Chicken Vindaloo - Slow Cooker
- March
- 3
This is a great recipe for spicy chicken dish. There are a bunch of steps but it's really not that bad. Once you've made it once it goes faster the next time. I like it because you can get it going in the morning and you have a finished dish for supper.
Vindaloo is a spicy dish. You can dial back the chili pepper if you can't take the heat but be aware that there are lots of strong spices in the recipe. I like it hot of course!
4 lbs fresh boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1" pieces
4 Tablespoons safflower oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions
6 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup shredded fresh ginger
20 cloves of fresh garlic
16 dried red chili peppers
1 Tablespoon haldi (turmeric) powder
1 Tablespoon bhania (coriander) powder
1 Tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons red chili powder
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 Tablespoon black mustard seed
Saute the onions in a large fry pan in two tablespoons of the oil until browned. Remove from heat and let them cool a bit. Put them in the food processor and puree into a runny paste. Put the onion paste in the slow cooker. No need to clean out the processor, okay if there are still some onions in there. Next, add the garlic, ginger, chilies, haldi, bhania, garam masala, chili powder and cinnamon to the food processor and process into a paste along with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add this paste to the slow cooker and mix it in with the onion paste.
Use a mortar and pestle or grinder to grind the other whole spices (peppercorns, mustard seed, salt) into a coarse powder. Add to the slow cooker. Add the vinegar in. Add the 1" chicken pieces to the slow cooker and mix so everything is coated. Cook for about 6 hours, chicken will be tender.
Gobi Palak Matar
- March
- 3
The challenge today was to cook some dishes that can be eaten while in the induction phase of the Atkins Diet. I know that spices are generally counted very low in carbohydrates so why not spice it up?
I picked out a few vegetables that are on the list for the induction phase including califlower (gobi), spinach (palak) and peas (matar). The spinach is very low in carbohydrate per serving (0.2), the cauliflower is also low (1.0) and the peas area lot higher (9.9). Anyway, I think the choices balance out for a nutritional dish that has a variety of tastes.
I decided that I like the flavor of ajwain with vegetables. It gives them a very savory flavor especially when combined with bhania (coriander). So I adapted another vegetables recipe that used these ingredients.
2 cups califlower cut into 1" pieces
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons safflower oil
4 dried red chili peppers
1 Tablespoon bhania (coriander) powder
1 teaspoon ajwain (carom) seeds
1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Heat the oil on medium heat in a large fry pan, not too hot. Add the ajwain seeds and let them cook for a few seconds, don't burn them, they are very tiny so keep the heat medium. Add the dried chilies and the haldi and stir for a few more seconds. Add in the peas, cover for a minute and let them defrost. Add the coriander and salt and stir in. Now add the califlower pieces and then put the spinach on top. You can add a tablespoon of water if needed to get some steam going. Cover and let it simmer for a few minutes and the spinach will reduce down as the vegetables begin to cook. Stir every few minutes and cook until vegetables are tender. Add the lemon juice and stir and it's ready to serve.
I calculated 51 grams of carbohydrate in this dish total.
Hari Podina Chutney
- March
- 1
This is a chutney made with cilantro and mint leaves. It has a bright green color. It's great with fried foods like pakoras and samosas. I made a big batch and put some portions in the freezer for later.
4 cups mint leaves (no stems)
4 cups cilantro leaves and small stems
10 thai chilies chopped.
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons minced ginger
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
1 Tablespoon safflower oil
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon asafetida
Place the cumin seeds in a fry pan or wok on medium high heat and dry roast them for a minute or so. As soon as they turn a darker color remove from heat. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the seeds into a powder. Add the other powdered ingredients to the mortar, salt, sugar and asafetida. Grind some more until thoroughly mixed and powdered.
In a food processor place the lemon juice, oil, ginger and chilies. Process on high until everything is liquified. Add the powdered spices/sugar and blend some more. Liquid will be very thin. Add cilantro and mint leaves a bunch at a time and process on high to reduce volume. Continue adding until all leaves are added. Process until chutney is smooth. A little water may be added if chutney is too thick.
You can freeze this chutney and simply defrost later when you need it. I put some into Ziploc bags and let them freeze. It will also keep in the fridge for several days.
Aloo Gobi with Methi
- February
- 28
This is a tasty dish as a side. It is a dry saute and is very flavorful.
2 heads cauliflower cut into bite size pieces
4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 medium onions
4 Tablespoons oil
1 large bunch fresh methi
1-1/2 Tablespoons grated garlic
1-1/2 Tablespoons garlic, chopped very small
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 thai chilies, chopped
Few sprigs of cilantro leaves for garnish
Pick the methi leaves and small stems and discard the large stems. Place the methi leaves in a collander and rinse well. Then soak the methi leaves in cold water with a the sugar while you get everything else ready.
To cook, heat a large skillet with oil until hot. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they crack (a few seconds). Add the chopped chilies. Then add the garlic and ginger and stir for a few seconds. Next, add the onions. Cook the mixture until onions are soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add the spice powders and stir them in.
Add the cauliflower and potatoes and mix everything together. I use a wide spatula so I can get underneath the veggies and turn them in the skillet without breaking them. You can add a little water to help get the cooking process started if needed. As the vegetables cook they will give off some water. Cover and reduce heat. Cook until vegetables are starting to soften. Drain the methi leaves and add them in. Continue to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning and mixing carefully every few minutes.
When veggies are tender it is ready to serve. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Tamarind Chutney
- February
- 27
This chutney takes a bit of work to make. It doesn't take any cooking to make it other than heating the water to get the pulp from the tamarind. Most of the work is in getting the tamarind pulp separated from the fiber.
You start with one package of tamarind which is 8.8 ounces. Open the package and break the tamarind brick up into pieces and put them into a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 cups of water and put it in the microwave for about 4 or 5 minutes. Then let it sit for a while and soften. Use a fork to mash the tamarind up. Work on it until it turns into a thick liquid.
Use a metal strainer and a spoon over another bowl to get the pulp. Keep working the solids back and forth and scraping the strainer with the spoon and get as much pulp as you can. If it gets difficult you can put everything back into the first bowl and add a bit more water. The pulp will go through the strainer easier if the liquid is thinner.
I couldn't find any roasted cumin seed powder at the Indian grocery so I just made it myself. I dry roasted the cumin seeds and then used my mortar and pestle to grind them into a powder. The roasting certainly brings out the flavor of the cumin.
Once you have the tamarind pulp the rest is easy. You just mix in the sugar slowly and then mix in the other ingredients. You can add more water as required to get the desired thickness. For a dip you can leave it thicker, for a sauce add more water to make it thinner.
The most interesting ingredient in this chutney is the black salt. It is a salt with certain impurities in it that contain sulfur. You will notice the strong sulfurous odor it has when you add it in.
Let the chutney sit for a while before you serve it. This recipe makes quite a bit of chutney, maybe a few pints. You can keep the stuff in the refrigerator or freeze it for later.
Here are the ingredients:
1/2 lb (actually 8.8 oz) tamarind, seeded
2 cups of water plus more if needed
2-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 Tablespoons roasted ground cumin seeds
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder