I had a hankering for Indian food for a weeknight dinner, so I headed to the pantry to see what I could find.
I had to keep this one "semi-homemade", but I wanted to be healthy too. Here's my take on a super-duper simple chicken dish...think, Chicken Masala Light...
Saute one chopped onion until soft & translucent.
Add two chopped tomatoes and saute some more.
Add three tablespoons of garam masala, which is a spice mix containing bay leaf, coriander, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili, and more...You can definitely find it on the aisles of regular grocery stores these days. Saute for another 5 minutes or so...this "frying" of the spices really draws out the flavors.
Add 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces. Saute until meat is opaque.
Add 2 cups of water.
Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens.
Serve over rice.
The rice I used was a "Spiced Jeera Rice mix", which was basmati rice seasoned with cumin, bay leaves, black pepper, and cinnamon. Plain basmati rice would have worked well here, or even just jasmine rice.
Another dish that I am enamored with is palak paneer. Paneer is basically chunks of cottage cheese, but it does not taste like cottage cheese at all. It is cooked in a spiced spinach gravy, flavored with coriander, garlic, ginger, green chili, cumin, coriander leaves, cumin, turmeric, red chili, Fenugreek leaves, pepper, and other spices.
It looks like baby food, but is completely delicious. This pre-packaged, ready-to-eat version is more pureed than I like it, but if you ever get the chance to eat this at an Indian restaurant, please do! Spoon it on the basmati rice. Yummm.
I had to keep this one "semi-homemade", but I wanted to be healthy too. Here's my take on a super-duper simple chicken dish...think, Chicken Masala Light...
Saute one chopped onion until soft & translucent.
Add two chopped tomatoes and saute some more.
Add three tablespoons of garam masala, which is a spice mix containing bay leaf, coriander, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili, and more...You can definitely find it on the aisles of regular grocery stores these days. Saute for another 5 minutes or so...this "frying" of the spices really draws out the flavors.
Add 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces. Saute until meat is opaque.
Add 2 cups of water.
Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens.
Serve over rice.
The rice I used was a "Spiced Jeera Rice mix", which was basmati rice seasoned with cumin, bay leaves, black pepper, and cinnamon. Plain basmati rice would have worked well here, or even just jasmine rice.
Another dish that I am enamored with is palak paneer. Paneer is basically chunks of cottage cheese, but it does not taste like cottage cheese at all. It is cooked in a spiced spinach gravy, flavored with coriander, garlic, ginger, green chili, cumin, coriander leaves, cumin, turmeric, red chili, Fenugreek leaves, pepper, and other spices.
It looks like baby food, but is completely delicious. This pre-packaged, ready-to-eat version is more pureed than I like it, but if you ever get the chance to eat this at an Indian restaurant, please do! Spoon it on the basmati rice. Yummm.
Comments
Post a Comment