Hawaiian Chicken Curry

The quarter is finally over!! Hooray!! Now to get back to all the stuff I've been neglecting. Like laundry and housecleaning and Christmas. But first and foremost, I need to give my poor, neglected blog a little attention.



As you can see this is not a typical holiday dish. In fact, it's got nothing to do with the holidays whatsoever, but it is festive looking, no? That must count for something. It's also got a lot of contrasting textures going on, but somehow they all work together: succulent chicken, crunchy toasted cashews, fresh pineapple, and dried mango. And of course there's the creamy macaroni salad. Yes, I know it sounds strange to serve macaroni salad with a curry, but I was once told by a Hawaii native that no plate would be complete without macaroni salad. And rice, of course. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

I found the recipe for this chicken curry at Epicurious.com. Rather than following their method, I used my pressure cooker to get the chicken fork tender but I didn't otherwise change the recipe. It turned out well and the whole family loved it. Plus it can be put on the table in about an hour (by their method). So if you're looking for something a little different, this might fit the bill.


This is my submission to Regional Recipes. The spotlight region is the South Pacific. I'm hosting this round, so if you've got a regional recipe to share, post it and shoot me the info to include in the round-up. blazinghotwok(at)gmail(dot)com. And be sure to check back in a few days for the round-up.

Showing My Sentimental Side with Fried Egg Curry

It’s funny to see people in new relationships. They do everything together. Things like grocery shopping or cooking dinner or laundry at the laundromat or working out. They hold hands everywhere they go and kiss on the bus or cuddle while waiting on the corner for the signal to change or play Scrabble in the park. Yes, I love seeing young couples in love. They remind me of Hubby and myself back when we were young and foolishly in love.

One of the things we used to do together was cook. We were both pretty inexperienced in the kitchen, but we enjoyed trying out new recipes. I remember the first cookbook we bought together, The Complete Hot & Spicy Cookbook. Guess how long ago that was? Twelve years!

As far as cookbooks go, Hot & Spicy is pretty good. It’s one of those compilation cookbooks with recipes from several different cuisines. The Indian recipes were our favorites and we learned a lot about Indian food, mostly through trial and error. For instance, did you know that feta cheese is not a suitable substitute for paneer.? We didn’t, until we tried to fry it. And did you know there are two kinds of mustard oil? One is used as a moisturizer and the other for cooking. The food grade oil is nearly impossible to find, but we didn’t know that until we had used half a bottle of the body oil. (Note to self: if labels are written in a foreign language, ask for help translating!) And speaking of body oil, did you know that ghee can also be used as a moisturizer? If you don’t mind smelling like buttered popcorn.

I haven’t touched Hot & Spicy in a while, but since Regional Recipes is going to India, I thought it would be a hoot to revisit the first Indian dish we ever made together (fried egg curry) out of the first cookbook we ever purchased together. Sweet, huh? You thought I was all logic and practicality, but I do have a sentimental, romantic side!

I should mention that we weren’t really impressed with the results the first time around, and we thought it was just a bad recipe because we followed the recipe to the T (including hand chopping 3 onion into a paste and frying 8 eggs to split between the two of us!). In retrospect, it was a perfectly good recipe but we were just too inexperienced to work with it. This time around, it turned out great. It really helps that I now own a food processor and we halved the recipe. Also added the tomatoes for a little more depth. It definitely won’t take 12 years for me to make this again. More like 12 hours. That's how much we liked it.

Fried egg curry
adapted from The Complete Hot and Spicy Cookbook

• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 knob ginger, about the size of an adult thumb, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• chilies, to taste
• 1 tbs vinegar
• ½ tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tsp chili powder
• a pinch sugar (probably about ¼ tsp)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (from a can works perfectly well)
• salt to taste
• 4 eggs

Using a food processor, make a paste with the ginger, onion, garlic, chilies and vinegar.

In a small frying pan, heat about 2 to 3 tbs oil with the cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves. When the oil is hot, add the paste and fry until the oil looks like it’s separating back out from the paste, probably 8 to 10 minutes. Be sure to control the heat, because if it’s too high, the paste will burn. Add in the tumeric, chili powder, and sugar and continue to fry for about another minute. Finally, add in the tomatoes and cook a bit longer (until they soften, if using fresh ones). If the mixture gets too dry, add a little water. Season with salt and remove from heat, but keep warm.

In another frying pan, heat up a little oil to fry the eggs. I just fried them all at once and spooned the curry mixture over the eggs as they were cooking. This method leaves the yolks creamy while the whites cook. Alternatively, you could cook the eggs one at a time and remove them to a plate. Once they are all fried, put the curry mixture back over low heat and carefully turn the eggs in it. This is the method given in the book, but I’m too scared to break the yolks or overcook them this way.

Garnish with chopped cilantro (something I forgot to do) and serve with naan. Be sure to break the yolks, mix everything around and use the naan to sop it all up!



This is my submission to Regional Recipes, the blogging event that takes us around the world to spotlight different regional cuisines. This time we're in India and I'm hosting. The deadline is officially Feb 15th, but if you're really nice, I'll take submissions up until the 20th, which is when the round-up goes up.

Here are some other Indian inspired dishes you may enjoy:
Creamy chicken curry
Indian spiced lamb shank
Saag paneer or gosht
Vegetable smash (curried vegetable)

Creamy Indian Curry with Chicken

About a week ago, I was walking around my local Whole Foods when I was suddenly hit with the most delicious aroma. It was like someone had put a big bowl of Indian curry right in front of my nose. I followed the aroma and was lead to a cooking demonstration being put on by the folks of Katmandu Foods. In front of the cook stood open jars of various Shiba's brand chutneys, pickles and curry pastes. “Here, dear. I know you want to taste this, “ she said, handing me a small paper cup with spiced rice. “Take a little of each and see what you like,” she said, pointing to the open jars in front of her. She didn’t have to convince me. I tried each and every one, some more than once. All the products I tried were delicious. It took a lot of will power to walk away with only one jar of curry paste and one jar of chutney.




Today I cracked open the curry paste. It was so aromatic. You know what I’m talking about-- that characteristic aroma of Indian spices. The paste tasted good coming right out of the jar—full of flavor and adequately salted. There were cooking suggestions on the label, but I wanted to do a little bit of experimenting myself. I was thinking something in the way of buttered chicken, just kicked up a notch. What I ended up with was so tasty and surprisingly easy. No elaborate doctoring, like is often the case with other store-bought pastes or simmer sauces. Even before the addition of cream, the curry was rich and well spiced (but not spicy hot). Even Sonny ate every morsel on his plate, despite early protestations that it looked gross*.

*Side note: Sonny is currently at the stage where everything that’s not pizza, burgers or mac-n-cheese looks gross. This basically means everything I put on the table. He starts by refusing to eat it; we threaten with consequences. He gives in and finally tastes it. Usually he ends up eating his entire serving without further incident. We go through this ritual almost every evening and it exasperates me to no end. Please tell me he will outgrow this stage very soon.

I know the paste can be found at Whole Foods in the Portland area as well as online at www.katmandufoods.com. The retail store is in Salem, OR.

Creamy Indian Curry with Chicken
serves 3

• 1 ½ tbs Shiba's Curry Paste
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 3 tbs ghee (or half oil and butter is fine too)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4 chicken thighs, cut into chunks or slices
• splash of heavy cream (maybe a tablespoon or two)
• salt, to taste
• sugar, to taste (I used a pinch to offset the tomato paste)

For this dish, use a heavy bottom pot with a lid. Melt the ghee over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the sliced onion and cinnamon stick. Fry the onion until it starts to brown. Turn down the heat if it’s burning or becoming too dry. You’re not trying to caramelize; the onions should be sort of crispy on the edges yet softened. It may take up to 10 minutes.

While the onions are browning, combine the curry paste with the tomato paste. Mix well.

When the onions are sufficiently browned/softened, turn down the heat a little and add the paste mix. Cook for about 30 seconds to a minute, stirring constantly to keep it from burning and sticking. You should smell a delicious aroma coming from the pot.

Turn the heat back up a little and add the chicken. Sauté until the chicken doesn’t appear raw, about 2 or 3 minutes. A little liquid will be released from the chicken and it should appear to be simmering robustly. Turn down the heat to low and simmer covered for about 30 minutes. You shouldn’t need to add any water, but if it appears too dry, just add a little water to prevent burning.

After about 30 minutes, remove the lid and add the cream. Stir and adjust flavor with salt and a little sugar if necessary. Give it a quick stir, and you’re done! Serve immediately with steamed basmati rice or naan bread.

Eat Your Greens: Saag Paneer

My absolute favorite Indian dish is saag paneer (or gosht). But one thing I’ve come to learn is the wonderful creaminess I get at the Indian restaurant is actually harder to replicate at home than I thought. Maybe it’s just me??

This time around, I used lamb because I didn't have any paneer. If you want to use lamb, I recommend braising it separately then adding it back into the saag.

When I encounter a difficult or involved recipe, I take it as a challenge. I usually look for ways to cut down on the prep time or slim it down. For this dish I didn't want to do either. I just wanted to get it right. It's taken a few times to get results I'm happy with. Here are some observations that someone out there might find useful.

1) There seems to be many versions; some have a long list of spices while the simplest I’ve run across just has chilies, ginger and salt. I’ve come to realize that it’s not so much the list of spices as it is an adequate dose of salt. With that said, I do like adding “sweet” spices like cinnamon and cloves because they add a little complexity to the dish.

2) The only way to achieve that smooth, creamy texture is to process the saag, even if you started with chopped greens. I find using ghee gives the best flavor and texture, but I also like mustard oil. Cream also works. If using ghee, use it at the beginning in place of oil while the cream would be added during cooking. Yogurt just seems to curdle, so I avoid it.

3) This dish is best made a day or two in advance. Like a good stew or chili, I find the flavors are enhanced when they are allowed to sit and meld. In fact, it tastes even better after it’s been frozen and reheated! So if you end up making more than you can eat, freeze some and you’ll see.

4) The flavor is better if you use a combination of spinach and mustard greens or kale. I don’t recommend collard greens; I think they give the dish a funky taste.


Saag Paneer
Serves 6

• 4 tbs ghee or 2 tbs mustard oil + 2 tbs vegetable oil (optional)
• green chilies (use as many or as little as you want), split lengthwise (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 onion, grated or finely chopped
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 x 3-inch stick cinnamon
• 5 cardamom pods
• 5 whole cloves
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ tbs grated ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 2 frozen packages chopped spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out
• 1 bunch kale or mustard greens, de-stalked and chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 1 portion paneer, cubed (either homemade or store-bought is fine)
• salt to taste

In a Dutch oven (or the like), ghee (or just regular old vegetable oil) over medium heat. When hot add the chilies, onion, fenugreek, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Sautee until the onion begins to brown slightly. Adjust the heat if necessary to prevent burning. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook for about 1 minute. There should be a nice fragrance coming from the pot. Add the dry spices and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the tomato paste and greens. Mix well. Add about 1 to 2 cups water (the amount will depend on how big your pot is) to give about ½ inch of liquid above the greens. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to allow the greens to simmer, partially covered, for about 30 to 45 minutes (longer is better). Stir it occasionally. When the water evaporates, add either the cream or a little more water. By the end of the cooking time, the greens should be tender and most of the liquid should be evaporated. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes (or for a day or two). Now is the time I would add salt. I find it's hard to gauge the spice and salt level when foods are piping hot. Start with a half teaspoon then add more according to your preference.

Whether you let it sit for 15 minutes or overnight, I recommend processing the saag in a food processor or with a stick blender to get the “perfect” consistency. This is optional. Just be sure to remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods (if you can find them) before blending! If you’re planning on freezing, now’s the time to put some aside.

Before serving, fry the paneer in a little bit of oil (or ghee) until browned on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Check the saag again to make sure it's the consistency you want. If you prefer, add a little more water to thin it out. Add the paneer to the saag and mix gently.

Serve with basmati rice or Indian bread of your choice.