An Indian (British) Dinner

On occasion I do actually post things that aren’t baked (or desserts). This week for dinner I decided to take a crack at making myself some Indian food. But, I made Chicken Tikka Masala, which an Indian friend told me really is British food. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed making it, and eating it. Alongside I made some curried cauliflower, and I had palak paneer and naan from Trader Joes. All in all a full quasi-Indian feast.

For the chicken I used a marinade from Mike’s Table. I thought it was excellent, even by itself it made for a very moist, flavorful chicken thigh. After that I made a sauce based on that from All Recipes, I made a fair number of changes to it though. Finally, I made this curried cauliflower from epicurious, which I thought was only so-so. The flavors weren’t as strong as I was expecting, and some of it burnt, if I were to do it again I might cook it at a slightly lower temperature.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Makes 4 servings

For Marinade:

1 ½ - 2 lbs chicken thighs, skinned, deboned, with excess fat removed

2 T ginger paste

2 T garlic paste

½ tsp salt

¼ cup plain yogurt

½ T chili powder (more if you want it spicier)

1 ½ T vegetable oil

For Sauce:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno chili, seeded, deveined, and finely chopped

3-4 green cardamom pods

1 t whole coriander seeds

1 T butter

2 ½ tsp ground cumin

2 tsp hot paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

½ cup plain yogurt

Salt to taste

1. Place the chicken, ginger, garlic, and salt in a bowl. Rub the chicken with the mix, trying to get even coverage.

2. In a separate bowl whisk together the yogurt, chili powder, and 1 T of the oil.

3. Toss the chicken with the yogurt mixture. Mix in the rest of the oil.

4. Seal the chicken and marinade in an airtight container, refrigerate for at least an hour, or over night.

5. Spread the chicken with the marinade in a roasting pan, and place under a broiler at 450. Broil for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through but moist.

6. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cardamom pods, and coriander seeds. Saute for a minute.

7. Add the cumin, paprika, some salt, the tomatoes, and the yogurt.

8. Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree the sauce, if you don’t have one you can pour the sauce into a regular blender, just be careful, because it’s hot. You might remove the cardamom pods before this, but I didn’t, and they stayed pretty much intact.

9. Cook the sauce until heated through. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. Add the chopped chicken to the sauce and cook for five minutes.

10. Serve immediately over basmati rice

Curried Cauliflower

12 cups cauliflower florets (from about 4 pounds cauliflower)

1 large onion, peeled, quartered

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 tablespoon Hungarian hot paprika

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place cauliflower florets in large roasting pan. Pull apart onion quarters into separate layers; add to cauliflower.

2. Stir coriander seeds and cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat until slightly darkened, about 5 minutes. Crush coarsely in mortar with pestle. Place seeds in medium bowl. Whisk in oil, vinegar, curry powder, paprika, and salt.

3. Pour dressing over vegetables; toss to coat. Spread vegetables in single layer. Sprinkle with pepper.

4. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.

Halloween

So, it’s only two weeks, past Halloween, so just in time for me to post what I made for my Halloween party. Unfortunately I didn’t really get many pictures of what I made, so instead I’m just going to post links to what I made (it all came from other blogs), along with some brief reviews, although in truth it was all good.

Main: Chicken and Chorizo Sliders

These were great. The chorizo and jalapeno added some nice spice, and the chicken was tasty and moist. I cooked these up on my George Foreman, and I didn’t think they took a full 7 minutes a side. I also made the avocado mayo along side, which went nicely. My only problem was that I couldn’t find slider buns, so I had to use regular hamburger buns, with the result that these were a little bready. Of course, I made a double recipe of these, and by the end of the evening they were all eaten, so no one seemed to complain.

Dessert: Cinnabon Caramel Corn

This stuff was a little like popcorn crack. I made one batch with light brown sugar, and regular corn syrup, and another with dark brown sugar and dark corn syrup (this has much more to do with my having run out of the light stuff after the first batch, and not too much with creativity). The molasses flavor was very nice though, and complemented the other flavors nicely. My only other comment was that this took longer to bake than I was expecting, and letting it bake fully is important. The popcorn gets soggy from the addition of caramel, and the baking really is needed to dry it out. That said, this is super easy to make, and totally worth it.

Other Dessert: Chocolate cupcakes

For these I used one of my own recipes, so I’ve recopied it below. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what exactly was in the buttercreams, because I just threw it together. I made it with a pound of butter, probably about the same amount of powdered sugar, and some vanilla. I then divided it into thirds, left some as vanilla (which I added red food coloring to, so I could make brains), added melted chocolate and cocoa powder to another third (to make the monsters), and added orange extract and orange food coloring to the third, to make, well, orange ones. These were great cupcakes, and people really enjoyed the decorations.

makes about 60 mini cupcakes

1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 + 2 Tbs cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s special dark)
½ cup + 1 Tbs warm water
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
3/8 cup well shaken buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in cocoa powder until mixture is smooth. Add the water and mix until smooth.

2. Remove from heat. One at a time, mix in sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Sift it over the liquids and mix to combine.

4. Use a tablespoon measure to fill the mini-muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

5. Make sure to find a way to keep separate the mint and orange cupcakes, so you don’t swap their frostings.

Mini-Empanadas

I finally got my digital camera back, which means I can post again. Of course that might create the illusion that I’ve been cooking all week, which isn’t the case. This semester has been busier than the last, and I haven’t had that much time to cook. My roommate did have a Superbowl party though, so of course I had to make something. I decided to make a few kinds of appetizer sized empanadas. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera while making them, so I couldn’t get any process pictures, but Laylita’s Recipes, from whom I got the recipe for the dough, has some great instructions. I decided to go with 4 kinds of filling, 3 savory and 1 sweet. With the assistance of my friend Jessica, who was instrumental in rolling out the dough and stuffing the empanadas, we made spinach and goat cheese, tomato, basil and mozzarella, chicken and vegetables, and rocky road. To top the first three I also made salsa verde. I thought the savory ones were good, but the rocky road was a little weak, they probably would have been better warm.

Basic Empanada Dough

Makes 25-30 small empanadas

3 cups all purpose flour 

¼ teaspoon salt 

6 oz unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cold and cut into 

12 pieces 

1 egg 

4-5 tbs water

1. Place flour and salt in a food processer. Mix to blend. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until a clumpy dough forms

2. Push the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

3. When you’re ready to use them, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut out circles that are 4 -5 inches in diameter

 

Spinach and Goat Cheese filling

Makes ~20 empanadas

5 oz. goat cheese 

10 oz. spinach (fresh and wilted or frozen and thawed) 

2 tsp garlic powder 

½ tsp fresh ground nutmeg                                                       

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl

 

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella filling

Makes ~35 small empanadas

2 cups freshly shredded, part skim mozzarella 

2 10.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with basil and oregano, drained 

1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped 

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl

 

Chicken and Vegetable filling

Makes ~ 25 small empanadas

1 grilled chicken breast, cut into small pieces 

½ green pepper, diced 

½ medium onion, very finely diced 

½ cup frozen corn 

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined, and very finely diced 

2 cloves garlic, very finely diced 

1 tsp chili pepper 

½ tsp chipotle pepper powder 

½ tsp cumin

1. Mix all ingredients but the chicken in a frying pan set over medium-high heat. Spray with a little cooking oil and stir fry for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken and cook just until heated through. Remove from heat.

 

Rocky Road Filling

2 cups mini-marshmellows 

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips 

6 oz. chopped pecans.

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl

 

Assembly

Dough disks 

Filling 

1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water

1. Lay out the disks of dough, and place between 2 tsp and 1 T filling onto each disk.

2. Fold the disks over on themselves and press together the edges. You might want to use the tines of a fork to press into the dough

3. Brush each empanada with the egg wash (for sweet empanadas sprinkle sugar over the top).

4. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the dough is browned.

 

Chicken, Goat cheese and Spinach Quesadillas with Salsa Verde

I made this because I was in the mood for a quick dinner. I also have a very special place in my heart for goat cheese, and so this recipe uses a lot of it. The result was very tasty, and very filling. Be careful when pulling apart the poached chicken, as it might still be hot in the middle (I burnt my fingers). This would also be good with sour cream, but I forgot to buy it while I was at the store.

Quesadillas

Makes 2 quesadillas

2 Tortillas (burrito sized)
5 oz Goat Cheese
3 tablespoons pesto
1 chicken breast
2 cups chicken broth
¼ cup finely chopped Vidalia onions
1 Tbs chopped garlic
Cooking spray

1. Put the chicken breast in a pot with the onions and garlic, cover with the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through. Pour the mixture out into a colander, and set aside to cool.

2. Quickly wilt the spinach in a pan over medium heat.

3. Spray one side of each tortilla with cooking spray. Place that side down. Divide the pesto in half, put half on each tortilla and spread it around evenly around the tortilla. Crumble half of the goat cheese onto each tortilla.

4. Shred the chicken into a bowl, add the onions and garlic from the colander. Mix in the spinach. Divide the chicken mixture among the two tortillas, putting the mixture on half of each tortilla. Fold the tortillas in half.

5. Place the tortillas on a baking sheet. Put them under the broiler. Bake until the side of the tortilla that is up is golden and crispy. About 90 seconds. Flip the tortillas and crisp the other side. Cut up and serve.

Salsa Verde

Makes ~1 ½ cups

½ pound tomatillos, husked and washed
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 green onions
¼ cup white onion
1 Serrano chili pepper, stem and seeds removed*
2 cloves garlic, skinned
1 Tbs olive oil (I used roasted garlic oil)
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
Lime juice to taste

1. Mix all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until slightly chunky.

*you might want to wear gloves when you cut up the pepper. I didn’t and my hands burned for the next several hours. Ouch!

Pad Thai

Pad Thai has always been one of my favorite selections at Thai restaurants. I based the recipe I used on one I got from about.com. I also got a lot of guidance from the Pad Thai entry at Chez Pim. I was happy with the result, and all the people I served it to also seemed to enjoy it.

Most Pad Thai recipes call for Wok, and if you have one you should use it for this. If you don’t that doesn’t mean you can’t make it though. I don’t have a wok, so I just used my big soup pot in its place. I wouldn’t recommend using a regular pan though, the speed with which you’ll need to be moving things in the pan will probably cause you to fling about half your meal onto the stove.

When making this I also followed the advice of Chez Pim and made it one serving at a time rather than trying to make all of it at once. I think this worked out well, it just takes a little prep in advance. Also, while this seems silly, read all the instructions in advance, not as you go. It’s a lot easier if you know what to expect

Pad Thai

Serves 2

8 oz. Rice Stick noodles, medium thickness
1 ½ cups cut up chicken
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 tsp corn starch
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
4 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbs minced and pounded lemon grass
4 Green onions, green and white parts, cut up into pieces 2-3 inches long
Peanut oil for stir frying

For Sauce:

3 Tbs tamarind concentrate mixed with ¼ cup hot water
2 Tbs fish sauce
1-3 tsp chili sauce, depending on how you like it
3 Tbs brown sugar

Garnish

Coarsly chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts
Cilantro
Lime wedges

1. Mix the corn starch and the soy sauce, and place it in a bowl with the chicken to marinate. Set aside.

2. Put the noodles in a pot of warm water and let sit. You want the noodles to come to a consistency where they are chewy, but still pretty toothsome. The majority of the cooking of the noodles will be in the stir frying, if you over soak them now they will fall apart when you stir fry. This should take 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Make the sauce by whisking together the diluted tamarind paste, fish sauce, chili sauce, and sugar. I thought that when I tasted the sauce by itself, it was rather disgusting, but when mixed with the rest of the dish it tasted really good.

4. Prep is key when making the Pad thai, especially if you’re making multiple servings. I put each ingredient in a little ramekin or bowl next to where I was cooking, so I would be able to grab things quickly as it was time to add them to the pot. For the chicken I used a big spoon, so that I wouldn’t have to get raw chicken on my hands and then reach into the other ingredients. For the cooking, I’m going to describe how to make one serving at a time

5. Heat the oil in the wok / pot over high heat. When it gets hot, add half the chicken, and stir fry. After 30 seconds or so add a small amount of the sauce. When the chicken is just starting to look cooked on the outside, add some garlic. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through 5-8 minutes.

6. Once the chicken is cooked through, add about 2 cups of noodles to the pot, along with 1 cup of bean sprouts (I just did all of this in estimated handfuls) and half the lemon grass. Add about between 1/4 and 1/3 a cup of sauce to the mix. To stir fry the noodles you want to use a sort of lift and turn method. A lot of recipes suggest using two spatulas for this, but I found one worked just fine. The reason for this is because you don’t want to break up the noodles.

7. Stir fry the noodles until they are sticky and translucent, then quickly remove from heat and add some green onions. Dump the Pad Thai out onto a plate, and garnish with some crushed nuts, cilantro, and a wedge of lime.

8. Add more oil to your pot/wok and start again on the next serving.

Sunday Night Chicken Korma

I went to the store today not sure what I was going to make for dinner, but not wanting to have to buy a lot of ingredients. I bought a package of chicken thighs, and two small cups of yogurt. Beyond that I just wanted to rely on whatever I had in my house. I decided to try to make chicken korma, one of my all time favorite Indian dishes. It’s a mild curry, flavored with nuts. I thought the result was ok, but could use a little modification. The recipe would have been better if I had used fresh instead of powdered ginger, had cashews, onions, coriander, or a little extra garlic. Anyway, here’s the recipe as I made it. It’s not a bad start on a Chicken Korma recipe. I served it over rice.

Chicken Korma

4 cloves garlic
3 cloves roasted garlic
1 cup yogurt
½ Tbs powdered ginger
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp chili powder
3 chicken thighs, cut into small chunks

1/3 cup skinned almonds
¼ cup cream

2 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp bay leaves
Salt & pepper to taste
¼ tsp garam marsala
Pinch cinnamon
¼ tsp corn starch

1. Lightly crush the raw garlic. Put it in a food processor with the yogurt, roasted garlic, ginger, turmeric, and chili powder. Mix them all thoroughly. Put them into a non-metal bowl with the cut up chicken, cover in plastic wrap, and marinate the chicken for a few hours.

2. Put the almonds and ¼ cup of cream in a blender and mix on high power. Ideally you want a smooth cream, but mine still had some chunks of almond in it. Put the mixture aside

3. Put the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. If you’re adding any onions or extra garlic, sauté them in the oil. Add the spices to the oil and fry them for about a minute. Add the marinade and the chicken to the pan. Turn down the heat to medium, and stir thoroughly. Let the mixture simmer for 20-25 minutes. Make sure the chicken is cooked fully, and that the sauce has come to a simmer (it was marinating raw chicken after all).

4. If you feel the sauce needs thickening, add the corn starch.

5. Serve over rice.