Masala, or most ways I have encountered them. When a new recipe comes along, I sit up and take notice. 

Mango Coconut Chickpea Curry

Again this time it was from VeganRicha.com that I came across a recipe that comprised some of my favorite flavors, ticking so many boxes that I saved the recipe. Again, as with my previous post on some of her muffins, I change a few things to reflect my way of doing things. I completely understand where VeganRicha was coming from with her ingredients, because it makes the recipe more accessible to someone without a complete stock of Indian spices and other flavoring agents (unlike me). For her recipe of Mango Curry Chickpeas, please click on the link, which should take you right to that recipe page. 

One of the Brands I've Used

Richa uses ground cinnamon, cayenne and whole cloves. I used a small, 1-inch piece of stick cassia (the thick kind of stick), Kashmiri chili powder, and skipped the cloves, instead using crushed coriander seeds. I added in freshly ground pepper as well, and instead of a bay laurel leaf, which is what is known here in the US as bay leaf, I used a tej patta / tamal patra leaf, which is the Indian "bay leaf." These two have not much of anything in common, the tej patta tasting more of cinnamon than of bay laurel leaf. Toward the end of her recipe, she uses a couple of teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice to balance out the sweeter flavors. Instead I used tamarind concentrate from the Indian grocery nearby. It is an already prepared version, in runny form, just as if you'd taken the time to soak the tamarind pods, soften all the flesh, then strain it of all the seeds and fivers to make the preparation from scratch. A real time saver!

None of these changes are huge, just my own preferences. Please check out Richa's original recipe before proceeding with mine.

Another thing about the recipe is using mango puree. I never buy

 Mango Coconut Chickpea Curry

mangos in a can or mango puree or even mango juice. I prefer to eat fresh mangoes any day. Yet as Richa states, truly ripe mangoes are hard to come by, so making ones own puree may not yield the hoped-for flavor / sweetness results. However, my son and his wife were visiting over the weekend past and we all went to Patel Brothers Indian Grocery in Chandler, to stock up on some things. Not being Indian, I did not realize we were coming up to Diwali. The place was aswarm with people! But, what fun! I love saris, and had the opportunity to see so very many beautiful ones that day as many sari-clad ladies roamed the store. I complemented each one as I saw them! 

Back to the mango, my son loves mango, and he does buy mango juice, so he purchased a large-ish carton of "Alphonso Mango Juice." When he drank a glass of it, it looked awfully thick, but hey, I wasn't drinking it. It was also the most deep orange in color.  And, they accidentally left it in my fridge when they left to go home, too far away to come back for it.

It was far sweeter than was necessary for this recipe, but with everything else in the recipe, it was toned down a good bit, and I added a little more of the (very tart) tamarind extract at the end than is called for. It was the most heavenly tasting curry, ever!

Mango Coconut Chickpea Curry

Serves 3 to 4

Makes about 3 to 4 servings

Mango Coconut Chickpea Curry

1 medium onion, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
3 - 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
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2 teaspoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
1- inch cinnamon stick
1 small tej patta leaf

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½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

½ teaspoon Garam Masala
¼ - ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder

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1¼ cup coconut milk
¾ cup mango puree

¼ - ½ teaspoon salt, or as needed
1½ cup cooked chickpeas, or canned, drained
2 - 3 teaspoons tamarind concentrate, or use lime juice
- cilantro, for garnish

Prepare the onion, ginger and garlic and set aside. Heat a skillet until quite hot and add in the cumin and coriander seeds with the cinnamon and tej patta leaf and stir quickly, until fragrant; a few seconds. Do not burn. Add in the onion, mix well and sauté until golden, then add in the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 to 3 minutes to take away the raw smell. Stir in the Kashmiri chili powder (or cayenne, to taste), ground black pepper and garam masala, until fragrant.

Stir in the coconut milk, mango puree and tamarind, then add in the chickpeas and mix well. Taste for salt before adding; chickpeas from a can may be salty enough already. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors. Serve garnished with cilantro.

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
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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.

A Keralan Breakfast

If you are new to this blog of mine, I must mention that I am way, way into Indian cooking. I love the flavors, the spices, the smells while cooking. I have yet to visit India, but I study regions and foods continuously. And I am always trying something new. Indian food has been a passion of mine, growing exponentially over the past 20 years. I try to stay as authentic as possible to recipes, including searching out new and/or unknown spices to try.

For those who have read this blog, I apologize for repeating myself. I just cannot help myself when it comes to Indian food!

For the past couple of years, I have had a couple of recipes setting on the back burner, so to speak. Most definitely of interest, but somehow I just never got down to refining a recipe of my own. These recipes are from Kerala, a state that runs down the southwest coast of India (similar to Chile, in South America). Apparently coconut trees are ubiquitous to the area, and Kerala is sometimes called Land of the Coconuts. Rice is another food found everywhere and at most meals. Not surprising then, that coconut and rice together play a huge part in the cuisine of this state. 

Vegetable Ishtu

And so, we come to the point of this rambling monologue. The recipes I had been eyeing for a good couple of years were a Coconut Vegetable Stew, called Vegetable Ishtu (or Ishtoo), the locals' pronunciation of the British term of "stew." The stew looked so pretty with its white base and colorful vegetables. Plus, I just love coconut and coconut milk. The other recipe I was eying was one of the many, many possible accompaniments to this stew, called Appam, a bowl-shaped rice and coconut crepe. 

Vegetable Ishtu

Vegetable Ishtu

Serves 4 to 5 as an accompaniment

½ cup peeled, ¼-inch diced potato
½ cup peeled, ¼-inch diced carrots
½ cup frozen baby peas
½ cup cauliflower, in tiny florets, optional

GROUND MIXTURE:
1 tablespoon channa dal/desi channa dal
3 tablespoons raw cashews
1 tablespoon white poppy seed, optional
1 - 3 green chili peppers, seeds removed for less heat
1½-inch piece true cinnamon quill
2 whole green cardamom pods
2 whole cloves

TEMPERING:
1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil
20 curry leaves
1 onion, chopped finely
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced

1 can (14.5 ounce) coconut milk
½ -1 teaspoon salt, as needed

Heat a dry skillet over medium to medium high heat and toast the channa dal, stirring constantly, until deep golden. Set in a plate to cool. Toast the cashews briefly, stirring constantly, until they get some browned spots. Place into the plate to cool. Once cooled, put these and the remaining Ground Mixture ingredients into a blender container with ½-cup water and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a saucepan combine the cubed vegetables and just barely cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook the vegetables until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. While the vegetables cook, heat the skillet again and add in the coconut oil. Once hot, drop in the curry leaves to crackle a bit and add in the onion. Saute the onion until nice and soft, but not golden. Add in the ginger and stir, cooking just until fragrant. Add the reserved ground past mixture along with the vegetables with their water and the coconut milk. Add in the salt and taste for seasoning. Stir well and cover over very low simmer, to meld flavors.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Appam, huh?

Appam seems to be a generic term for a whole variety of possible iterations of the basic rice and coconut based bread-like accompaniments that run from thin and crepe-like to pancake thick and all sorts of variations. The terms are very confusing, because many places seem to term Appam and Palappam as the same thing. Then there is Vallayappam, which seems to be the same batter, except instead of thinning to crepe-consistency, this batter is left like pancake batter and made like pancakes, although without flipping them. There are also Idiyappam, where the batter is pressed through a device that results in strings that are bunched into an idli mold and steamed, as for idli. There are some variations that call for the addition of some vegetables and or onion. It seems, truly, that the variations are almost endless, when it comes to Appam.

Appam / Palappam

What all of this comes down to is the use of rice and coconut in a fermented batter. The batter is fermented, similarly to idli, whether by natural fermentation, the use of yeast or the use of a local fermented alcoholic beverage. In the making of idli, I have yet to have the batter actually ferment, so I end up using a bit of baking soda at the last minute. In the recipe I cobbled together for my Appam, I did use yeast, and the batter fermented beautifully, all bubbly and aromatic in the morning. My Appam (or Palappam) are a bowl-shaped crepe-like creation, and often are cooked until the underside is truly browned. I cooked mine to a bit less done: they were golden underneath, though nowhere approaching browned. They are delicate and soft and white and lacy. 

To make these, a rounded pan, like a small wok (called an appachatti), is used. The batter is poured into the center and quickly swirled, as for crepes, but with the batter going up the rounded edges, then pooling back down to the center. The center remains thicker and soft, while the outer edges become very lacy and a little crisp. As I do not own an appachatti, I used my smallest pan, an old All-Clad "non-stick" 8-inch pan. When I rotated the pan to allow the batter access to the sides, I had to be careful not to get the batter onto the inner rivets, as it would stick. So, my appams were a little lower on one side, but it made no difference at all.

The true recipe for Appam (of any variety) calls for the use of raw rice and fresh coconut. It can also call for additions of Poha rice (a flattened, dried, parboiled rice) or some previously cooked and cooled rice. Some recipes call for a cooked rice flour paste to be added also. As the batter should ferment, and I have no local Indian alcoholic beverage on hand (in the U.S. southwest), I used a yeast version and made a shortcut method that worked wonderfully well.

Appam / Palappam

Appam / Palappam

Makes about 20 (10-inch) Appam

2 cups plain white rice flour
1 can (14.5 ounce) unsweetened coconut milk
1½ cups water, plus more for adjusting
¼ cup pre-cooked, cooled white rice
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant yeast
¾ teaspoon salt

Eight hours before using the batter: Mix the coconut milk and water in a blender with the cooked rice, sugar and yeast, blend briefly, then add in the rice flour and starting slowly, blend the mixture to a fine batter. If it is too thick, add in water, ½ cup at a time, until just shy of crepe batter consistency. Pour into a large mixing bowl and cover with plastic film. Allow this to stand on the counter 8 hours, or overnight.

After 8 hours, the batter should be bubbly and yeasty smelling. Stir and add in the salt. If the mixture is still too thick (which is easy to determine once you make one or two), add more water, a little at a time.
Preheat a small, round-sided pan. I used an 8-inch (bottom diameter) skillet. Whatever pan is used, it should have rounded, flared sides. Once very hot, brush with a film of ghee or coconut whatever is needed to be able to very quickly roll the pan so the batter goes up the sides of the pan. Once done swirling, the remaining batter should pool in the center of the pan, while the edges become very lacy. It takes a few minutes at medium heat or higher until the edges begin to loosen. Once the appam is browned on the bottom, remove to a plate. Amount of browning is totally subjective.

Serve these appam with the Vegetable Ishtu recipe above, or (less authentically) with Sambar. It is also great with any chutney, or any meat or fish stew leftover from dinner. 



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.

Sweet Potatoes and Cornmeal

I know that these two ingredients sound like there should be a savory outcome, though that wasn't my idea. And, for once, it appeared to be a pretty novel idea. 

Most of the time, when I sit thinking about what I would like to try, despite how unusual the combinations may seem in my mind, I will find on hunting online that it is not a new idea at all, but one that hundreds of people have already done before. This just says to me that the combination is a sound one, and reinforces my belief that there is really nothing new at all. 

Sweet Potato Cornmeal Cake

Tweaking an existing recipe can result in something totally new. Sometimes new is better, but sometimes not. That is what experimentation is all about. It is rare for me to make a recipe just "as is." I can't help myself. The reason is often simply just that maybe an ingredient doesn't appeal and I take flavors into a different direction. In this particular case, there was only one recipe I could find for a cake made with sweet potato and cornmeal. It seemed unusually long and complex, with too many tiny amounts of things I don't keep on hand, like a tablespoon each of apple juice and orange juice. 

One tablespoon. 

Each. 

Really? 

Anyway, when I first gave thought to sweet potato and cornmeal together in a cake, I knew:

1. I wanted it to be a tube cake
2. I wanted about half and half cornmeal and all-purpose flour
3. It would be a heavy cake, sort of pound cake style
4. I thought of using a glaze instead of other icing

When looking at ingredients in some other cakes of this type, a lot of oil is used. I know whether it is butter or oil, it is fat. I first went with the idea of using olive oil, but then switched to coconut oil when I thought of using coconut milk for the liquid and orange extract for the flavoring. I felt that orange and coconut would be a nice combo. I did lower the amount of oil and used applesauce for part of it, to conserve a few calories (but who am I kidding?). I thought of whether to use 3 or 4 eggs, finally going with four, since it is a heavy cake. How much sweet potato? I had two of them, and weighed them before peeling. They came to just barely over one pound. I peeled them and cooked them in salted water, drained them and put them through a ricer (though mashed would have been fine), and measured out 1½ cups. There was just a little left, which I ate for lunch.😀 

Sweet Potato Cornmeal Cake

Something else that occurred to me, going with a somewhat tropical theme (coconut oil, coconut milk and orange extract) was using fresh ginger. I've never used fresh ginger in a sweet application, though I use it all the time in savory. Why is that? So I got out my ginger root. 

The idea of a glaze - didn't quite go as well as I had wanted, because I thought the glaze would penetrate the cake more than it did. In the pan, hot from the oven, while some glaze did penetrate, it left the top of the cake so sticky that once it came out of the pan and onto the plate slightly off center - there was no budging it! It was there to stay. Since I had glaze left, I drizzled it over the partially cooled cake, and it looked far prettier.

All in all, the ingredients came together easily, the cake baked perfectly, came out of the pan just right. But then, I had some sort of stomach flu all day yesterday, so I could not even think of tasting it. 😨 My husband was happy though, and that is always good! Today I gave it a taste, and I am happy as well. It has a very pronounced flavor of cornmeal. I love cornmeal, and that is why I wanted to use it half and half with the flour. If you cannot think about "cornmeal" and "sweet," in the same sentence, then this cake would not be for you. For myself, I am very pleased with it.

Sweet Potato Cornmeal Cake

Makes one 10-inch tube cake

Sweet Potato Cornmeal Cake

¾ - 1 pound sweet potatoes
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup coconut oil or vegetable oil
½ cup applesauce (or another half cup of coconut oil)
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons orange extract
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
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1½ cups yellow cornmeal
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

GLAZE:
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cane or corn syrup
⅓ cup buttermilk
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1½-inch chunks. Place the sweet potato chunks in a small pan and just barely cover with water. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook until easily pierced with a knife. Drain the sweet potatoes, then mash or rice. Measure out 1½ cups of the puree and place into a mixing bowl. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With cooking spray, grease a 10-inch tube pan, then sprinkle with flour to coat well. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together well and set aside.

To the sweet potatoes, add in the sugar, coconut oil, applesauce, coconut milk, ginger and extracts and stir well to blend. Add in the eggs, one at a time, stirring to completely incorporate before adding the next.

Stir in the dry ingredients a third at a time, allowing all the flour to be mixed in before adding in the next third. Once all the ingredients are mixed, pour the batter into the prepared tube pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for approximately 55 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack or a plate and drizzle with the glaze. 

GLAZE:  Before the cake is done baking, make the glaze. Stir together the granulated sugar with the cane (or corn) syrup and buttermilk to combine. Bring the mixture to boil, then lower the heat and add the ¼ teaspoon baking soda. Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 5 or 6 minutes. Let cool slightly before using to glaze the cake.



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.

Replicating an Amazing Soup Recipe

Okay, at the risk of becoming a travel bore, this blog is dedicated to one of the foods I ate in the greater Seattle area on the last day of my trip out there. My son's new lady is half Hawai'ian by birth and she took us to a Hawai'ian restaurant on that last evening for dinner. The restaurant was located in Everett, WA.
 
Looking through the menu, I was interested in quite a few things, but finally settled on something that was called "Island Style 'Pho' - Huli Huli Chicken, Basil Leaves, Fresh Cilantro & Lemongrass Coconut Broth." As I read this description and pronounced "Pho" as it looks, with a long "O" sound, I was corrected. It is pronounced "Fa." However it is pronounced, it was amazingly good. And I wanted to have it again. Having never been terribly interested in Thai, or Vietnamese foods, I was unfamiliar with "Pho," and when I came home and looked up Pho, it turns out that everywhere I looked, it was a clear broth soup, with bits of meat, and or noodles and some herbs. Nothing at all like the creamy soup I was served, shown here below.

Island Style Pho at Kama'aina Grindz

These photos above are of the soup as it was served, and then after stirring it around and eating some of it. There were a lot of noodles in it, and they looked very like spaghetti. I have no idea if the noodles were made with wheat or rice, though the texture could easily have been wheat. The broth was slightly creamy in viscosity. Not thick, but certainly thicker than broth alone. The chicken was absolutely delicious. I have never eaten anything Hawai'ian before, so all of this was new, to me. And when I prefaced my online search with "coconut milk" I came up with things like Tom Kha Gai, or Thai Coconut Chicken Soup.

Replicating the Soup

Coconut Chicken Soup with Huli Huli Chicken

The first step I took was looking at what was stated on the menu (I took a photo of the menu, so I could remember). Obviously, the soup part consisted of chicken broth, coconut milk, lemongrass. I assumed that onion, garlic and ginger might also be a part of this. There was an elusive flavor that stuck in my memory, but I could not put a finger on it.

The next step I took was looking up recipes for Pho. Needless to say, all the recipes I found, whether I prefaced the search with "Hawai'ian" or not, was a Thai style clear broth soup, sometimes with noodles and/or meat and some kind of herbs. But always a clear soup. Still, reading through the recipes, I found that many, if not all of these recipes called for fish sauce. I happen to have some fish sauce, since some while back I tried to recreate Pad Thai, which also called for fish sauce. 

In trying to think of how to make the broth into the consistency of the one I ate at Kama'aina Grindz, I felt that maybe I would cook the chicken broth with the onion, garlic, ginger and lemongrass (cheating with "Gourmet Gardens Lemongrass in a tube, since no lemongrass is available up in these parts). After the onion and other bits were cooked through and very soft, I chose to put the whole batch into the blender and puree smooth. While one onion didn't make the soup thick, at least it had a little bit more "body." Then I would add in the remaining ingredients to make the flavors right.

But First, Huli Huli Chicken

I had no idea what Huli Huli Chicken was, either. In this matter, I relied on recipes I found online to select what I would use and how much. Most of the recipes are extremely similar, with only the amounts having slight variances. This is what I did, and oh my, is this chicken ever fantastic. Whether it gets sliced into a soup or eaten as a main meal, it is exceptionally flavored. Give the chicken 1 to 2 days of marinating time, turning every so often for even flavoring.

Huli Huli Chicken

Huli Huli Chicken

Makes 1 whole chicken

1 whole chicken 
6 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons Mirin, or rice vinegar
⅓ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely minced
4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

Cut up the chicken into leg/thigh pieces, and cut each breast into two pieces, along with the two wings. Leave the back and any other bits to make the chicken broth needed for the soup. Place the chicken pieces into a large zip-top bag. Combine the remaining ingredients together, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Measure out and refrigerate about ½ to ¾ cup of the marinade for basting, later. Pour the remainder of the marinade over the chicken pieces, seal the bag and move the chicken around to evenly coat. Set the bag into a container and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days, turning every 6 or so hours to redistribute the chicken in the marinade.

When ready to cook the chicken, either light a grill or oven. I chose to grill the meat. I started it, skin side down, with the legs over the hotter part of the grill and the breast and wing pieces in less hot areas. Cook this way for about 15 minutes, rearrange the pieces, cook for another 15 minutes, lowering heat if needed to prevent burning. Turn the chicken over and grill for another 15 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade over the last 15 minutes of grilling time. At this point, check for internal temperature, which should be 165 degrees. If not, continue to grill for up to another 15 minutes, until internal temperature is reached. 

If baking in the oven, it is preferable to use a broiler pan, so the chicken does not cook in its juices. Preheat broiler and set a rack so that the chicken, skin side up on the broiler rack, is about 6 inches from the heat source. Broil the chicken for 30 to 45 minutes, with the oven door ajar, checking for internal temperature of 165 degrees after 30 minutes. If more time is needed, watch closely over the next 15 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade, over the last few minutes of cooking time.

Coconut Chicken Broth

On to the Soup

When cutting the chicken into pieces, reserve aside the back and any other bits and parts (neck, gizzards, etc). Place these into a pot and cover with about 5 cups of water. Add in a whole onion, skin on, a carrot, scrubbed, not peeled, and 1 to 2 celery stalks. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover and let simmer as low as possible for 4 to 6 hours. Do not add any salt to the stock at this time. As the stock cooks, if it reduces, it would become too salty. As soy sauce will be used in the soup, salt may not be needed at all. 

Once all the goodness has been extracted from the bones, strain the stock, discarding all solids. Refrigerate the stock until needed, or, freeze, if it will not be used within three days.

Coconut Chicken Soup with Huli Huli Chicken

Makes about 4 servings

Coconut Chicken Soup with Huli Huli Chicken

4 cups unsalted chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons lemongrass paste (Gourmet Gardens)
3 to 4 fresh cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ tablespoons lime juice
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk, or preferable, coconut cream (unsweetened)

FOR SERVING:
6 to 8 ounces brown rice spaghetti pasta
Huli Huli chicken, skin and bones discarded, sliced
3 to 4 sprigs fresh cilantro, per bowl
4 to 6 fresh basil leaves, per bowl

In a pot, cook together the first 7 ingredients until the onion is very tender, about an hour. Puree the soup, so all the onion and other bits are completely smooth. Add in the lime juice and coconut milk or cream and heat through.

In a separate pot, cook the rice pasta according to package directions, drain and portion into bowls. Set a portion of the sliced Huli Huli Chicken into each of the bowls. Ladle the Coconut Chicken Broth over top. Garnish with fresh cilantro and basil leaves and serve.


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.

Making Fish Palatable to a Non Fish Eater

My husband has never liked fish. 

He has managed to eat things like "fish and chips," where there is more greasy breading than actual fish, and he is more apt to leave chunks of fish on the plate and eat every last morsel of the greasy, fried breading. Getting him to eat plain fish on a plate has always been near-hopeless. It must be disguised in some way, so the flavor is not prominent.
 

Fish in Coconut Tamarind Sauce with Vegetables

And on to the next difficulty...

My husband has never liked cauliflower. 

Nor broccoli, nor cabbage except under very particular circumstances. He doesn't like radishes, or mesclun greens or parsnips or even carrots all that much... and the list is long. He has eaten some of these. The circumstance is generally very particular. Raw cabbage is totally out. He hates sauerkraut, and even more hates the home-fermented sauerkraut I have made.

But back to cauliflower. Some time ago, I was on a diet and tried making cauliflower "mashed potatoes." Real mashed potatoes, or potatoes served almost any way at all, EXCEPT if they have skin, are on the absolute "yes" list. He tolerated the pureed cauliflower but didn't necessarily go so far as to say he liked it. 

Fish in Coconut Tamarind Sauce with Vegetables

He has been having some pretty severe health issues over the last half year, and now it is becoming imperative that his diet expand into more healthy realms. And I have, so far, managed to get him to eat salmon and cod. Again, he does not say he "likes" the meal, but that it is "okay." 

Yesterday, I wanted to make some beautiful haddock fillets for lunch and was wondering how I could sneak in some cauliflower. I figured the only possibly way would be to shred the cauliflower and make it part of the scenery, so to speak. I found a recipe for fish in "My Indian Cookbook," by Amandip Uppal. It called for a marinade using tamarind and coconut milk. I love both of these, and while my husband loves the flavor of coconut milk (but won't eat coconut!), he doesn't really know much about tamarind, outside of the fact that it does go into many Indian dishes I have made. As for flavor, he is unaware.

I looked through the cookbook to see what might be done with cauliflower, and in general, it seemed that I could possibly get by if I added grated cauliflower (of late, it is often called "cauliflower rice") and other veggies to the recipe for the fish, since it would have a fair amount of liquidy sauce to it. And since runny sauces are another thing my husband dislikes, I thought if it was thickened up with vegetables, it might - just - work. It did, and with flying colors. The recipe is so extremely flavorful, I could have easily eaten the whole pan full myself, but I was good and shared 😇 - and he did actually say the words: "I really like this!"

I did follow the recipe from "My Indian Cookbook" fairly closely, up to the point where I added all the vegetables. In all, I added 1 cup of grated cauliflower, ½ cup of red bell pepper, ½ cup of tomatoes and ½ cup of frozen peas. This is in addition to the whole onion called for in the recipe. We had over 4 cups worth of vegetables altogether that were split between us for lunch. Granted, coconut milk is high calorie, but all the remaining ingredients were not. So it all balances out. And it tastes so very, very good.

Tamarind

Tamarind Pods

Tamarind is a souring agent in many Southeast Asian and Indian foods and it also is used extensively in Caribbean cooking. I learned to use it to make a refreshing tamarind beverage while living in Guatemala. It is every bit as refreshing as a good homemade lemonade on a hot day. Tamarind pods grow on trees. The pods have a brittle shell and very dense, sticky, sour "fruit" inside that encloses black, shiny seeds. Using tamarind pods is simple enough: remove as much of the brittle shell as possible, along with loose fibers (seen in the photo at right), and soak the sticky insides in water for about a half hour or more. To make a sauce, simply squeeze and rub the softened fruit in the water, remove as many seeds as possible, then press through a larger holed strainer. It can be a very thick sauce or a very thin and runny sauce. For this recipe, a slightly thicker sauce is best.

I used 4 tamarind pods for the recipe, and my sauce was a little thinner than I wanted, but it can always be cooked down in the recipe.

Our local Walmart store is now carrying whole tamarind pods, and we are not in a large city at all. Granted, there are quite a few orientals up here. Tamarind pods are also found on Amazon. If you prefer, tamarind is often sold in a compressed "cake." The brittle shells are removed and the sticky insides are pressed together into a block and sold. Some packages say they are seedless, but do not take that for granted! To use this kind of compressed cake, simply cut off a chunk and soak it in water as for the fresh pods and proceed the same way.

Other Ingredients

Some other ingredients that some may not have in their pantries are things like brown mustard seeds or dried coconut milk powder. Again, Amazon to the rescue. Some groceries carry brown mustard seeds. If not, white mustard seeds can be substituted. Cumin seeds and coriander seeds are generally available in groceries, as well as cans of unsweetened coconut milk. My preferred brand is Thai Kitchen. 

Curry leaves are also used in this recipe, and while they give a slightly citrus-like flavor and aroma, there is no real substitute. These are also available on Amazon. I ordered fresh curry leaves (Ajika brand) and they arrived beautifully fresh and green. I promptly placed the bag into a zip-top freezer bag and placed them in the freezer. They turn black in the freezer, but regain some green color if left out to thaw. Remove one stem or a few leaves as called for in a recipe and return the remainder to the freezer.

The fish I used was haddock, but cod is also excellent for this recipe (and for my finicky husband's palate). It is very white and very mild and flakes beautifully when cooked.

Fish in Coconut Tamarind Sauce with Vegetables

Serves 2

Fish in Coconut Tamarind Sauce with Vegetables

2 white fish fillets such as haddock, halibut or cod

MARINADE:
4 tablespoons tamarind sauce (see above)
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon coriander seed, ground
¾ teaspoon garam masala
- pinch of salt
1½ tablespoons coconut milk powder
- pinch cayenne
---------------------------------
2 - 3 tablespoons cooking oil
¾ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
5 curry leaves, torn in small pieces
1 green chili pepper, slit down one side
1 onion, chopped finely
1 cup finely grated cauliflower
1 clove garlic, minced
½-inch fresh ginger, minced
½ cup red bell pepper, chopped in small pieces
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- pinch black pepper
- salt, to taste
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
½ cup frozen peas

Combine the marinade ingredients in a container that will hold the fish. Add the fish to the marinade and ensure all sides of the fish are covered with marinade. Set aside for about 30 minutes, while preparing the rest of the dish.

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the whole green chili pepper. Toss in the oil until all the mustard seeds pop. Add in the onion and cauliflower and cook, stirring, until the onion and cauliflower develop some brown spots. Add in the garlic and ginger and cook until the raw smell disappears. Add in the bell pepper and tomatoes and cook until mostly dry. Remove the fish fillets from the marinade and set aside.

fry onion & cauliflower; add pepper and tomatoes;  cook; set fish aside

Pour the marinade into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add in the cumin seeds, black pepper and salt and stir. Let this mixture simmer to break down all the vegetables, about 10 minutes, then stir in the second ½ cup coconut milk. Now, add the fish to the pan and nestle it in the sauce. Continue cooking until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Timing will depend on the thickness of your fillets.

add marinade to skillet; cook about 10 minutes;  add fish to pan;  cover the fish with the sauce

Once the fish is cooked, add in the peas and allow to cook until the peas are heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve with rice, if desired (I used red rice), or serve in a bowl as for stew.

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.