Chicken Tikka Masala

Holy shaboley. This was stinkin' amazing. loved it! Definitely a repeater for us.

I got the recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 

1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped (I used about 3/4 of the pepper because I didn't want it too spicey for the kids. It turned out just right.)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

Pupusas

Pupusas are a Hispanic dish originating from El Salvador. This is made from corn FLOUR (NOT cornmeal) and water. People put different things in them. For my first try, I thought I'd copycat an old friend's idea of black beans and cheese. We topped it with red enchilada sauce (store-bought) and more cheese. The kids loved them.

Other toppings include:

Chicharron (cooked pork meat ground into a paste consistency)

Refried beans

Plain cheese

Many also serve pupusas with curtido, which is a fermented cabbage slaw. It may sound gross, but I hear curtido is pretty good.

Recipe:

2 cups corn flour

1 cup warm water

Mix the flour and water and knead dough. Add more water until the dough is soft and moist (but not sticky). The dough shouldn't crack when you push on it.

Shape a bit of dough into a ball, make an indent with your finger and add some filling. Close it back up and shape it into a flat disc. Cook on an ungreased skillet on med-high heat until slightly browned and blistered on both sides. 

Note that the dough gets dry quickly- so work quickly!

This is my first try ever at making these. I probably have a lot to learn about it, so if you're an expert, share the knowledge.

Thai Ruby Curry (Ganeg Phed Gai Yang)

Behold, my favorite dish. We first had something akin to this at a restaurant in Provo, UT called Thai Ruby (it's their "House Special"). I fell in love with it. The fresh basil with the sweetness of the pineapple and tomato in combination with the delicious coconut curry is wonderful. So Brian did a little research and we adapted some online recipes and came up with this. We've been making it for years. I now share the recipe with you!

Cut up 2 chicken breasts (it really is best NOT to use chicken thighs)

Cut up about 5 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Cut up about 2 tomatoes [we used Romas] into thin wedges

Put a little oil in a pan (not olive oil) and heat it up. Add a teaspoon of red curry paste and fry until fragrant. Then add 1/2 can of coconut milk (shake it up first) and heat it up until a thin film of oil come to the top. Add chicken and cook through. Add 1tsp fish sauce (find in Asian section of your grocery store) and the rest of the coconut milk. 

Add everything else: about 1/2 cup chunked pineapple, about 1/3 cup frozen peas, tomatoes, and fresh basil. Add heaping teaspoon of sugar. Heat until everything is warm and the coconut milk comes back together (shouldn't have to boil). 

Taste to make sure everything is okay. If it needs more curry, ladle out some of the coconut milk into a liquid measuring cup and stir in your curry paste. Once it's dissolved, add it back into the pan.

Serve over white rice.

(Go find an asian market, the red curry paste there is less expensive than the American grocery store's brands. For you Colorado folk, try the Pacific Ocean Marketplace in Broomfield. It's on 6600 West 120th Avenue, Broomfield, CO.)