CHICKEN CURRY

I love Indian food! This year, I have decided to learn more about and cook more Indian food at home. Chicken curry has become a weekly staple in our house over the last several months. On the one hand it's pretty light, and on the other it is warm and spicy-real comfort food. There are a bunch of Indian restaurants near us, mostly vegetarian and not particularly very good.

A couple of years ago, I was watching a British cooking show and most of the details have escaped me, but I think someone like Gordon Ramsay was teaching families how to make their cultures traditional dishes. I have been experimenting with Indian food for a while, but one thing I got from the show really improved my curry sauce. Curry sauce generally consists of onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, tomato, chili and spices. Often you blend the onion garlic and ginger, then cook and add the remaining ingredients. This never worked for me, I could always taste raw, biting onion. So the show had the people sauté all of the veg in oil, I usually use coconut oil, until soft. Then add some water and puree. Cook the vegetables and then puree? I love it! This produces a much better flavor in my opinion.

A word on curry powder-you can buy it in any grocery store, but look for different varieties in specialty stores or gourmet markets. You can also combine turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander and cayenne to make your own.

Anyway, here's my version of curry:
1 onion, coarsely chopped or sliced
1 couple of cloves of garlic, peeled
1 two-three inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 tomatoes (canned are fine)
1/2 bunch cilantro
chile pepper to taste, chopped (I usually use 2-3 serranos)
2-4 tablespoons curry powder
1-2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk (not light) or full fat plain yogurt
2 chicken breasts (boneless & skinless), cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1/4 cup coconut oil

Place the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and chile. Sauté the vegetables until soft, then add curry powder. Stir to coat everything, then add tomatoes, cilantro and water. Simmer for about 10 minutes then blend in a blender. Return sauce to the pan and add chicken and any vegetables. Reduce heat to low, add coconut milk, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice.

COCONUT RED LENTIL SOUP

Tomorrow, I am cooking for one of my clients and I have decided to make the same dish, lamb kebabs, for us, but that still left me with nothing for tonight. After consulting with one of my favorite websites, http://www.101cookbooks.com, I decided to give this version of lentil soup a try. I love lentil soup, but this is much better than the can of Progresso that I ate as a kid. I have a similar recipe of my own, but tonight I veered off course a little.

I knew that I had lentils of every variety in my cupboard, so this was a perfect recipe. If you do not have lentils in your cupboard, you should go and get some. They are the perfect staple because they cook quickly, are really versatile and their most delightful feature is that they're cheap. Another thing about the good ol' lentil is that they are full of great nutrients, B vitamins, minerals and fiber. I promise you, you are not getting enough fiber. So stock up on lentils and start cooking!

Oh wait, just a few more things, speaking of nutrients. Ginger and the spices that go into curry powder are anti-inflammatory as well as anti-carcinogens. Coconut milk is an ingredient that I am in love with. Stay away from the low fat version, the fat is the most important part. It is also anti-inflammatory and a great source of energy.

COCONUT RED LENTIL SOUP
Heidi Swanson

1 cup / 7 oz / 200g yellow split peas
1 cup 7 oz / 200g red split lentils (masoor dal)
7 cups / 1.6 liters water
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons butter or ghee
8 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1/3 cup / 1.5 oz / 45g golden raisins
1/3 / 80 ml cup tomato paste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
one small handful cilantro, chopped

cooked brown rice or farro, for serving (optional)

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time, if you like. Or simmer longer for a thicker consistency. The thicker this soup got, the more I liked it.

Serves 6.