Red Hot Chicken Curry

It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been busy with festivities (Dashain and Tihar), family and work being priorities during this time.

I’m back and hoping to share more of my culinary experiences.

I made this lovely, spicy, hot and rich curry few weeks ago. It’s a one pot wonder with spuds, mushroom and chicken. It is one of those comfort food for me. The rich, hot and thick gravy makes me warm and gives me foodcoma as I can’t resist 2nd and 3rd helpings with steam rice.

Here’s a recipe for you to warm up your cold nights .

Ingredients

1.5 kilos of whole chicken cut into pieces (with bones, skin and all)
2 medium sized onion finely sliced
2 large tomatoes cut into cubes
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
4-5 small sized whole potatoes
4-5 brown mushroom cut into quarters
5 cloves of garlic
A knob of ginger (thumb sized piece)
5 red chillies
1 quill of cinnamon
3-4 black cloves
3-4 cloves
1 tablespoon of Chilli powder
1 tablespoon of cumin powder
1 tablespoon of coriander powder
1 tablespoon of garam masala
500 ml of chicken stock (or water)
Salt to taste
4-5 tablespoons of oil
Fresh coriander for garnish

Method:
Divide chicken pieces into 2-3 batches. Heat oil in the pan and add first batch of chicken pieces to seal and sear it. Fry it for 4-5 minutes turning it once. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Repeat the same process for other batches and set aside.

In the same pan, add sliced onion and fry it until golden brown.

Add whole spices and fry it for few minutes. Then add all other spices, salt, fresh chillies and garlic ginger paste. Mix it well and fry it for few minutes in a gentle heat.

Add tomato and tomato paste and cook it for 3-5 minutes until tomato disintegrates and become thick and mushy.

Add chicken pieces, potatoes and mushroom. Stir well to mix with spices and tomato. Cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add 500 ml of chicken stock or plain water and cover the pan with lid.

Cook it for 20-25 minutes on low heat until chicken is tender and gravy is thick.

Garnish with coriander and serve with steam rice or rotis. It’s a comfort food best enjoyed on cold days.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta with pan fried Salmon

I love simple home cooking. The recipe I’m sharing today is just that. It was my dinner last night and we all enjoyed it.

My hubby loves creamy pasta and he’s been pestering me to make it. Normally I’m not a big fan of creamy pasta but that all changed when I had creamy pasta at Grand Hyatt.

We had a buffet lunch with friends and family at Grand Hyatt few years ago for my wedding reception.

The chef had to make an impromptu dish to cater my vegetarian family member. He made this luscious cream pasta that looked very appealing. When she took a first spoonful, she was so delighted. She told me to try it and when I did, it was indeed very heavenly. The creaminess and umami flavour and a little kick from chilli flakes danced in my mouth. It was out of this world.

Since then I’ve tried creamy pasta few other times but it never compared to that dish.

I’ve tried to recreate it myself at home. When I made a creamy mushroom pasta for my vegetarian family member, she absolutely loved it. So I made this again last night for whole family. It was very well received.

Here’s my try to recreate ‘that dish’.

Ingredients
500 grams of thin spaghetti pasta
500 ml of cooking cream
300 grams of chopped mushroom
1/2 cup of chopped leeks
2-3 fresh chillies finely chopped
1 and half finely chopped medium sized onion
Salt and pepper as per taste
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 bunch of chopped asparagus

Pan Fried Salmon
4 pieces of Salmon
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Put large pot of water to boil for pasta. When water boils, add a teaspoon of salt. Put pasta in the boiling water and cook if for 3-4 minutes until it’s cooked al dente.

In a pan, heat oil. Add onion and leek and sauté it for a minute.

Add mushroom and sauté it for 2 minutes. Then add cream and cook it for another 2-3 minutes. Add asparagus and chillies and salt and pepper. Stir the sauce.

Add pasta drained straight from the pot into the sauce. Add a dash of starchy hot water of the pasta.
Mix well. It can now be served as a vegetarian dish.
You can grate some Parmesan cheese on top.

For pan fried salmon, heat non stick pan and add oil. When oil is hot, put salmon pieces skin side down.

Cook for 2-3 minutes until the skin is crispy. Season salmon with some salt and turn it. Cook for another minute. It’s now ready.

Serve salmon with pasta for one simple but delicious meal.