I hope you are having a fabulous Spring. The blooming trees, sunshine, and happy vibes have been everywhere. I love it! The only downside is the outrageous pollen count - it's the curse of the South. My husband's and my allergies have been going crazy. Claritin and Niquil are our good friends for this week ;) They can really work magic.
Today I have two recipes for you. Both of them are delicious Indian curry dishes. We adore Indian food, especially when it is authentic and very spicy. We are fortunate to live close to several great Indian restaurants. Our favorites are Zyka, Chai Pani, and Bhojanic.
Zyka is one of the most recommended Indian places in Atlanta, and it is literally two minutes away from our apartment complex. You order menu items a la carte at the counter and then sit down in the banquet room. We usually get about three meats (the butter chicken and aachar gosht are amazing), some naan, and the saffron rice. Then we finish it off with matka kulfi, which is an Indian ice cream flavored with cardamom. This place is extremely authentic and the food always tastes great, which makes up for a somewhat lacking atmosphere.
Chai Pani is known for its Indian "street food," which includes items such as sloppy jai (sloppy joe-like lamb hash on buns), bombay chili cheese fries, chaat, puri (flour crisps stuffed with spices and vegetables), and various wraps. They also have a vegetable and non-vegetable thali (a combination meal), which comes with the special curry for that day, rice, flatbread, a couple of additional curries, and a dessert. We usually go that route, and its awesome. Sometimes we get a hot chai or mango lassi to accompany the meal. Mango lassi is a mango yogurt drink that will do wonders to cool your tongue if the spices get the better of you. Chai Pani is a great place to go with friends if you're looking for a hipster atmosphere and interesting cocktails.
Bhojanic is the fanciest of the three. It's dining area is very nicely decorated and the wait staff has been very professional and helpful. I was a little concerned on our first visit that it wouldn't taste as authentic - but I was wrong! It was extremely delicious. They have a mixture of tapas-type items as well as entrees. I recommend checking out their daily specials or doing a thali where you can choose two meats and vegetable dish.
If you live in Atlanta, check one (or all) of those restaurants out! Please let me know what you think. Or, if you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear those as well.
Now on to the recipes!
I have tried and tried to make my Indian dishes at home taste as good as they do at the aforementioned places. I still haven't quite nailed it, but these two are as close as I've gotten, and they are quite good. I apologize for the lack of a decent picture for the vegetable curry. We were so eager to eat that I didn't want to stop and take pictures ;)
Chicken Curry
[Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes]
FYI, "curry" is not a great description. It is not a reference to yellow curry powder, which is rarely used in authentic foods. Curry simply denotes a wide variety of heavily spiced dishes. You can get a thai or Indian "curry," and they will be entirely different. Even within a specific region the dishes will have hundreds of variations. I am not sure the best way to name this one, so "curry" it is!
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp olive or coconut oil
- 3 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large chopped onion (of your choice, the original recipe specified red, but I only had yellow)
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1.5 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, fine chopped
- 1-2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- salt
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, sliced or in chunks
- 1/2 cup water
- cilantro or yogurt for garnish
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Once they begin to sizzle, add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are well browned.
Stir in the tomatoes. Cook the mixture until it becomes quite dry. It will hold together really well and the oil will separate from the sides.
Add the chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, and coriander. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. It will be very fragrant. At this point, if you want to be especially authentic, you can take it all out and put it in a blender or food processor and blend it into a paste. I was ready to eat, so I skipped that step.
Add the chicken and cook until brown on all sides. Then add your half cup of water and allow it to simmer until done. If it becomes too dry, feel free to add more water.
Serve hot, over rice or naan. Top with cilantro and yogurt.
Yum yum!
Vegetable Curry
[Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes]
This one is a winner, folks. It is so, so, so good (and good for you!). Next time I make it, I think I'll add some chicken for extra protein. I only wish I had good pictures to share with you.
Original recipe came from here. I followed some suggestions and nearly doubled the spices. You can control the heat based on how much cayenne you use. The others increase the flavor in a marvelous way, so don't you dare half them!
Ingredients:
- Olive or coconut oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 inch piece ginger, grated (or 1 tbsp ground dried ginger)
- 2 tbsp ground coriander
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 1.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 1-2 tsp cayenne
- fresh hot pepper, diced (optional)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- salt and pepper
- 1 small cauliflower broken into florets, or approximately 3 cups (I used frozen)
- 1 lb or 3 cups sweet potatoes, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced (or 1 can)
- 3-4 carrots, chopped
- 1 can chickpeas
- 4 lightly packed cups of greens (I used kale)
- lime juice and cilantro for garnish
Directions:
In a 5 or 6 quart dutch oven pot (I used my cast iron dutch oven - it's lovely!), heat the oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until lightly browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes. f you like things pretty spicy and want to put in a hot pepper, do so now. Then add your coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. I
Stir until fragrant and toasty, about 1 minute. Add in the tomato paste, broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, and a few dashes of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 8-10 minutes.
Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. Return to a boil, then reduce again and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in your chickpeas, greens, and lime juice, and cook until the greens are wilted. It will probably take 3-5 minutes.
Serve hot over basmati rice, or eat it as a stew.
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| Super quick photo before I dug in! |
What kind of recipes do you want to see more of? Let me know.
Madi
