Sunday, September 18, 2011

Excellent Chincken Vindaloo

6 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon methi seeds ( fenugreek)
5 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods, seeds only
2 dried red chilies, halved
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons oil
2 onions, diced
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger paste
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
8 curry leaves
1 cup water

Wash 6 chicken thighs. Remove the skin and excess fat and place the thighs in a large mixing bowl.
In a large nonstick frying pan put the corianderseeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, peppercorns,whole cloves, cardamom seeds, and the 2 dried red chilies. Stir-fry the whole spices over medium heat until they have lightly browned.
Put the toasted spices into a spice grinder. Add the salt, cayenne powder, turmeric and cinnamon.Powder everything together.
Put the powdered spices in the bowl with the chicken and stir to combine.
Let the chicken marinate while you cook the onions.
In the same frying pan put 4 Table. oil and the onions. Stir-fry the onions over medium heat until they are very brown.
Put the onions into a food processor or blender.Add the 1/2 cup water, vinegar, garlic cloves and ginger. Puree.
Stir the onion puree into the chicken in the large mixing bowl.
Next, put 2 Table. oil in the frying pan and themustard seeds. Heat over high heat until the mustard seeds start popping.
Add the curry leaves and quickly stir.
Add the chicken mixture from the mixing bowl (along with all of thepuree and spices). Add at leastone cup water. Stir.
Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook the chicken at least 45 minutes, until very tender, adding a little water as needed. You will need toturn the chicken over about every 10 minutes.
When the chicken is almost done, increase heat to highh and let most of the liquid evaporate until you have a thick sauce. Check for salt.
Serve with plain boiled rice, a yogurt raita and a side vegetable.
To make this dish nicer, I usually cool the curry and when it is cool enough to handle, I remove the chicken and discard the bones. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces and return it to the frying pan with the sauce. Reheat.
Variations: Sometimes you find chicken (or meat) vindaloo with potatoes. If you want to add a potato, reduce the chicken thighsto five and add a (peeled and diced) potato the last 20 minutes ofcooking. Many times this curry is served very spicy hot. If you want to have it hotter, increase the cayenne powder to at least 1 teaspoons.

Vindaloo Chicken

3 lbs skinless chicken, and jointed
2 large onions, sliced8 ounces ghee ( clarified butter)
2 green chilies, chopped
1 ounce fresh ginger, chopped finely
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 pint water
1 teaspoon salt
2 ounces desiccated coconut

Melt the ghee in a large pan and fry the onions till soft and golden.
Add the chillis, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander and garam masala, fry for 3 minutes.
Add the vinegar and water stir and add the chicken bring to the boil, cover the pan and simmer for30 minutes.
Remove the lid from the pan and boil to reduce the liquid by half.
Add the salt and coconut, replace the lid and simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Tajine Chicken with Carrots

4 chicken breasts ( or legs and thighs, or a whole chicken cut up)
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch saffron threads
1 cinnamon sticks
1 garlic cloves, chopped
black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs carrots, peeled & thickly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon honey
squeeze lemon juice

Cut the chicken breasts in half.
Place half the onions, chicken, garlic, ginger, pepper,salt, saffron and olive oil in the bottom of the tagine and mix thoroughly. Add 1/2 a cup of water and set onlow heat on the stove or 250 F in the oven.
Bring to a boil and slow simmer for 30 minutes.
Nicely arrange the remaining onion, carrots, 3tbsp each of the parsley and cilantro, and then the honey.
Stir and continue simmering uncovered for 60 minutes more until the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce.

Spiced Beef Tajine with Pumpkins and Green Peppers

1 lb stewing beef, cubed
2 tablespoons oil
2 onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch piece fresh gingerroot, grated
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup beef stock, made from a cube
salt
8 ounces pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1 pimiento, green chopped

Heat the oil in a pot ( if you have tajine use it) fry the meat, onions, garlic and ginger, cook till onions are golden.
Add the turmeric, chili powder, stir and add the stock. cover with a lid.
Simmer till meat is tender. Add the pumpkin and pimento, cook for 10 minutes adjust seasoning to taste.
Serve with couscous

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Winning Chili Recipe


Step 1
2 lbs - beef chuck tender cut into 3/8" cubes
1 tsp - cooking oil
1 tbsp - dark chili powder
2 tsp - granulated garlic

In a three quart heavy saucepan, add the above ingredients while browning the meat.

Step 2
1 - 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 - 14-1/2 oz can of beef broth
1 tsp - chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp - jalapeno powder
1 tbsp - onion powder
2 tsp - garlic powder
1/2 tsp - red pepper
1 tsp - white pepper
16 oz - spring water
1 tbsp - dark chili powder
2 - serrano peppers
1/2 tsp - salt

Combine seasonings and add to beef mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Float 2 serrano peppers.

Step 3
1 tbsp - paprika
1 pkg - Sazon seasoning (msg)
1 tsp - onion powder
1 tsp - garlic powder
1/2 tsp - white pepper
5 tbsp - medium and dark chili powders

Combine seasonings and add to beef mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. You may add water or beef broth for consistency. Remove serrano peppers when they become soft.

Step 4
2 tsp - cumin
1/8 tsp - salt

Add above ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes.

Chili Recipe from the only 2 time
Terlingua International Chili Championship Winner
Cindy Reed – Houston, TX

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Spicy Root Beer & Bourbon Baby Back Ribs

Glaze: 
2 (12-ounce) cans root beer 
2 tablespoons hot pepper jelly 
1 bay leaf 
2 tablespoons steak sauce (recommended: Emeril's Steak Sauce) 
1 teaspoon Caribbean Pick-A-Peppa sauce 
6 whole cloves 
1 stick cinnamon 
1 orange, zested and juiced 
1 lemon, zested and juiced 
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped 
2 teaspoons bitters (recommended: Angostura) 
1 cup bourbon 
1 cup sugar 


Ribs: 
4 to 5 pounds baby back ribs (2 full slabs, each cut in 1/2) 
2 tablespoons kosher salt 
1 tablespoon paprika 
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder 
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion powder 
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1/2 cup chicken stock 


Directions 
To make the glaze, place all of the ingredients for the glaze in a 6-quart pot or larger, and cook over medium-high heat. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to reduce to a glaze consistency, about 25 to 30 minutes longer. Remove the glaze from the stove and strain though a fine mesh strainer. Reserve and keep warm, until ready to use.


Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. 


 Place the ribs on a sheet pan or baking sheet. In a small mixing bowl, combine the kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir well to incorporate, and use 1 tablespoon of the spice rub to cover each of the ribs. Rub the mixture into the meat and allow it to sit undisturbed for at least 20 minutes. 


Pour the chicken stock into the sheet pan, and cover the pan with aluminum foil, making a tight seal. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are very tender. 


Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the foil and the fat and oil from the sheet pan, and allow the ribs to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust the oven to the broil setting and position the oven rack to the lowest rung. Brush the ribs with a generous coating of the glaze, about 3 tablespoons of the glaze per set of ribs. Place the sheet pan back in the oven, and broil until the ribs are browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and lay on a cutting board meaty side down. Use a sharp knife to cut the ribs apart. Serve the ribs with some of the leftover glaze on the side, if desired. 


Source: foodnetwork.com (Emeril Lagasse)

Friday, September 2, 2011

Chicken Mangalorean

2 cloves garlic
1 (1 1/2-inch) piece ginger root
2 1/2 teaspoons oil, divided
2 onions, finely diced
2 tomatoes chopped
1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick broken in 1/2
6 cardamom pods
10 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut in 2-inch pieces
1/2 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
4 to 5 dried red chiles
15 to 20 curry leaves

Combine the garlic and ginger with about one1 tablespoon water in a small food processor and process to a paste. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger paste, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken and stir. Cook 15 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and water. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the mustards seeds (be careful – they'll pop out the skillet), chiles and curry leaves. The oil should be hot enough so the curry leaves crackle and turn black right away. The chiles should also turn black. Cook no more than 3 minutes. Pour this mixture into the chicken. Simmer 5 minutes longer and serve.


* Restaurant Recipe
This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. Food Network Kitchens have not tested this recipe in the proportions indicated and therefore cannot make representation as to the results.

Source: foodnetwork.com

I was looking for a recipe similar to a dish that was a favorite of our while in Singapore. We had it (Mongolian Chicken) everytime we ate at Forture Seafood on Bukit Timah. My parents ate there at least once a week the eight years they lived there and when they left the chef gave them a list of ingredients but no instructions on how it went together. This looks somewhat similar. I'll have to give it a try.