A Visitor in the Kitchen

     

     Today we will flash back to the past. Not too long in the past, just to this past Tuesday. Why was this Tuesday special, you might wonder. Well, I had a visitor in the kitchen. Her name is Katch, and she is my supervisor at work. But, more importantly, she is a free-lance photographer! And, after seeing my blog, she suggested taking photographs for it! IT WAS SO EXCITING!!!! Yes, this deserves capitals.

     So, I made some special foods. This will be a two part story because I made two dishes. The first, which I am posting today, was a Coconut Chicken Curry. Generally, I make everyday sorts of curries. They are tomato based or yogurt based, not heavy cream-based like restaurant curries, which is why they are not overwhelmingly thick and rich. This is a kind of compromise. The coconut milk makes it richer than most of my other curries and a great break from the ordinary. This also makes it great for parties!

     Even though creamy chicken is not the most beauteous of foods, Katch manages to make it look so amazing. Yay! Anyway, to get to the cooking. Before we even started, we did have some issues trying to open the can of coconut milk. I knew I had a reason to hate my can opener: it broke instead of opening the can. Luckily, I had other tools at hand. The front of the spoon failed actually, but the back of a spoon is the ultimate weapon!

     This curry might be slightly fancier than my ordinary style, but that does not mean it is any more complicated. I followed my usual pattern of creating a marinade, marinating the chicken, searing it, and then dumping the marinade on top to turn it all into a delicious curry. I told you Indian food was easy.

     So, thank you so so so much to Katch for taking all these gorgeous pictures. You will see more of her amazing work tomorrow! And make sure to visit her blog http://katchiree.com/blog/ to see more of her great work. Thank you to her so much! Also, in case I sound abrupt, it's time for the Oscars people!

     

Coconut Chicken Curry 

Very Loosely Adapted from The Best Ever Curry Cookbook

Makes 4 servings 

1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (or de-bone and de-skin yourself, as I did)

1 can Coconut Milk (14 oz) 

1/2 cup Yogurt 

1 tsp Coriander 

1 tsp Garam Masala 

1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder 

1/4 tsp Ginger Powder 

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tbsp of Vegetable Oil 

Chicken Prep: 

Place chicken thighs in a medium bowl filled with water, 1 spoon of sugar, and 1 spoon of salt. Let it brine while gathering other ingredients. Then, trim the excess fat off the chicken thighs and cut it into bite sized (1 inch) cubes. 

Prepare Marinade: 

In a large bowl, mix the coconut milk, yogurt, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, salt, and ginger powder. Then, add the cubes of chicken. Allow them to marinate for 15 minutes. Then, heat the oil in a large saucepan at medium heat. Shake the marinade off the chicken pieces as you lay them in the pan. Sear them on both sides to seal. Then, pour in the marinade, lower the heat, and simmer for about ten minutes or until the curry is the thickness you desire.