Spicy Chicken Curry and Naan

I am always in the mood to try a different type of cuisine or a different type of food, much to the Husband’s dismay.  All he asks for are hot dogs and Mac ‘n’ Cheese.  Talk about opposites attract, right?  Well my newest attempt at a dish not normally found in my kitchen repertoire is Chicken Curry and Homemade Naan.  I also realized that this month’s Monthly Mingle is Bollywood Cooking!  How more Bollywood can you get than Naan and Curry?

This dish ended up being WAY too hot for us, so I have modified the recipe by reducing the garlic ginger paste and red pepper flakes and then adding garlic.  This should retain the flavor while still being palatable to wimpy tongues like mine!  The Husband gave the curry a thumbs down: too hot and not a flavor he preferred.  The Naan, however, got his seal of approval.  I will admit that it was pretty tasty.  Not like the real thing, but can you expect a studio apartment to come equipped with a tandoori oven?  So don’t feed this dish to picky eaters (like the Husband) but curry fans like me should be fine.  Now if only I could find the perfect recipe for Bengan Bartha…

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Curry

The Ingredients

• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 3 large chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bell peppers, one yellow and one red, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbs ginger garlic paste
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 Tbs cardamom
• 4 bay leaves
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 Tbs red pepper flakes
• 15 whole black peppercorns
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add chicken, onion, garlic, peppers and ginger garlic paste then season with curry, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, red pepper flakes, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds. Cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Once the chicken has cooked through, remove lid, and cook until liquid is reduced to a thick consistency.

Naan

The Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat skillet to medium-high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil skillet. Place dough on skillet, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Inspired by recipes found at allrecipes.com