Vij's Cilantro-Mint Chicken Curry: is it "the one"?

I've posted probably two hundred or more recipes on the blog in the last 4+ years. I've made dozens more things that didn't make the cut because I truly do care about your tastebuds. Out of those couple hundred or so recipes there's been a few dozen show stoppers. Those all too rare restaurant quality moments. Whittling it down further you get to the "Oh my f*cking god this is good" meals, which also will invariably entail swooning and eyes rolling to the back of the head. The foodgasms if you will. Like that other kind of "gasm", some are better than others.

This recipe from the greatest Indian restaurant in North America, Vij's in Vancouver, B.C., falls squarely into the last category, a "how did you do that and would you do it again?" sort of eating experience. Out of the several hundred recipes I've posted, could this be "the one"? Well, if it isn't the one, it is definitely one of the two or three best things I've ever made, fully deserving of the bold face type. As soon as I had the first bite I couldn't wait to make it again for friends to knock them on their asses. It is phenomenally good, so incredibly deep and complex. Vij's cookbook is a source of inspiration that should be in every cook's library. Not only are the few things I've made from it as good as what you have in their mind blowing restaurant, but usually they are also incredibly easy. As far as ease of prep and cooking, this would fall into the "ridiculously simple" column. To give yourself or some very deserving friends a sensory thrill ride, you must make this....soon!!
***** ***** *****
Vij's Cilantro-Mint Chicken Curry
From "Vij's Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine"

ingredients:
Cilantro-Mint Chutney
2 cups cilantro, chopped
2/3 cup mint, chopped
2 jalapenos, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
1/3 teaspoon asafoetida (you can find this in any Indian market, or some specialty grocers)
1 cup water

Curry
½ cup canola oil
1.5 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seed
3 tablespoons garlic , crushed
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt, stirred
3 lbs chicken thighs, bone in
3 cups basmati rice, cooked

method:
for chutney:
Mix cilantro leaves and stems, mint, jalapeño peppers, onions, ginger, and asafoetida in a large bowl. Pour one third of this mixture into a blender with 1/3 cup of water. Purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat two more times with remaining cilantro-mint mixture and water. You should have a smooth green chutney. Set aside while you prepare curry.

for curry:
Heat oil in a heavy, shallow pot (make sure it has a tight fitting lid) on medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add cumin and coriander seeds and allow them to sizzle for about 30 seconds (the cumin will actually sizzle, the coriander will just cook) Add garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Stir in the salt. Turn off the heat and after 2 to 3 minutes stir in the yogurt. Add chicken thighs and stir well. Turn the heat to medium, then cover and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove curry from the heat and cool about 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a bowl. Peel chicken off bones. The size of the chicken pieces doesn't matter but do not shred them. Discard the bones and stir chicken back into the curry. Stir in the cilantro mint chutney. About 15 minutes before serving bring curry to a boil on medium heat. Turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.

Place 1/2 cup or so rice in a bowl and ladle chicken curry over the rice.

note: when you cook the cumin and coriander the oil will probably start to smoke very near the end. Assuming the smoke isn't rolling out of the pot, don't worry, it is just the spices cooking and you'll be turning off the heat soon. It adds a real lightly smoky character to the spice flavor.- bb

update: after just having some leftovers 2 days later, this is one of those meals that while still delicious doesn't improve the next day. It loses a bit of the über-fresh cilantro-mint punch. Like I said, still good, but not quite the impact.- bb

Lucky 7: Shrimp Curry with rice

Are you of the "simple is better" school of cooking? Me too...depending.
There are times when I want to complicate my life in the kitchen
(mainly pre C-boy), throwing various meaty bits & other goodness into a pot for a slow braise. Other times, not so much. This absurdly satisfying shrimp curry recipe definitely attends the "not so much" school. Seven ingredients. That's it. I've made cocktails that had more ingredients. Oh, and it took about 20 minutes to throw together. You have twenty spare minutes, don't you? Well, if you're like me trying to keep a four month old entertained while you cook, just barely. The rest of you, get cooking, because this dish killed it. It supposedly makes enough for four. However, once w and I started in we couldn't stop ourselves and pretty much ate the whole damn thing. Plan accordingly!
*** *** *** *** ***
Shrimp Curry with Rice
adapted from Bon Appétit

yield: Serves 4 (maybe)

ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoon curry powder
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup bottled clam juice
3 tablespoons mango chutney

Cooked white rice
Chopped green onions

method:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to skillet and sauté until
almost opaque in center, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer
shrimp to bowl. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to skillet. Add onion and
sauté 3 minutes. Sprinkle with curry powder. Stir until onion is tender,
about 1 minute longer. Add cream, clam juice and chutney. Boil until sauce
is thick enough to coat spoon, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Return shrimp and any collected juices to skillet. Cook until shrimp are
just opaque in center, about 1 minute longer.
Spoon rice onto plates. Top with shrimp, sauce and green onions.

NOTE: the recipe called for serving this with small bowls of chopped peanuts, toasted coconut, raisins and chopped bell pepper. I used the roasted cashews and red bell pepper I had on hand. I highly recommend the additional options!

Salmon Tikka: phat, not fat!

Sure Jamie Oliver's overexposed. And yes it seems you can't look at a bookstore's cookbook shelf without seeing another tome from him with his carefully tousled hair and doughy mug staring out at you. BTW- have you noticed how much weight he's put on since his Food Network days? For someone who espouses healthy eating in children he has the look of a guy on a one man crusade to decimate the fish and chip population of the world. Hell, I'd be worried about letting Colman get too close to him for fear he might take a bite out of him! Taking all that into account, I have to admit that I still like the guy. He still has that "don't take this all too seriously" charm, and I respect his work with kids. Plus, the dude can undoubtedly cook. I came across his salmon tikka recipe on the Washington Post food page, made it last night for w and I while the lad slept, and we loved it. Very flavorful, about 20 minutes start to finish, and I was gobsmacked about the work/reward ratio. In other words, as my British friends would say (if I had British friends, that is) it was a doddle!

"I won't stop banging on me drums until I get a whole fried halibut,
some bangers and mash, an order of chips and 3 bloody liters of ale, you pikers!"

*** *** *** *** ***
Salmon Tikka
adapted from Jamie Oliver

serves 2
ingredients:
2 naan breads
1 fresh red chilli
½ a cucumber
1 lemon
4 tablespoons natural yoghurt
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few sprigs of fresh coriander
2 x 1/2 lb. salmon fillets, skin on,scaled and bones removed
1 heaped tablespoon Patak’s tandoori curry paste (I couldn't find the tandoori and used the regular Patak Madras curry paste. worked just fine- bb)
olive oil

method:
-Preheat your oven to 110°C/225°F/gas ¼
-Pop your naan breads into the oven to warm through
-Halve, deseed and finely chop your chilli
-Peel and halve your cucumber lengthways, then use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds
-Roughly chop the cucumber and put most of it into a bowl
-Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice from one half into the bowl
-Add the yoghurt, a pinch of salt and pepper and half the chopped chilli
-Pick the coriander leaves and put to one side

-Slice each salmon fillet across lengthways into three slices
-Spoon the heaped tablespoon of tandoori paste into a small dish, then use a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to smear the tandoori paste all over each piece (don’t dip your pastry brush into the jar!)
-Heat a large frying pan over a high heat
-Once hot, add a lug of olive oil, put the salmon into the pan and cook for about 1½ minutes on each side, until cooked through

-Place a warmed naan bread on each plate
-Top each one with a good dollop of cucumber yoghurt and 3 pieces of salmon
-Scatter over a little of the reserved cucumber, chilli and coriander leaves and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice

Family secret revealed: Vij Family's Chicken Curry

I've written before (click here to read all the salivatory details) about our trip to the North American mecca of Indian food that is Vij's Restaurant in Vancouver, BC. There all is sub-continental and sublime. Before we had left w had picked up a copy of the Vij's Cookbook, which until our visit we hadn't cracked. Since then I am constantly looking for inspiration within. Last week w stated that she had the desire for Indian. Me, always being eager to please, knew just where to turn. But when so much opportunity presents itself, where to start? This seemed as good as anyplace. I mean if it is good enough for Vij's family, and his own mother made it, you think it isn't worthy? Me neither. One bite in, you'll agree. With the other things I've made from the Vij's Cookbook (like this fabulous coconut curried vegetable side), this has remarkably complex flavors that are coaxed out of very few ingredients (that is a few of the key spices at right). The key is each ingredients is so flavorful, that the whole coats your tastebuds in savory pleasure. This is tremendously easy to put together, and so rewarding. One final word: be prepared as feelings of inner peace and happiness are soon to be yours!
*** *** *** *** ***
Vij Family's Chicken Curry

ingredients:
½ cup canola oil
2 cups finely chopped onions (2 large)
3-inch stick of cinnamon
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 cups chopped tomatoes (2 large)
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3 pounds chicken thighs, bone in
1 cup sour cream, stirred
2 cups water
½ cup chopped cilantro (including stems)

method:
1-In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat for one minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and sauté for five to eight minutes, until onions are golden. Add garlic and sauté for four more minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne. Cook this masala for five minutes, until the oil separates.

the masala coming together.... and smelling SO good!

2-Remove and discard skin from the chicken thighs. Wash thighs and add to the masala. Stir well. Cook chicken thighs for 10 minutes, until the chicken looks cooked on the outside. Add sour cream and water and stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring two or three times, until chicken is completely cooked. Poke the thighs with a knife. If the meat is still pink, cook for five more minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Cool curry for at least half an hour.

the chicken after the addition of sour cream & water

3-Transfer cooked chicken to a mixing bowl. Wearing latex gloves, peel chicken meat off the bones. Discard bones and stir chicken back into the curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly. Stir in cilantro. Divide curry evenly among six bowls.
Serves 6

Curried Duck Legs With Ginger and Rhubarb

I would never claim to be the most insightful guy out there when it comes to food, but some things I just know. I know, for instance, that at some point today I'm going to look across the street from my desk at the wine shack at Kiko's taco truck (that's the view from my desk at VINO at left) and think that a carnitas taco is going to make me incredibly happy. I also know that just one taco will not be enough. I also knew, as soon as I read it, that the curried duck leg recipe I saw in the NY Times recently was going to be money. How could it not be? Duck, which is good. A curry sauce, which I always love. And unusually flavored with rhubarb, which is all over the markets now. You don't need to be The Amazing Kreskin to know this was very promising.

The article in the NYT was written by Melissa Clark, where she was extolling the virtues of using rhubarb, and had three different recipes to prove its versatility. She was making a duck curry from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe, and brilliantly came up with the idea to use naturally acidic rhubarb in place of the called for vinegar. Talk about insightful! This was unbelievably delicious. She nailed it when she wrote "...the rhubarb melted into the sauce, thickening it and lending a deep and delightfully piquant flavor." I absolutely loved it, as did our friends Denise & Keith. Very easy to pull together, and if you can find duck legs she says you can also sub chicken legs (Clark says the sauce will be "slightly less rich"). Another 'wow" dish that I would make again in a heartbeat!
*** *** *** *** ***
Curried Duck Legs With Ginger and Rhubarb
from Melissa Clark
ingredients:
4 pounds whole duck legs, with thighs (about 8), or whole chicken legs (5 or 6)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, diced (about 4 cups)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 4-inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 pound rhubarb, sliced 1/2 -inch thick (2 cups)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Chopped fresh cilantro or chives, for garnish.

method:
1. Using kitchen shears, trim away all fat and skin that hangs from sides of duck legs, leaving only skin on top of meat. Toss duck legs with 1 teaspoon salt.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over high heat. Add as many duck pieces as fit easily. Brown on one side, about 7 minutes. Turn and brown other side. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat if necessary.

3. While duck browns, combine 1 cup onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, vinegar, cayenne, turmeric, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water in a blender, and process until smooth.

4. When duck is done, spoon out all but about 2 tablespoons of fat from skillet. Add remaining onions and a large pinch of salt. Sauté until soft, 5 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes.

the duck beginning its braise

5. Add coconut milk and 2 cups water, and bring to a simmer. Add rhubarb, brown sugar, duck legs and any juices that may have accumulated in bowl. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 1 hour, turning duck pieces halfway through. Uncover pan, turn duck again, and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

6. Spoon fat off sauce and serve duck or, better, chill duck overnight and degrease sauce before reheating all on a low flame. Serve garnished with cilantro or chives.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
##### ##### #####
one year ago today @ E.D.T.: Bar Avignon opens in Portland. I rejoice! BTW-their one year anniversary party is June 28th!

Leftover relief: Curried Chicken Salad

In the laboratory of leftovers that our fridge tends to become, where unidentifiable science experiments lurk beneath every plastic storage container, the one thing that I never worry about becoming the next domestic Superfund site is roast chicken. There are so many ways to go with any bits of bird remaining from dinner. w and I love roast chicken sandos taken to work. There is the stupendous satisfaction that is this tomatillo verde enchilada recipe, where almost any meaty remains can find salvation. One thing I hadn't made in years, only for the reason that my mind seems to be able to hold only so much culinary inspiration, is curried chicken salad. The cool thing about this, besides it satisfies that craving for Indian food with every bite, is that there are so many ways to go. Add grapes, raisins, apples, chopped mangos, or any number of additives. It all tastes good. This recipe I cobbled together from epicurious, with a couple of deletions/additions of my own. Do what you will with those mystery containers in the chilly confines of your coolers, but don't ever let a good bird go to waste!
*** *** *** *** ***
Curried Chicken Salad

This works great on sandwiches, some salad greens, or all by itself for a healthy snack after a workout.

ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds chicken
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain yogurt
4 to 5 teaspoons curry powder to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium red onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 cup red seedless grapes (5 ounces), halved
method:
Chop chicken into 1/2"-ish cubes. Whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, curry, lime juice, honey, ginger, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken, onion, grapes, and stir gently to combine. Adjust curry seasoning. Use as you will!

Note: feel free, as I said above, to add whatever combo of fruit/nuts you desire. That is the fun of this. Go through your cupboards and be creative!
The recipe called for adding chopped roasted-salted cashews to the salad when you mix it up. We add them at the last minute to our salads or sandwiches so they don't become soggy and they lend a terrific crunchy/salty texture.

Eating Vancouver '09: food insanity, pt.2-the Church of Vij's

We've all had Indian food. Probably fairly decent Indian food. It's one of w and my favorite cuisines. Complex flavors, pungent spices...even the vegetarian dishes are some of the best things I've eaten. Then there's Vij's in Vancouver, BC. I thought I had a pretty good handle on how good sublime sub-continent cooking could be. Turns out I'm not so well informed and I blame our dinner at Vij's for bursting that bubble. We'd read about Vij's and the incredible food rumored to be flowing out of the kitchen. We have the Vij's cookbook. Many of our friends who had been to the 'Couv were salivating as they told us we HAVE to go. So we went. We knew about the "get there at opening or you wait 1-1/2 hours" thing. We didn't and we waited (although a good part of that wait was spent in a very cool nearby wine bar, Bin 942). There are very few dinners worth waiting 90 minutes for, but I would wait for this again in a heartbeat. In fact, going to Vij's alone is almost worth an overnight trip from Portland. Crazy food, absurdly flavorful, awesome service. One thing we noticed as we looked around is that the whole staff is women. Kitchen, floor staff, host. Our server explained that when Vikram Vij opened the restaurant, he put his new wife Meeru in charge of the kitchen. In a confined space where bodies are constanly bumping into noe another, it wouldn't have worked to have men being in contact with women, so an all-woman kitchen staff evolved, and it seems to have carried over to the front. Now I don't know if this is the reason or not (it is according to our server), but the whole restaurant exudes this calm aura. There's no tension in the air, just seamless attention to detail. I've always said if I opened another restaurant I would absolutely hire a female chef. It's a rare male chef who doesn't let his testosterone-driven ego get in the way. This only reaffirms that observation.

Enough of that, it's time to focus on what's important. So here's the Vij's show-and-tell. May I suggest you lean away from your keyboards to keep from drooling all over your keys.....

Our first appetizer, Spicy Ground Cricket Paranta with tomato-onion chutney and celeriac salad. The flour for the flatbread is actually made partially from ground crickets! It was delicious, and the chutney was so flavorful, and they gave us a little bowl of whole fried crickets (pic at top left) which we sprinkled on top. They were delicious, witha salty crunch. Here's a pic of the way to get your insect on (take that Bourdain!):

next up....

This was a pungent, incredibly spiced Jackfruit in a black cardamom and cumin masala. The jackfruit had pineapple-like texture, and the sweet fruit and spiciness were, of course, perfect together.

Our server highly recommended we order this app, BC Spot Prawns (fresh off the boat that morning she said) with spinach and mung sprouts in a coconut and lemon curry. She was correct. The shrimp was so bright and fresh, and a lemon infused curry is obviously something I need to experiment with!

w ordered the Marinated and Grilled Sablefish with grilled zucchini in a mango reduction. Read that again and you'll know all you need to know about how amazingly delicious this was: "grilled fish in mango reduction". Of course when you have a mastery of Indian spices and know just what to add, it helps. A beautifully cooked piece of fish, moist and tender, dredged through the sauce it absolutely pops in your mouth!

My pick was their Wine Marinated Lamb Popsicles (what do you think of that dds? The Greek's don't have a monopoly on lamb "popsicles"!) in a fenugreek cream curry on turmeric spinach potatoes. This was simply stunning (although w said the same thing about her sablefish, and it was). The lamb was a wonderful, juicy medium-rare, the cream curry was silky smooth and defines "understated", yet it filled my mouth with so much flavor. A ridiculous combination that as I look at the picture, I know it is something I MUST have again!

For wine we ordered a bottle of Hugel Sylvaner, a crisp, delicious Alsatian white that was spot on with all the different flavors. w considers, and I can only agree, that this is one of the best meals of any kind we have ever had. Brilliant, stunning cooking in a serene settting. This is why I can only feel blessed to be able to have an experience like this. If Tojo's was food as art, this is food as religion.

Fresh Vegetable Curry; ger ready to riff!

You just know it when something doesn't sound quite right. Examples abound. Giving Chrysler several billion dollars to flush down the toilet? Come on, would you trust anyone who produced the PT Cruiser? Sending Mario Batali AND Gywneth Paltrow to run around annoying the country of Spain? What, did someone in Spain piss off an PBS producer at some point? I could go on. For our purposes though I'll relate it to this recipe. I've had this Food and Wine Magazine article that has had several delicious Indian dishes (here and here for example) filed away for some time, meaning to make this fresh veg curry. But it just didn't seem to have enough kick in its original version. Indian food is all about vivid, complex flavors. The FandW version had maybe two strong flavoring agents.. As w says, any good Indian dish has to have at least, at a minimum, three and hopefully more of the basics: chili pepper, cumin, cayenne, ginger, turmeric, etc. The recipe below, which paired beautifully with a perfect piece of grilled wild sockeye salmon, fills that bill nicely. It is easy, wildly adaptable to various veggie ingredients (I subbed fresh spring asparagus for their suggested green beans), and beats the hell out of some steamed broccoli!

*** *** *** *** ***
Fresh Vegetable Curry
adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely julienned fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
1 jalapeño, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
One 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup water
Kosher salt
3 carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash (neck only), peeled and cut into 1-by-1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 to 1 pound fresh asaparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
Basmati rice, for serving


method:
1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion, ginger, jalapeño and bay leaves and cook over moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and mash lightly until just beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and water; season with salt. Bring to a boil.

2. Add the carrots, cover and simmer over low heat until crisp-tender, about 12 minutes. Add the squash and beans, cover and simmer until tender, 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Serve with basmati rice.

Eating Indian: Pork Vindalho

Many things India-related escape me. I don't get cricket. I've only been to two yoga classes so my cosmic consciousness probably isn't quite where it should be. I've never seen a Bollywood movie....I didn't even see Slumdog Millionaire. Beef is apparently unacceptable. But the rest of the food...my universal language of choice...now that I get!

From chef David Anderson of Portland's Vindalho Restaurant, this pork vindalho is absolutely sensational. I first tasted this amazing subcontinent creation at a beer dinner I attended at Vindalho and was enthralled. Why? First off it's braised pork shoulder, my current favorite cut of meat. Add to that an amazing melange of freshly toasted and ground spices (in the pic at left) that are the definition of sensory overload, give it all a few hours in the oven for magical things to happen and prepare for feelings of intense pleasure. For some working on their yoga sastra will help them connect. For me the path to true enlightenment is marked with platefuls of vindalho!
*** *** *** *** ***
Pork Vindalho
From David Anderson/Vinadlho Restaurant

ingredients:
1/2 ounce dried arbol chilies, stems removed
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons fenugreek seed
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in the mortar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
Toast chilies and the whole spices separately.
Cool and combine in a bowl. Grind together in
a coffee grinder.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced (about 2 cups)
¾ cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne
5 pounds boneless pork shoulder,
cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
3 cups water
Salt to taste

method:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Heat half the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until brown and caramelized, about 30-40 minutes. Drain the onions and cool on a plate. Puree onions in the blender with a splash of the vinegar to form a smooth paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add ground spices, turmeric, cayenne, and the rest of the vinegar and blend together.

agents of flavor: the onion paste mixed with the spices

Heat the rest of the oil in a heavy pot. Salt the pork, brown in batches, and set aside. Set heat to medium and combine ginger, garlic, and spice paste and fry for a few seconds. Add the water and salt and bring mixture to a simmer.

the mix right before the pork goes in. LOVE that color!

Add pork to spice mixture, cover, and bake in the oven for at least two and a half hours (checking occasionally to see if there is enough liquid) until the pork is very tender. If liquid is needed, add smallamounts of water at a time. To serve, ladle pork and spices into a bowl and serve with a side of rice.

EATER'S NOTE: This dish kicked ass right off the bat, but we finished it two nights later and it was even better. The spices and other flavors all came together beautifully. So I would think it might be best, if you can plan it, to make it one day and have it the next. I reheated it at 350* for about 30-40 minutes.

Regional Recipes: Goan Shrimp Curry

I've mentioned this dish a couple of times before (here and here), and both times it has been freakishly good. I'm mentioning it again as it is my entry in the Regional Recipes blogging event over at Blazing Hot Wok, where authoress/Regional Recipes El Jefe Darlene has chosen the food of India for this month's theme.

I got this recipe from NY Times author Elaine Louie who was doing a One Pot column last year, where food you can make in, you guessed it, one pot, was featured. This is a recipe from NY chef Suvir Saran who makes it at his restaurant Devi. The state of Goa where Saran had this, is India's smallest, and known for its fiery cuisine. Every time I've had it I'm reminded of how with the simplest prep, Indian food delivers such huge flavor. If you haven't made this, then might I suggest you give your palate a thrill!
*** *** *** *** ***

Goan-Style Shrimp Curry
Adapted from Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur, Devi

Time: 25 minutes

ingredients:
1 1/3pounds large shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/8teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4cup canola oil
4 dried red chilies
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

method:
1. Place shrimp in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and refrigerate.

Chilis, onion, and ginger creating aromatic magic!



2. In a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine oil and chilies and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Add ginger, onion, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, ground coriander and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes. Stir, scraping sides and bottom of pot, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.

The skillet of steaming curry deliciousness just before stirring in the cilantro.


4. Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and add shrimp. Bring to a simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro. If desired, serve with rice.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.
Cooks note: in her article, Louie mentions how Suvi Saran, who created the dish "sometimes poaches scallops and salmon in the sauce, or blends it with potatoes, cauliflower and green beans." In other words, feel free to riff off the basic sauce.

"Efficient" Indian Cooking: Lamb Rogan Josh

Now this is one of those names that I just don't get, and I'm sure...or not... it has some meaning to some Brit named Josh Rogan, but I'm too lazy to google it right now, so if anyone can (or cares to) enlighten, please do. In any event, this is a recipe I got out of Food and Wine Magazine, and it's another example of how to get max complexity and flavor out of something that requires very little effort. I've read several other recipes for this classic dish online, and most call for much more toasting of spices and melding and mixing and other culinary gymnastics that if I can bypass, I will. I'm not lazy, just efficient! Also this was an article called Easy Indian that took complex Indian dishes and remade them for laz....er, efficient cooks like myself. And I have to say that this is an absolutely fantastic version...even though I've never had it before, but I can't imagine that it could get much better than this. Although I changed their browning instructions in the recipe below from what they called for because their advice to brown the pieces for "10-12 minutes" was, well, fucked up. I judge a lot of dishes I make by asking if they're "restaurant worthy", meaning would I be happy if I was served this out someplace. This one answers that with an emphatic "Hell yes!" with its rich, creamy, spicy sauce, slightly sweet onion, and tender lamb chunks. And enxt time I won't forget to pick up the IPA on the way home!
Okay, I just looked it up on the ever (ahem) "reliable" wikipedia. They said: "Rogan josh is an aromatic curry dish popular in India. Rogan means clarified butter in Persian, while Josh means hot or passionate. Rogan Josh thus means meat cooked in clarified butter at intense heat. Rogan Josh was brought to India by the Moghuls. The unrelenting heat of the Indian plains took the Moghuls frequently to Kashmir, which is where the first Indian adoption of Rogan Josh occurred."
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Lamb Rogan Josh
Recipe by Vikram Sunderam

from F&W: “Chef Way Vikram Sunderam relies on plenty of spices, like cardamom, cloves and cumin, to flavor this succulent lamb stew (the name translates roughly into “red lamb”).
Easy Way: Use Madras curry powder, a spice blend, in place of the individual spices.”

active time: 35 min
total time: 1 hr 45 min
servings: 4 to 6

ingredients:
1/4 cup canola oil
2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt
2 onions, thinly sliced (3 cups)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
One 14-ounce can tomato puree
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 cups water
1 teaspoon garam masala
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Basmati rice and warm naan, for serving

method:
1. In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Season the lamb with salt and cook (in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the lamb, because you know lambs hate crowds-bb) over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is browned, about 5 minutes per batch; using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.

2. Add the onions to the casserole and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, curry, turmeric, cayenne and bay leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato, yogurt and water; bring to a boil. Season with salt.

3. Return the lamb and any juices to the casserole. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the lamb is very tender, 1 hour. Stir in the garam masala; cook for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice and naan.
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one year ago today @ E.D.T: Hog Island is Oyster Heaven!

God bless leftovers!

Goan Shrimp Curry, aka Sunday morning brunch at our house! Luckily w's friends weren't so hungry that they finished every bite when she took it over to her friend's girl's dinner. Which made for us a perfect, flavor packed start to our day. Click on the link above and try this one at home. Just so you know, it works really at well at dinner, too!
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: Food scientist Harold McGee explains that least understood cooking ingredient, heat!

Green Chicken Masala: does deliciousness get any easier?

What else would I talk about on Thanksgiving Day, that most American of holidays, but an absolutely delicious Indian dish, Green Chicken Masala, that w and I threw down the other night. It is also yet another reason I have piles of old food magazines laying by my side of the bed. w gave me the "honey, your magazines are kind of scattered around the floor there" which really means pick your shit up. So with my selfish need to satisfy my constant hunger cleverly disguised as an interest of preserving marital harmony I have been ripping and tearing out recipes, which is what led to this most delicious of dinners out of a recent Food and Wine rag. Every country has it's version of chicken and green chili sauce...except the U.S. of course with our distinct lack of indigenous cuisine... pollo verde probably the most familiar to our domesticated palates. This is the subcontinents answer...or perhaps precursor. The cilantro-mint-chili sauce alone (in the unretouched, über-green photo at top) just explodes with intense aromas out of the blender and is vibrantly beautiful to look at. This comes together so easily, and is a REALLY fabulous, complex tasting plate of food, that you need to spring on those you love!
The finished product, that despite its somewhat somewhat regurgitated baby food look, is simply awesome!
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Green Chicken Masala
from Food and Wine Magazine

ingredients:
2 cups cilantro leaves
1 cup mint leaves
1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Kosher salt
Basmati rice, for serving
directions:
1. In a blender, combine the cilantro, mint, jalapeño, garlic, lemon juice and water and puree until smooth.

sautéing the onions, chicken, and turmeric











stirring the sauce just after adding the cilantro-mint-chili and coconut milk combo

2. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and turmeric and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden in spots, about 7 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add the cilantro puree and coconut milk, season with salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is slightly reduced and the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve with basmati rice.
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one year ago today at E.D.T.: my favorite movie of 2007 plus I give you the best damn meatloaf ever!

Hong Kong: Chungking Mansions

There was so much to do and see...and eat...on our recent trip to China, that it was impossible to post it all as it happened, because that would have cut into my eating time. There are still a couple of things I'll get to, so if you find yourselves in Hong Kong, there are delicious destinations to keep in mind. Today, I have to mention that in the midst of our Chinese food frenzy, we were both feeling the need for a break. Before we left we had read about a building called the Chungking Mansions, which supposedly housed many of the best Indian restaurants (which are ironically called a "mess" in this gritty setting) on the Kowloon side of the harbor in Tsim Sha Tsui. If you find yourself there, forget everything you think of when you think of the western definition of "mansion". In Hong Kong, mansion refers to usually large...really large...residential building, most of which look like they've seen much better days. Chungking Mansions is famous for its mix of businesses on the lower, non-residential floors, which house businesses that cater to the ethnic minorities of Hong Kong like Indians, Pakistanis, Africans, etc. Higher up are residential units and super-cheap youth hostels.

Walking in the front entrance, you are immediately greeted by a seeming chaotic mass of businesses, with crowded corridors branching off packed with electronic store, money exchange places, clothing merchants, food stalls of every ethnic stripe, except seemingly Chinese. It's absolutely fascinating, like you're in some movie set, where everything is available. We wandered around trying to find one place we read about, but not surprisingly after taking the elevator to one of the upper floors had no clue where to look. We ended up on about the second floor, walking past stores packed with cell phones and watches, travel agents and DVD sellers, and so tiny restaurants to choose from, with chairs and tables spilling out into the walkway. We finally, almost out of sheer exhaustion, picked a spot called Sher-E-Punjab, which I believe is Punjabi for really cheap, delicious food. The highlight for me was the best chana masala (right) I've ever had, EVER! So rich and tomatoey and complex. Wow! Absolutely fantastic. I wanted to lick the bowl clean, but luckily they also supplied with is perfect garlic naan (below) so I didn't have to embarrass myself. We also had one of their curries, also incredible, and something else that I know was good, but in my post-vacation haze I have no idea what it was. Bottom line: some of the best Indian food I've ever had. Around $15 US for both of us. And this place is littered with spots that I'm betting are just like it. Absolutely worth a visit because you've never seen anything like it!

Here's a youtube video some euro made that will give you a good feel for what it is like:


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One year ago today: Warming up with this awesome Chicken Avocado Tortilla Soup!

Get your "om" on with Goan Shrimp Curry

I regularly get my zen on in the kitchen, and at the culinary ashram that is the kitchen at 1309 here in PDX we definitely were experiencing feelings of inner peace and happy fulfillment after consuming this knock out Indian curry I gleaned from Elaine Louie's "One Pot" column that runs in the NYT Wednesday dining section. This is the second of her dishes we've tried (the other being the amazing Burmese Panthay Noodles), and besides being fast and simple to prepare they have both been incredibly palate pleasing and complex, with that broad panoply of flavors that you get with so many ethnic cuisines. Last night's curry was awesome, the ginger, garlic, onion, and spices creating aromatic magic. It is just-right-spicy, with the rich tomatoey/coconut milk flavor that matched perfectly with the tender prawns. Plated with a side of rice and we had everything we needed to get our "om" going. My tummy was going "namaste" with every bite!
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Goan-Style Shrimp Curry
Adapted from Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur, Devi

Time: 25 minutes

ingredients:
1 1/3pounds large shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/8teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4cup canola oil
4 dried red chilies
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

method:
1. Place shrimp in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and refrigerate.

Chilis, onion, and ginger creating aromatic magic!



2. In a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine oil and chilies and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Add ginger, onion, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, ground coriander and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes. Stir, scraping sides and bottom of pot, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.

The skillet of steaming curry deliciousness just before stirring in the cilantro.


4. Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and add shrimp. Bring to a simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro. If desired, serve with rice.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.
Cooks note: in her article, Louie mentions how Suvi Saran, who created the dish "sometimes poaches scallops and salmon in the sauce, or blends it with potatoes, cauliflower and green beans." In other words, feel free to riff off the basic sauce.