Sundays can be an oasis of calm allowing you to recharge and renew your energies before the start of a new week or can be the continuation of a rut you've dug for yourself. What is it for you? Doesn't matter since you can change it into anything you want it to be.... make a plan and make it happen!
Just sitting here checking on my Facebook, keeping up with friends (Hi Estelle!..) renewing old friendships from years long past. Trying to put off finishing my Math homework (I like Math) just because..... when I noticed that I had more than 6 apples, tart green ones, in the fruit bowl just sitting there doing nothing so I thought I'd make some stewed apples as a treat over ice cream.
I began by peeling the apples and making big chunks not being too particular about my knife skills this morning, and I thought that I would add some raisins and oranges plus spices and it would be nice but once I began, ideas
started flowing and pretty soon a tangent had hit..... my little stewed apples (I'm still making them but on the side) gave me one of those Ah Ha! moments and now I'm in the middle of a full blown project to produce a rich Chicken in Curry Sauce.....I lassoed Ricardo as my helper of course (poor guy, he's gets volunteered all the time as my Sous Chef for all the prep work, lol!) and has now put some dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in the pressure cooker (my friend, the bomb), I've already got cooked lentils on hand, will add onions, carrots, some potatoes and chayotes, raisins and Biznaga, plus the Yucatecan Baked Chicken I made for last night's dinner and which is waiting for me in the fridge. Should make a substantial meal for us plus impart flavors we all love.
I will cook down some sauce, based on the chicken drippings and vegetable stock to make into the turmeric based sauce with cinnamon, nutmeg, green cardamom seeds, cumin, clove, cayenne pepper and anything and everything else I can find in my pantry (very Punjabi Sabut Garam Masala style). Wow! I can anticipate the taste this will have and is going to be fantastic!
Now this meal can easily be turned into a great vegetarian meal you know, just remove the chicken from the mix and you could add any assortment of vegetables, cut in large chunks to show them off, all wonderfully encased in a thick sauce. Zucchini, any kind of squash, corn on the cob, green beans, all forms of legumes (pre-cooked of course), as well as you can ad
d fruits to add to the complexity of flavors, like apples, pears, raisins, shredded coconut (serve on the side to add as a topping along with nuts). I've put Papaya and other similar fruits on occasions too. Plus you can see the high nutritional value this could provide, right? You could also roast the vegetables in the oven first and get them all nice and charred looking, prepare the sauce while these are done and then just bring them together during the last 10-15 minutes the sauce is finishing up and presto! You're done!Some fluffy white rice would be ideal of course, and I'm thinking that some fresh lettuce leaves to use as our "tortillas" so we can wrap up the curry, add some rice and enjoy will give just the right touch. Of course, if I could find my Naan recipe (Naan Atta) I should make that instead.... looking..... (just found it! Will start making the dough so it will have time to rest and then will bake in the oven before dinnertime so it will be just out of the oven and wonderful..... Don't forget the crunchy toppings to include at service to finish off the meal: almonds, peanuts, coconut, pumpkin seeds, etc. Cilantro leaves are a good topping too.
Now comes the educational part: Atta is the Hindi word for flour, and flour is the main ingredient of most varieties of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani Breads. Atta generally refers to a whole wheat flour made from hard or semi-hard wheat grown across the Indian Subcontinent. Flatbreads made from atta, such as chapati, roti, naan and puri are an integral part of Indian Cuisine.
A typical naan recipe involves mixing white flour with salt, a yeast culture, and enough yogurt to make a smooth, elastic dough. ( doesn't that sound nice?) The dough is kneaded for a few minutes, then set aside to rise for a few hours. Once risen, the dough is divided into small balls, which are flattened and cooked. In Pakistan, naans are typically graced with fragrant essences, such as rose, khus or (vetiveer), with butter or ghee (clarified butter to us) melted on them. Nigella seeds are commonly added to naan as cooked in Indian restaurants throughout the UK.
Raisins and spices can be added to the bread to add to the flavor. Naan can also be covered with various toppings of meat, vegetables or cheese. This version is sometimes prepared as fast or street foods. It can also be dipped into such soups as "dal" (a thick soup of dried lentils, peas or beans) and
goes well with sabzis (also known as shaakh) which are different types of rice dishes (I've some recipes listed in belinadventures.blogspot you can refer to by using the search bar at the top left and are mentioned in Iranian Food and are nothing short of amazing!)Now you see why I love tangents? You never know where you'll end up and usually an incredible adventure awaits! Now my routine Sunday turns into something extraordinary which is just what we like. So create some tangents of your own and take an adventure for the day and pick up some new energy for the week to come. Food is a great way to energize and discover plus it can teach you about a new place, new foods, wonderful flavors and aromas that will let you mind travel to exotic places you've only dreamed about (or want to re-visit) in any case it will be a lovely journey.
Here's recipe for Naan.- Traditional recipe to produce Indian style bread.
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Warm Water at 100º F to 110º F
1 Beaten Egg
1/4 cup Dahi (Yogurt)
1 Tbsp Melted Ghee (clarified butter) or regular melted butter, EV Olive oil, etc.
1 tsp Salt
2 cups or 8 1/2 oz by weight of Un-bleached All-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups or 7 1/2 oz by weight White Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Melted Ghee for basting
2 Tbsp Nigella seeds (optional)
Four for dusting and rolling
Dough
Add sugar and yeast to warm water. Let stand 10 minutes. Add yogurt, ghee, and egg. Mix. we will call this as yeast water. Mix all the ingredients including yeast water in a bowl. Keep mixing till the dough will start to come lose off the bowl surface.
Dust a surface with flour for kneading. Transfer the dough to the floured surface. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes till it looks smooth and shiny. Gather up the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth, and let stand for 1 to 2 hours till it doubles in volume. The dough should not be raised in a hot place, the rapid rise will result in yeasty odor. The dough should not be raised in a cold area as it will take too long to rise. Ideal room temperature for dough to work will be around 80ºF (a warm spot).
Remove the dough from the bowl place it on floured work surface. Divide it into six portions. Roll each portion to form a ball. Keep the dough balls covered to prevent from drying. Let the covered dough rest for 30 minutes.
Pre heat oven to 450 ºF. Naan is not rolled out with rolling pin. (I roll it out gently) Instead, it is patted and stretched by hand to triangular shape, resembling a slice of 16" pizza. The thickness of Naan is about 3 Nickels (5¢ coins). (I left this "measurement" in because I love it, when had you heard this before?) Brush the top of the rolled Naan with melted Ghee. Sprinkle some Nigella seeds. Press down with hand. Grease a baking sheet. Put the Naan on the baking sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat until all the Naan have been baked.
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Just in case you got some motivation and are up to a challenge: You can use the smaller quantity for less flavor or the high end measurement if you want more flavor, your choice.
TRUE CHICKEN TIKA MASALA.- A meal fit for a king!
Marinade - First Preparation:
500 - 600g, about 1/2 Kilo Chicken thigh meat, boneless, cut into cubes
2 Tbl lemon juice
6-10 garlic cloves
1/2 - 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 - 1 tsp Coriander, ground
1/2 - 1 tsp Garam Masala (can be store bought or make your own, see below)
1- 1 1/2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
2-4 Tbl Yogurt, plain
2-4 Tbl oil
Salt to taste
Tika Masala:
2 Tbl oil
1 onion, large, chopped
1-2 tsp ginger, minced or grated (ginger paste)
1/2 - 1 tsp Turmeric, ground (Turmeric Powder)
2-3 tsp Coriander, ground (Coriander Powder)
1-2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1-2 Tbl Tomato Paste
1/4 - 1/2 cup tomatoes, canned or 2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup fresh cream
1/4 -1/2 tsp garam masala
Cilantro leaves, a handful, chopped
Salt to taste
Water
Skewers
Naan
Rice, Basmati
In a large bowl place the chicken pieces. Rub with the lemon juice and salt well. Marinate for at least 10 minutes in the fridge. While the chicken is in the fridge, put the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala, chili powder and yogurt in a blender and process until smooth. Add this paste to the chicken. Add the oil and mix everything well. Marinate this mix for at least 30 minutes, it's even better if you leave it overnight in the fridge.
When you're ready, preheat the grill. Thread the chicken onto the skewers and grill, turning every now and then for about 15-20 minutes until done. Remove the chicken from the skewers and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pan, use med-high heat and add the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes and then add ginger and saute. Once it's aromatic add the turmeric, coriander, paprika and red chili. Stir well for a minute or two. Now add the tomato paste and fry to remove the raw taste for a minute, add the tomatoes and saute until they get really mushy and soft. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat so you can simmer for 2-4 minutes.
Now add lemon juice and cream, then add enough water to make a nice thick sauce and season with some salt. Watch the heat so you can simmer for 3-5 minutes and you can add a little more water if needed. Now you add the garam masala and cilantro leaves and heat through. You can add the grilled chicken and garnish with more cilantro leaves on top. When you serve, put some naan or roti and some rice. Enjoy!
Make your own Garam Masala:
Black Peppercorns, 2 1/2 tsp
Cloves, 6
Cinnamon sticks, 10 1 inch sticks
Green cardamom. 4 g
Mace, 1 blade
Coriander seeds, 4 Tbl
Cumin seeds, 3 Tbl
Nutmeg, grated, 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
In a large, heavy pan, roast the spices one by one taking care not to burn them but they should be aromatic. Once cooled, use a spice grinder to grind to a fine powder and store in an air tight jar. It's best to not make too much unless you use it often since fresh spices are always more flavorful. This is just a guide and each makes their own combination based on personal taste.
There you have it, a complete meal. I just heard the timer go off for the garbanzo beans so I will open the bomb and insure they have the consistency I'm looking for, the rest of the meal will come together quickly so no worries. Guess I'll do the homework first and then I can enjoy making the meal a little later. Sending everyone warm wishes and our best regards. Talk soon...
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