Рецепт Doing Indian in Native American Lands.
Before anyone gets their
knickers in a twist, let me ease your minds by stating that the title, and
subject matter, are not even close to being politically incorrect. Though we live in Utah which is most
definitely Native American lands (primarily Ute and Navajo), doesn't mean we
cannot enjoy Indian (and that is from India) cuisine. Fooled you good, did I
not? We are here to enjoy cooking, so let’s leave politics to others, shall we?
Spices and Mixes of India can be purchased online.
Now if you are familiar
with Indian cuisine, you have probably heard of, or tried, curry, tandoori and
masala. Curry is a basic term for dishes
originating not just in India or Pakistan, but Thailand, Japan and most Asian
cultures. It is a collection of spices, herbs, dried and/or fresh chile peppers
which gives a dish its particular taste and heat. Often the curry plant will be
confused as the main ingredient for curry, but this is not so. The plant
resembles lavender in structure, but smells and tastes similar to sage. I
highly recommend it for jazzing up chicken salad.
Tandoori is actually a
method of cooking using a clay, cylindrical oven called a tandoor. A most
popular dish is Tandoori Chicken, an Indian and Pakistani dish consisting of
roasted chicken prepared with yogurt and spices. Raw chicken (skin removed) is marinated in a
mixture of dahi (yogurt) and tandoori masala; a spice blend of roasted, then
ground, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon stick, bay leaves
and mace. It is seasoned and colored
with cayenne pepper, red chili powder, or Kashmiri red chili powder, plus
turmeric.
Masala is a combination of
ground spices; garam refers to the intensity of the spices, not to the heat of
the chile peppers. Also referred to as Allspice
or Jamaican pepper, its aroma is similar to clove, black pepper, nutmeg and
cinnamon. It is usually added last in
the cooking process to keep it from getting bitter if cooked too long. Do not confuse Garam Masala (spices) with
Marsala (wine), or you will be in for a big surprise if you do not enjoy spicy
food.
Garam Masala can be
purchased at online herbal and spice sites, or you can make your own at
home. If stored in an airtight
container, the powder can last up to four months. While you can use a mortar
and pestle or a blender to ground up the spices, I recommend a typical electric
coffee grinder. I have two, one for grinding up my coffee beans and one for
grinding up herbs and spices. I labeled the latter one, so my coffee does not accidentally
taste like my herbal pantry. To make Garam Masala, you are using whole seeds
and pods which will be toasted before grinding; the toasting will intensify the
flavors.
Now after making Chicken
Tikka Marsala, may I suggest a movie, for viewing, while dining? The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014), featuring
Helen Mirren, is the story of a displaced Indian family. They open an Indian cuisine restaurant across
the street from a very fancy and classy French restaurant, run by Helen
Mirren’s character. While viewers will
drool over the various recipes created throughout the movie, the story itself
will tug at the heart. There will be laughter,
sadness, smiles, anger, and at the end, a whole feel good sensation.
Basic Garam Masala
Ingredients:
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
into small pieces
4 bay leaves
1/2 cup cumin seeds
2/3 cup coriander seeds
2 Tbsp. whole black
peppercorns
1 Tbsp. whole cloves
2 small dried chile
peppers (stems removed, but not the seeds)
1/2 tsp. whole nutmeg,
broken into small pieces
1/4 tsp. ground mace
Preparation:
In a medium skillet, over
medium-high heat, add all the ingredients, except the nutmeg and mace; stir
often until the cumin seeds darken to a deep brown. Do not worry if the
ingredients crackle or smoke a little; it's all part of the toasting process.
Remove to a bowl to let
cool before grinding. Once cool, add the nutmeg and mace to the bowl; work in
batches to add the ingredients to the grinder and grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container for up to 4
months. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Chicken Tikka Masala is basically
a two part process where you would make Chicken Tikka, then make a sauce using
the Masala mixture. Feeling scared? Just think of it as making a basic meal,
for example Chicken Fried Steak, and then making the gravy for it. Same idea,
just another country's cuisine.
Chicken Tikka
Ingredients:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp minced fresh
garlic
1/2 tsp minced fresh
ginger
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp chili powder
(ancho or cayenne)
1 tsp each ground
turmeric, cardamon and fennel
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
4 boneless, skinless
chicken breast halves, cut into cubes
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
Preparation:Mix all ingredients,
except chicken and butter, in a medium bowl and transfer to large plastic
sealable bag. Add the chicken and make
sure to coat completely; seal the bag and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours; the longer
the better.
Preheat broiler; line a
large jelly roll pan with parchment paper and brush the paper with the melted
butter. Remove the chicken from the bag
and discard any excess marinade; spread the chicken out on the buttered
paper. Place under the broiler for 4 minutes;
turn chicken, broil again; remove to platter.
Makes 4 servings.
Note: this dish can be
served with jasmine or basmati rice as is.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium red onion, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
3/4 cup heavy cream
Preparation:
In a large skillet, over
medium-high heat, sauté onion until softened and edges begin to brown; add the
tomatoes and cook for 6 minutes. Add in
garam masala and heavy cream; cook for 2 minutes before adding in the prepared
Chicken Tikka. Coat all chicken in
sauce, let cook additional 3 minutes.
Serve over rice.
There you have it, Indian
cuisine that will inspire you to explore.Mary Cokenour