Culinary Disasters

This is my first attempt at Taste and Create (http://forfood.rezimo.com/) which for those who don’t know each month you are given another blog and choose something from the blog and create it.  I have to say this is an amazing and fun concept and definitely something I am looking forward to next month. 

The blog I drew is Cooking All 4 Seasons (http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/).  I ventured over to her blog and was ecstatic to see Indian food.  Indian is one of those cuisines I love but have never dabbled in to much.  I was like a kid in a candy store and had such a hard time deciding what to make but this one really really stood out at me. 

The dish I chose to recreate was Chicken with roasted spices (http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/02/chicken-with-roasted-spices.html).  The major reason is this is this was one of my favorite styles of dishes which is simply what do I have available and what can I do with it.  The flavors in this dish also really stood out to me with this awesome spicy and sweet combination paired with the flavor from roasting some of the spices.  I have to tell you I am so happy I did it and hats off to Srivalli for coming up with this dish. 

I must confess I did attempt to make the roti (http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2007/08/biyam-rotti-rice-flour-rotis.html) to horrible horrible disastrous results.  Well not disastrous just ugly looking and lacking that cool brown poofiness that she had.  So instead I threw some basmati rice together and served the chicken with the rice.  However, I still think the failed roti is more proof of why baking is evil.   

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 lb of chicken
• 1 onion sliced finely
• 1 tomato diced
• 2 garlic cloves diced finely
• 1 thumb size piece of ginger finely diced (her recipe called for garlic ginger paste and there is even a good write-up on how to make it on her blog http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/02/ginger-garlic-paste-allam-vellulli.html but an already overflowing sink meant the blender or food processor was not getting dirty so I skipped making the paste )
• 1.5 tsp of chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp  garam masala
• 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock
• roasted spice blend (listed below)
• Canola oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper

For the roasted spice blend you will need:

• 1 tsp coriander seed
• 20 whole peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp poppy seeds

For the roasted spices place them in a dry skillet over medium and roast till fragrant (about 5 minutes).  Once they are fragrant transfer them to your spice grinder and grind away.

In a large skillet with a lid over medium-high add in the oil and then toss in the onions with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook the onions till they are softened (about 5 minutes).  Add in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.

Add the chicken into the pan along with the chili powder, coriander, and garam masala.  Cook for a couple minutes and then add in the stock or water along with the diced tomatoes.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to free up any stuck bits.  Bring this mixture to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer till the chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes).

After the chicken is cooked through remove the lid and toss the ground roasted spices into the pan and cook till almost all the liquid has evaporated out of the pan (about 5 minutes).

Serve and enjoy and of course hello cilantro garnish.

Tags: chicken, All //