Tag: Curry

Recipe Revisiting – Chickpea + Spinach Curry

On By lukephillaryhIn Exotic3 Comments
chickpea spinach indian curry bon appetit recipe
Revisiting a favorite

In our short cooking careers, Luke and I have shuffled through some go-to meals – recipes we can whip up whenever and they’ll always leave us satiated. In college, I used to make a chicken breast in a skillet dinner with a surprisingly delicious marinade of ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice. I probably made it on a weekly basis. And yet, since graduating I haven’t whipped up my “Simple Tasty Chicken” recipe even once. Blame cooking fatigue. Some meals you can only make so many times. But all recipes do deserve a second chance. We’ve made a similar version of this chickpea, spinach, tomato curry before and it could definitely be categorized as a “go-to meal.” So when I came across a similar recipe on BA’s Instagram I was inspired to revisit one of our favorite weekday dinners. The result is a bit stewier, perhaps more “curry” like. Will it replace our original? Who knows! All part of the process. The delicious and simple combination of chickpeas, spinach, and tomato is getting some love again and that’s all that matters.

Ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1-2 jalapeños, coarsely chopped
  • 1 TBS chopped ginger
  • 1 pound spinach
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp curry powder (our mix includes a lil’ bit of everything – turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 24-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 4 TBS plain yogurt

Directions:

  1. Heat 1 TBS oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, jalapeños, and ginger and cook until fragrant and softened, about 4 minutes. Working in batches (1 handful at a time) add the spinach. Toss to wilt and then add more. Cook until fully wilted, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor (blender, hand blender, even a mortar and pestle works) and pulse until coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Wipe skillet.
  2. Heat another TBS of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add the spices and stir so that they evenly coat the onions. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Add chickpeas and tomatoes with juices. Squeeze the whole tomatoes with your hands to break down. If the mixture seems in need of extra liquid, add 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
  4. Turn off heat and stir back in spinach puree then add yogurt, a TBS spoon at a time. Fully mix the TBS of yogurt before adding another. This will prevent curdling.

Serve with naan, samosas, basmati rice and garnish with cilantro – whatever you prefer!

Details: Serves 4

Stocking Up at Sahadi’s

On By lukephillaryhIn AdventuresLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-08-14 at 4.54.23 PM

Sahadi grocery shopping in Brooklyn
Hillary with her arms full at Sahadi’s

NYT beat us to the punch last week when they posted a short feature on one  of our favorite places in Brooklyn. Ever since we started to explore all foods Indian and Middle-Eastern, Sahadi’s has been been our go-to place for ingredients. This Atlantic Avenue landmark has been around for ages and continues to prosper despite the TJ’s across the street. We come to Sahadi’s whenever Ottolenghi asks for 1 TBS of some obscure ingredient or to buy staples like oregano and cumin in bulk. While we might have enough cinnamon sticks and cardamon pods to last a 100 curries, there’s always something else we can pick up at Sahadi’s.

Comforting, Simple Chicken Curry

On By lukephillaryhIn ExoticLeave a comment
chicken curry simple Meera Sodha recipe
Curry – get in mah belly!

Luke and I have many cooking aspirations of varying attainability. Bake our own bread (very attainable),  reattempt to cook coq au vin (somewhat attainable), start a goat farm  and make our own chèvre (less attainable).  Another farfetched dream of mine: starting a chain of Indian buffet restaurants.  Because what is better than endless chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and samosas, all for $12.95?? In hopes of achieving this goal, Luke and I have been trying to master more Indian-ish recipes.  Some may challenge the authenticity of this curry recipe (see our Chickpea + Spinach “Curry” for another possibly questionable recipe).  But authentic or not, it is undeniably delicious and very easy to make, so long as you stock up on just a few essential Indian spices: cumin, turmeric, and garam masala (we also recommend investing in some paprika).

And if you’re interested in exploring more Indian recipes, check out Meera Sodha’s new cookbook Made in India, the source for this very comforting chicken curry.

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBS unsalted butter
  • 1 TBS neutral oil (ex. canola oil)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds (or panch puran)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 1 2.5 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated or minced
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup pureed tomatoes
  • 2 TBS tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp tumeric
  • 3 TBS whole milk yogurt
  • 1 3/4 – 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Melt the butter in the oil in a large dutch over over medium heat.  When hot and shimmering, add the cumin seeds (or panch puran) and cinnamon sticks.  Cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, then add onions.  Cook for about 15 minutes, until golden.
  2. Meanwhile, mash garlic, ginger, and jalapeños into a paste in a mortar and pestle, with a pinch of salt.* You can also do this with a knife on a cutting board.
  3. Add the paste to the onions and cook for 2 minutes or so.  Then pour in the pureed tomatoes and stir.  Add tomato paste, cumin, turmeric, and another pinch of salt (you can also add 1-2 tsp sugar for a little sweetness).  Stir to combine.
  4. Add the yogurt to the mixture, 1 TBS at a time, stirring in with a wooden spoon.  Let the mixture bubble and then add the chicken.  Lower heat, put the lid on and allow the curry to cook gently for about 30 minutes, until chicken is good through.  Add garam masala and cayenne pepper.

You can serve this curry with additional yogurt, naan, and/or basmati rice.  As lovers of samosas, we never pass up an excuse to get a couple from our Indian takeout place!  Always a tasty addition.

Details: Serves 4.

*Note 1: Safety advised when mashing up the garlic, ginger, and jalapeños! Click here for safety gear suggestions.

To print the recipe, click here: Comforting Chicken Curry

Chickpea + Spinach “Curry”

On By lukephillaryhIn Exotic2 Comments
chickpea spinach indian curry
Maybe not so authentic? But very tasty

When we first made this recipe, we felt pretty accomplished.  We made an Indian meal!  In under 45 minutes!  With *fresh* ginger and authentic spices!  But now, we supplement the meal with some legit curry and samosas from our favorite Indian takeout spot.  So this curry is not the most authentic, but it is a simple, delicious, and healthy weekday dinner meal.  And it makes excellent leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • olive oil – to coat skillet
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
  • 2 tsp gram masala
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • additional (optional) spices: ground toasted fennel seed (1 tsp), coriander (1 tsp)
  • shake of red pepper flakes
  • two 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
  • 1-2 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
  • generous handfuls of spinach
  • squeeze of lemon

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add onions and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and ginger, cooking 1-2 minutes more.
  3. Add the spices, stirring so the onions are coated.  Cook 1-2 minutes more, until fragrant.
  4. Add chickpeas.  Stir to coat with spices.
  5. Add tomatoes and sugar.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Once at a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.  If liquid is reducing too rapidly, cover.
  6. Add spinach, in batches, stirring into curry so spinach wilts.
  7. End with a squeeze of lemon and a garnish of cilantro.  Serve with rice, nan, a little yogurt if you’d like!

Details: Serves up to 4 people, or 2 with lots of leftovers (especially when you’re eating with some samosas, you’ll be very full!)

To print the recipe, click here: Chickpea + Spinach “Curry”