Nemo’s Kitchen

Tonight we had a chicken curry for dinner!
I’m quite pleased that so far we have been able to stick to the menu plan and I even got the chicken out this morning to defrost! That’s great organization I must say I usually just throw the meat in frozen! Terrible…

So here is the recipe I used tonight, I invented it a just few minutes before we had to start cooking. My sister helped me with dinner tonight. It’s fun to work together in the kitchen. Get things done faster and in good company!

Ingredients: (Feeds 6)

• 1 whole chicken breast cut into small strips or chunks
• 2 potatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1 carrot, cut into tiny blocks
• 1 onion, cut into small pieces
• 1 yellow bell peppe, cut into bite size strips
• 1 hand-full of frozen green beans, broken into bite size lengths
• 4 teaspoons hot Madras curry powder
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt, and adjust to taste
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon flour to thicken before serving
• A combination of curry spices as you prefer (cardamom, star anise, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, etc)
  see image below, i have a mixed store-bought bag, so I just take out a few different things and put them in a steel tea filter so it cooks in the pot, but can be easily removed later, since my family doesn’t like to eat the seeds and spices.

Optionals to add to curry mixture while cooking:

• 1 Chili pepper, finely cut
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam or chutney
  

Method:

1. Prepare the vegetables and chicken as described above
2. In a blender add garlic, ginger, curry powder and cayenne pepper with a cup of water and blend till fine paste
3. Add chicken, carrots, lemon juice and curry paste to a large pan or skillet and cook on high till chicken is white
4. *You can add the spices and optional chili pepper here if adding them straight in the pot
5. Add the bell pepper, onion and 1 teaspoon salt, mix and adjust water so it doesn’t dry and burn
   (i keep a glass near and add 1 to 2 glasses of water at a time to keep it moist)
6. *This is where I add the tea filter containing the spices, when I have enough water to soak through it
7. Once the onions are translucent, add the potato and green beans
8. Add 1 teaspoon salt and adjust water again, cover and cook on medium high till potatoes are soft
9. Mix yogurt, milk and optional apricot chutney or jam till smooth and add to the curry, stir in and cook on low for a few minutes
10. If too liquid, mix the flour in a half glass of cold water till smooth and add it to the curry, stirring continuously till thickened
11. Let it cook for additional 2 minutes if using the flour, taste and adjust salt if necessary
12. Serve hot over cooked rice