Monica's Chicken Curry

Monica’s Chicken Curry

Indian food is not something we were very familiar with, but had always wanted to learn more about.  Luckily for us, Greer grew up with a family from India (and quite skilled at cooking).  After several scheduling attempts, we met with family and friends at Monica’s house for a demonstration.  Again, knowing very little about Indian food and flavors, we were surprised to find the basic ingredients were ones we were very familiar with and used regularly.  A flavor profile that had seemed exotic now seemed approachable as we could see and taste ties into Mexican, Mediterranean and Southeast Asian flavors.  We always enjoy cooking classes; add friends and family and you get a great night with a great memory to accompany future meals.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

¼ C Canola oil

1 tsp Cumin Seed

2 White onions, diced

4 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped

2 Curry Leaves

½ tsp Tumeric

½ tsp Ground Coriander

½ tsp Cayenne

½ tsp Ground Cloves

½ tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Ground Cardamom

3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 Jalapeño, finely chopped

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into ~1” cubes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cilantro for garnish

Directions

In a 5.5 quart French oven on medium heat add oil and cumin seed, cook until the seeds pop and you can smell the cumin (2-3 minutes).  Be careful not to burn the seeds.  Make the curry base by adding onion, garlic, ginger and curry leaves; sauté until the onions are well colored (12-15 minutes).

Add the spices, tomatoes and jalapeño to the base and stir until well mixed.  Add cubed chicken and water for desired thickness; cover and cook until chicken is cook through (~5-7 minutes).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with basmati rice.

Cost

Onions $2.02

Garlic $0.15

Ginger $0.20

Spices $0.75

Tomatoes $2.54 

Chicken $4.97

Cilantro $0.25

Total: $10.88

Per serving: $2.72

This will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheats well.