Chickpea Curry

Turmeric image by Steven Jackson, via Flickr CC license

Chickpea Curry

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 approximately 2-inch piece of ginger, grated
2 teaspoons Sweet Curry powder
1 teaspoon Penzeys Curry Now powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 (15 oz ) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (smash one can with a fork)
28 oz can, petite diced tomatoes
1 can full fat coconut milk
2-3 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onions, salt; sautè until translucent, about 6 minutes stirring every now and then. Add garlic and sautè for 1 more minute.
Add ginger and all the spices; sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add diced tomatoes then chickpeas.
Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk and simmer for 5 more minutes.
In a small bowl mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir in the chickpea mixture and cook for 5 more minutes or until thickened.
Take a taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro.
Serve over basmati or brown rice.

I made this recipe for the first time this evening for our dinner. The balance and depth of flavors was very good. Most of the ingredients are easy to have on had, with the exception of the fresh cilantro (which seems to go bad in just a few days — or is it me?).

This is a quick and easy, delicious (meatless) curry.

Recipe revised and tweaked by The Tromp Queen. Original recipe here:

Brian Siewiorek image of cilantro, via Flickr CC license public domain

Organic Ginger image by Artizone via Flickr CC license.

Image by Daniel R Blume via Flickr CC license

Recipe Reports

I’ve tried several new recipes this week. I’m somewhat surprised to report that they were all really good.

My daughter and I are both working on musical productions (at two different high schools — she is on the backstage crew for hers and I am the accompanist for mine). We had rehearsals every night this week either after school or evenings, and this weekend we have two concerts plus an extra rehearsal. Next week I have 6 shows (I think!) and two choir rehearsals and she has tech week (also known as Hell week in the theater realm).

SO — I’ve been looking for meals that are quick to fix and either either bake (can be left in the oven for an hour or more) or cook quickly.

Chicken walking through the village image by World Bank Photos via Flickr CC license

Chicken legs and thighs were on sale last week, so these are all chicken recipes.

Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken

First up is Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken. The recipe is from The Wanderlust Kitchen website.

Annabel Farley image of olives via Flickr CC license

Ingredients

For the Spice Mixture

• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon paprika
• ¾ teaspoon turmeric
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed

For the Sheet Pan Chicken

• 1 lemon
• 2 large sweet onions, cut into 12 wedges each
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 skin-on chicken quarters (I used 8 chicken bone-in skin-on chicken thighs)
• 1 cup green olives, pitted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I forgot to add this!)

Brian Siewiorek image of cilantro, via Flickr CC license public domain

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, prepare the spice rub by combining the salt, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and the pressed garlic.
3. Cut the lemon in half and set one half aside. Cut the remaining half into thin slices, then arrange the slices in a single layer on a rimmed half sheet pan. Scatter the onion wedges over the lemons, then drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the onions. Sprinkle the pan with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric. (I think you could get by with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. It is SO expensive!)
4. Place the chicken quarters on the pan, skin side up. Pat the top of the chicken dry, then brush the prepared spice mixture evenly onto the skin of each quarter. I rubbed the spices all over the chicken with my hands.
5. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast for 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the juices run clear.
6. Scatter the pan with the olives and cilantro leaves. Squeeze the juice from the remaining half lemon onto the chicken. (I baked the olives on the pan with the chicken. I did remember the lemon juice, but forgot the cilantro.)

We had brown and wild rice with this. I poured the sauce from the pan over my rice and it was delicious.

 

Kate Ter Haar, lemons via Flickr CC license

One Pan Greek Chicken

Next up is another sheet pan recipe, this one from Damn Delicious:  One Pan Greek Chicken.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces baby red potatoes, halved (I had Idaho potatoes; I cut them into quarters. They were great.)
• 16 ounces green beans, trimmed (I used a 1 lb. bag of frozen green beans. It worked fine.)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)

For the marinade

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (or Italian seasoning)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mike Mozart image of green beans, via Flickr CC license

Instructions

• In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine chicken, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and oregano; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Marinate for at least 20 minutes to 1 hour, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
• Place potatoes and green beans in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with chicken in a single layer.
• Place into oven and roast until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes.*
• Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

This recipe was quick and easy, baked beautifully and was absolutely delicious.

Turmeric image by Steven Jackson, via Flickr CC license

Little Chicken image by poppy via Flickr CC

Pukka Yellow Curry

The next recipe was not quite so easy (my kitchen was a huge MESS by the time dinner was ready), but I think that might be just first-time-working-out-the-kinks issues. Pukka Yellow Curry is a Jamie Oliver recipe. The result was flavorful and very well spiced. It takes a pretty large pan to fit all the ingredients in.

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 2 yellow peppers
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1-2 fresh red chillies (I used a jalapeno)
• ½ a bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• 1 level teaspoon ground tumeric
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (I used Penzey’s Sweet Curry)
• 8 chicken drumsticks
• olive oil
• 1 (14.5 oz can) chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon tomato purée (I left this out.)
• 320 g basmati rice
• 1 lemon
• OPTIONAL:
• fat-free natural yoghurt , to serve

Peel the onions, garlic and ginger and de-seed the peppers. Put 1 onion, 1 pepper, the garlic and ginger into a food processor. Crumble in the stock cube and add the chilli (de-seed it first, if you prefer a milder curry), the cilantro stalks, honey and spices, then blitz to a paste.

Place a very large casserole pan on a medium-high heat and fry the chicken drumsticks (pull the skin off first, if you prefer) with a splash of oil for 10 minutes, or until golden, turning occasionally with tongs. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving the pan on the heat. Roughly chop the remaining onion and pepper and add to the pan to cook for a few minutes, then tip in the paste and let it cook down for around 5 minutes. Pour in 500ml of boiling water. Drain the chickpeas and add along with the tomato purée and a pinch of salt and pepper, then stir well. Return the chicken to the pan, pop the lid on, reduce the heat and simmer gently for around 45 minutes, or until the sauce darkens and thickens. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

With 15 minutes to go, put 1 cup (320g) rice and 2 cups of boiling water into a pan with a pinch of salt and simmer with the lid on for 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Serve the curry in the middle of the table with a few dollops of yoghurt (if using) and a scattering of coriander leaves, with lemon wedges for squeezing over and the fluffy rice on the side.

One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

My last success recipe to share is from Little Spice Jar:  One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ⅓ cup finely diced shallots (or red onions)
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil

INSTRUCTIONS

 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large oven proof skillet and then add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides. The chicken doesn’t have to be completely cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside. Add more oil if needed. Saute the onion until softened add the garlic and saute about a minute more. Then add the broth, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the liquid until about 1/3 to 1/2 cup remains. Add the butter and whisk (or use a fork) until it is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream. Put the chicken in the sauce and then stick the whole thing in the oven for 5 minutes or so to finish cooking the chicken and heat up the sauce. Serve with hot cooked pasta or noodles. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley or basil.

image via Flickr CC by cookbookman17; Fresh Parsley — A bunch of fresh hand picked parsley. This parsley is bursting with flavor and ready for use.

Chicken image by Smudge 9000 via Flickr CC

 

 

 

Best Chicken Curry

RECIPE REVIEW
Penzeys Recipe: Curried Chicken with Basmati Rice pilaf

In a food processor or blender combine and purée:
1 large onion, cut into eighths
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1 piece of fresh ginger root about 1″, peeled (or use 3/4 t. powdered ginger)
2 jalapeño peppers, quartered and seeded

Image by Jutta M. Jenning via Flickr CC license.

Image by Dubravko Soric via Flickr CC license

Image by Daniel R Blume via Flickr CC license

Image by Q family via Flickr CC license

In a large skillet:
Heat extra virgin olive oil (3 to 4 Tablespoons).
Brown 10 – 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs for about 4 min per side until browned.
Remove the chicken to a platter.

Add a little more oil if needed.
Add 1/2 t. whole cumin seeds and stir til they sizzle (1 min. or so).
Add the purée to the skillet along with
2 T. sweet curry powder
1/4 t. cayenne
1 t. salt
Cook all this for 5 to 10 minutes until it is golden and fragrant.

Add the chicken back to the skillet and stir to cover well with the curry.
Add 1 1/2 to 2 c. water or chicken broth.
Bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 min or so.
While the chicken curry is simmering it is time to make the rice.

Image by Laura Turner via Flickr CC license.

Basmati Rice Pilaf:
2 c. basmati rice
3 1/2 to 4 c. water or broth
1/2 t. sweet curry powder
1 t. salt

Heat water or broth to boiling. Rinse rice. Add rice and curry powder to boiling water. Return to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover tightly and set the timer for 13 or 14 minutes. Check toward the end to be sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Fluff. Top with any or all of the optional stir ins below.
optional stir ins about 1/4 c. each:
sliced green onion
thawed frozen green peas
chopped fresh cilantro leaves

This recipe might look complicated but it is essentially just a few steps.  The onion/garlic/ginger/jalapeño mixture is a breeze, then the chicken simmers in the sauce. While that cooks, then you are taking care of the rice.

My family really enjoys this curry!  It is very tasty; nicely spiced but not overpowering.  You can serve the chicken with plain rice if you want to simplify it, though.

FIVE FORKS!  This recipe is fantastic!

Another choice for the rice side dish would be to make the pilaf from this recipe:
https://thetrompqueencooks.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/middle-eastern-chicken-kebabs-and-basmati-rice-pilaf/

Penzeys Spices: Sweet Curry

As I’ve said before, use Penzeys Spices if at all possible.  They really do taste better.

 

 

Craving Curry?

Image by The Tromp Queen, CC license

This is fast and easy.
And VERY good.

I like this recipe because I can keep the ingredients on hand pretty easily.  It has a very good balance of flavors, and it leaves me feeling healthy and good about what I ate.

I highly recommend using Penzey’s spices.  It really makes a difference.

Chickpea and Mango Curry

1 T. vegetable oil (peanut is good)
1 T. butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 heaping T. curry powder (I used Penzey’s Sweet Curry)
1/2 tsp. salt
Two 15 oz. cans of chickpeas, drain and rinse
2 heaping cups of frozen mango chunks (about 12 oz.) (I used a bag of Dole frozen mango chunks)
chopped cilantro
1/3 c. plain yogurt (optional, but I like it this way)
A few dashes of cayenne pepper
Cooked, hot Basmati rice

1. Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion soften it a bit, then add curry powder, and salt. Cook for about 5 min. until onion begins to brown.

2. Add rinsed and drained chickpeas to skillet, stirring until coated with curry-onion mixture. Turn heat to medium low and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add dash of cayenne.  Add water if needed.

Mango, манго – дары тропиков (Photo credit: Tatters:))

3. Stir in the frozen mango (or fresh if you have access to good fruit) , bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer, covered for 5 more minutes. Check to see if the curry needs more liquid to create a sauce. If it does, then add up to 1/2 cup of water. Add the chopped cilantro now, but save a little to sprinkle on top at the end.  Cover again and cook for 10 minutes or until it looks good!

4. If you have the patience and time, take it off the burner let it sit off the heat for 10 more minutes for the flavors to develop. I added 1/3 c. of plain yogurt before letting it sit.  (If you are in a hurry, it is okay to eat it now.  We often do.)

Curry in the spice-bazaar (egypitan) in Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Serve over Basmati rice with a dusting of cayenne on top.  Serve w/ lime wedges to squeeze over the top and a bit more chopped cilantro, too.

Some possible variations: use peaches instead of mangoes, top with finely diced scallions, top with toasted cashews or roasted peanuts.

English: Fresh Cilantro (Coriander) Deutsch: Verkaufsübliches Bund frischer Koriander (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is based on a recipe by Mollie Katzen.

Aloo gobi, an Indian dish prepared with cauliflower and potato (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another of my favorite curry recipes is the Aloo Gobi from the special feature reel of the “Bend It Like Beckham” DVD.  Here is the written recipe.  You can watch the video from youtube below if you have about 15 minutes.  It is very entertaining.  I love to watch the mother and the grandmother supervising the daughter.  Good stuff!  (and I’m not just talking about the curry).

RELATED ARTICLES

• My Curry Obsession (agirlherdogandherkitchen.wordpress.com)
• Chickpea Curry (goodlookingcooking.wordpress.com)

Recipe Re-visit

recipe notebook

I’ve been blogging for about a year now.  My original blog is called “The Tromp Queen” and if you haven’t visited that blog, I’d love to have you stop by for a visit.

I posted several recipes there, and in the interest of trying to keep everything food and recipe related in one place — I want to share the links to those posts here for any of my new followers who might have missed those posts.

Aunt Ruthie’s Terrific Toffee is a family recipe that we dearly love.  I encourage you to try this recipe when you need something sweet and delicious.

Craving Curry?  gives two of my favorite, quick and easy curry recipes. (These can easily be made as vegetarian recipes).

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake is popular in my family as a birthday cake choice.  It is absolutely decadent and worth EVERY calorie.

Another family favorite is Spinach Börek.  My sister-in-law is a Turkish woman, and she graciously taught me how to make this many years ago when we first met.  This is my son’s favorite meal to eat for special occasions.  This recipe is also vegetarian, but not vegan.  (It has dairy and eggs).

Chocolate Chip Scones!!!  This recipe is my most famous!  It still gets the most views on my blog regularly.  It is a pin on Pinterest, and I get a lot of traffic from there, too.  This is the recipe that got me thinking I should start a recipe blog.

The last post (and the oldest recipe post on the Tromp Queen) is about my trusty recipe notebook (pictured above).  I lost it for a few months and thought it was gone forever.  When I found it (finally!), I wrote this post and shared a simple family recipe for my Mom’s macaroni salad.  Enjoy!