Craving Curry

If there is one thing I love about SB it's the variety the diet affords. I've been craving Indian food lately, and so I whipped up a tasty SB curry last night, with some lentils - which were AMAZING, and totally made the dish.
I'm all about the lentils right now it seems.
(cook's note: recommended appetizer)

Indian Chicken
1 1/2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken, cut into 1" pieces
1 tbsp canola oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 (2 lb) head of cauliflower, cut into florets (4 cups)
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper

Season chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over med-hi and cook chicken til lightly browned. Remove chicken to a plate using a slotted spoon.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add onion, garlic, curry & ginger. Cook about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower, coconut milk and broth; cover and simmer - stirring occasionally until veggies are crisp-tender (about 5 min). Add chicken back to pan, and let cook uncovered to thicken sauce - about 5 minutes.

Indian Spiced Lentils
4 tsps evoo
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp curry powder
1 c dried lentils, picked over and rinsed (I used the already cooked beluga lentils from TJ's)
1 1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (which I totally did not know went into this recipe until right now - which means you can skip it and it'll still be good)
salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and sautee about 3 minutes til soft. Add garlic and sautee another minute. Stir in curry powder and lentils. Add broth, bring to a simmer, cover and cook til tender about 20 minutes (or less if you got the already cooked kind!). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fight over spoonfulls to eat with your chicken and cauliflower curry.

Black Daal

From the family of actor Anil Kapoor (he hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionare in Slumdog Millionaire) comes this yummy lentil recipe. Man I love Indian food. I wonder if Q can make chicken tikka masala for me again soon, and maybe I'll make this one. . . . as soon as I can figure out where to find asafetida and find someone else to touch it so my fingers don't get all stinky.

Serves 4

• 1 cup split urad dal (black lentils)
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 green Serrano chiles, halved lengthwise
• Pinch of asafetida
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh peeled ginger, juilienned
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, whisked
• 2 tablespoons Ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Naan, for serving

1. Place lentils in a large bowl. Cover with water and let stand overnight.
2. Drain lentils and add to a large saucepan along with 3 cups water, 1 sliced onion, chiles, and asafetida; season with salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until lentils are very tender, about 30 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add remaining onion and cook, stirring, until soft. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, coriander, ground cumin, and chili powder. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes are softened and mixture is fragrant, about 5 minutes.
4. Drain lentils, reserving cooking water. Add lentils to skillet along with enough of the reserved cooking water to make a thick gravy-like consistency. Let simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in heavy cream until well combined; remove from heat.
5. In a small saucepan, heat ghee until hot. Carefully add cumin seeds and cook until they stop popping. Carefully pour mixture over lentils (it will sizzle) and mix to combine. Serve immediately with naan.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Q makes this for me sometimes. I love love love it. It's a great introduction to Indian food for folks that think they don't like Indian Food.
Some learnings from last night - the ff 1/2 & 1/2 from TJs does work, but doesn't thicken as well. Chopped tomatoes aren't as good a substitution as crushed as they don't melt down as much. Lowfat yogurt is fine (plus preparing it with the yogurt makes the tastiest, moistest chook you'll have, even if you decide not to do the masala sauce).
Also, who knew you could totally fake not only garam masala, but cardamom! Thanks interwebs!!!
This recipe was lifted from someone who posted it on Chowhound.

Chicken Tikka Masala

This dish is best when prepared with whole-milk yogurt, but low-fat yogurt can be substituted. For a spicier dish, do not remove the ribs and seeds from the chile. If you prefer, substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper for the garam masala. The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and gently reheated before adding the hot chicken. Serve with basmati rice.

Serves 4 to 6

Chicken Tikka

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (see note above)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala (see note above)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

2. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.