My Recipe Box - Chinese Chicken Curry

  Growing up in Montreal it was a treat to order curry chicken from The House of Wong on Queen Mary Road as it was close by.

My cousin just reminded me that my Dad would say (politically incorrect) that they had "the wong number"!

We always had curry chicken on Christmas Eve as Chinese restaurants were the only ones open! As the eldest cousins we would go with our parents to visit the younger cousins with presents. We would eat at a Chinese place called C'est la Vie.

Queen Mary Road Shopping House of Wong 1972 by Michael Litvack

We love Indian food and curries. But we both remember our Chinese curries so I looked around (virtually) and found some recipes which I took bits and parts of plus added our own touches.

This is like take-out but tastier, cheaper and healthier! 


CHINESE CHICKEN CURRY VS INDIAN CURRY

If you are not an expert on both countries’ cuisines, it might be confusing as we often associate curry with Indian food. However curry is eaten in many Asian countries, and China is one of them.

Chinese curry is often a bit more watery in consistency than Indian curry. This is due to the fact that Indian curries often use tomatoes as natural thickeners while it’s not the case with Chinese curries.

Neither Indian nor Chinese curries use corn starch to thicken the sauce.

This being said, it’s important to mention that sauces are expected to be thicker in the West, so I’ve used corn starch in my recipe to thicken my Chinese curry sauce.

Another point of difference is the mix of spices. In Chinese curries just a touch of the curry powder and turmeric is used along with other spices like coriander and star anise, and a splash of soy sauce while the first two are the anchor flavours in Indian curries.

 
Homemade Easy Curry Powder Recipe:

Mix together the following:

1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon cardamom
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne

This makes enough to fill a spice jar for when you are in a hurry!

CHINESE CURRY CHICKEN

       1 pound chicken breasts/thighs , boneless and skinless
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (gluten free)
  1 tablespoon cornstarch
  3 tablespoons canola oil
  1 tablespoon curry powder (see recipe above)
  1 tbsp grated ginger
  2-3 cloves garlic
• Worcestershire sauce - optional splash
• Siracha to taste
  400ml/1 ½ cup chicken stock
  1 green bell pepper , cut into slices1/2 yellow onion , sliced
  1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Optional - potatoes, celery, peas
• ▢

Instructions
In a medium bowl mix the soy sauce with corn starch, then add chicken pieces and set aside until needed.
Prepare the vegetables by chopping up the onion, peeling and grating ginger, and mincing the garlic.
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or a wok and add the chopped onions and ginger. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for a few seconds. Make sure not to burn the garlic.
Then add the curry powder, mix briefly until you can smell the aromatics. Add the chicken together with the marinade and cook it for a few minutes, so the chicken is sealed but not cooked all the way through. 

Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan by scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of it with a wooden spatula. Bring everything to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Then add sliced pepper and cook for 5 minutes longer. Serve over steamed white or brown rice.

My Recipe Box - Butter Chicken

This was very good. My only comments would be that I am not sure that it was necessary to cook the chicken in the oven first. I'm also not sure why there is a two step marinating process. Next time I would just add all the marinating ingredients together and let them soak for the 3-4 hours. I would probably just add the chicken to the pan with the tomato paste and let that cook the chicken. I also added cauliflower and potatoes to the mixture.

We didn't take a photo but it looked like this and we had rice and poppadoms with it.

Ingredients

For the butter chicken marinade
800g chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into 3-4cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed
2cm ginger, peeled and finely grated
½tsp fine sea salt
½tsp hot chilli powder
1½tbsp lemon juice
75ml natural yoghurt
½tsp garam masala (mixed Indian spices)
½ tsp ground turmeric
1tsp ground cumin
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil, for brushing

For the sauce:
1½ tbsp ghee or melted, unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 cardamom pod, seeds lightly crushed
2 cloves
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp garam masala (mixed Indian spices)
1tsp ground turmeric
1tsp hot chilli powder, or to taste
275ml tomato pure paste
1tbsp lemon juice
40g unsalted butter
100ml double cream I used 35%
1tbsp chopped coriander, to garnish

Method

To make this chicken curry recipe, place the chicken in a bowl with the garlic, ginger, salt, chilli powder and lemon juice. Mix, cover with cling film and chill for 30 mins.
Mix together the yogurt, garam masala, turmeric and cumin and add to the chicken, making sure that each piece is well coated with the mixture. Cover again and chill for 3-4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Fan 160ºC/gas mark 4. Put the marinated chicken pieces on a grill rack set on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 mins. Brush the chicken pieces with a little oil and turn them over. Bake for another 10-12 mins until just cooked through.
For the sauce: Heat the ghee or butter in a pan and add the garlic and ginger. Fry for a min or so then add the cardamom, cloves, coriander, garam masala, turmeric and chilli powder. Stir well and fry for 1-2 mins until they give off a lovely aroma. Stir in the tomato pure and lemon juice and cook for another couple of mins. Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and stir well to coat. Finally, add the butter and cream and stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Transfer to a warm bowl and serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander.

My Recipe Box - A Malaysian Coconut Curry Soup

June 2017 - Toronto ON

I am obsessed with Asian food these days. I just love the flavours and the freshness of the ingredients. This coconut curry soup was absolutely delicious and we forgot to get a photo of it plated.

For this recipe I made a trip to Chinatown, always an adventure. We have several Chinatowns in Toronto but my favourite is on Spadina in downtown.

Wikipedia decribes laksa as:

Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup in the Peranakan cuisine. Laksa consists of rice noodles or rice vermicelli with chicken, prawn or fish, served in spicy soup; either based on rich and spicy curry coconut milk, or based on sour asam (tamarind or gelugur). It can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Southern Thailand.

The paste is the heart of this dish and I enjoyed making it from scratch! Laksa paste is basically lemongrass, chilies, shallots, galanga, turmeric, spices and dried shrimp all blended up in the food processor, then sauteed in a pot with a little oil to deepen the flavor.

I did come across the jarred version in Chinatown so it is easy to find.

I have marked any adjustments/changes in red below. I used what I had on hand.

I did find lemongrass powder at the Bulk Barn on the same trip to Chinatown which will be handy.

Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog

Laksa Soup - A Malaysian Coconut Curry Soup

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 recipe for Laksa Paste (see below) or 1 Jar of Prepared Laksa Paste
6 cups chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon palm or brown sugar
1½ pounds chicken (breast or thigh meat) cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound raw large shrimp (peeled )
2 cups thick coconut milk (do not use “lite”)

12 fish balls (optional - available in the frozen section of the Asian Market) I didn't use as I wasn't sure if they were gluten free
1-2 cups fried tofu- (optional- available in the refrigerated section at the Asian market) sliced didn't use because we don't like it.
3-4 cups fresh bean sprouts
1- 1½ pounds fresh thin rice noodles (refrigerated section at the Asian market) I bought dried at the grocery store on another day prior to going to Chinatown.
Lime Juice to taste ( 1-2 limes)
Fish Sauce to taste

Garnishes: lime wedges, cilantro, Vietnamese mint, sambal chili paste, fried shallots (available in jars at Asian market) I used lime wedges, cliantro and fresh scallions. 



Homemade Laksa Paste
4-5 dried red chilies I used 3 fresh red Thai chilies
2 tablespoons dried shrimp (available at Asian Markets) bought in Chinatown
5 shallots (about 1 cup) roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons galanga - finely chopped I used ginger
2 large lemongrass stocks - finely chopped (1/2 cup chopped) - find frozen chopped lemongrass at the Asian market. I used fresh 
1 teaspoon fresh turmeric (or ground is OK, too)
6 candle nuts or substitute cashews, brazil nuts or macadamia (optional- you can leave the nuts out) I used cashews
1 tablespoon shrimp paste (or shrimp sauce)
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

To make Laksa Paste: Seep dried chilies and dried shrimp in boiling water for 20 minutes. Prep and place all the other ingredients, except oil in a food processor. Drain shrimp and chilies and add to food processor. Blend until finely chopped, scraping down sides as needed. Add oil and continue blending until it becomes a fine paste. Don’t let the smell or taste scare you. It will all balance out in the end.

I was glad that she noted not to worry about the smell or taste as it was true!

Instructions

Make the Laksa paste (or use store-bought). See notes below.
In a large heavy bottom soup pot or dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. 

Add all the Laksa Paste, and saute, stirring constantly until it becomes very fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. (turn stove fan on).
Add chicken broth and sugar.
Bring to a boil. Add chicken, lower heat to aS simmer, and cook for 4 minutes. Add shrimp. Cook for 1-2 minutes, add coconut milk, fish balls and tofu. Simmer until heated through.
Squeeze lime juice, starting with a ½ a lime, and more to taste.
Add fish sauce to taste, adding a teaspoon at a time.
In a separate pot, heat enough water to cover the fresh rice noodles. Once water is boiling add the rice noodles, turn heat off, and let rice noodles stand, heating up for 2 minutes, drain. Since I had dried, I did some research and found that I could simply drop them into the soup.
Divide noodles among bowls. Ladle soup over top of noodles. Top bowls with an handful of fresh bean sprouts, fresh cilantro and mint and a sprinkling of crispy shallots. Serve with chili sauce and lime wedges. 

My Recipe Box - Pork Vindaloo with Turmeric Cabbage

This recipe is from My Kitchen Rules Season 8 finale. 

I have added my notes/substitutions in red. Some things I just didn't have in my pantry.
We also would have liked more sauce/gravy so when I reheated it I added more water. Chicken stock would work too.

We also think this would be great with lamb or chicken too!

Pork Vindaloo with Turmeric Cabbage

Preparation time: 2 hours

Cooking time: 2 hours

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tbs ghee I used olive oil

2 brown onions, sliced just a regular white onion

8 cloves garlic, crushed

6cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

1kg pork leg, neck or shoulder, cut into 3cm pieces

1 tbs brown sugar

Steamed basmati rice and pappadums, to serve

GARAM MASALA

8 peppercorns

Seeds of 8 green cardamom pods

6 cloves garlic

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tbs ground coriander

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground chilli powder

SPICE PASTE

4 small fresh red chillies, finely chopped I used red Thai

2 dried red chilli, finely chopped I didn't add

60ml malt vinegar

250ml water

1 tbs tamarind purée

garam masala (as above)

1 tsp salt

BEETROOT RAITA

1 medium beetroot, peeled, quartered

250g plain yoghurt

pinch ground cumin

2 tsp lemon juice

TURMERIC CABBAGE

2 tbs ghee I used olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp mustard seeds I used dried mustard Coleman's

2 stalks curry leaves I used curry powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

2 cups finely shredded white cabbage coarsely chopped

125ml water

2 tbs lemon juice

TOMATO and GREEN MANGO SALSA optional

2 tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped

1 green mango, coarsely grated

1 bunch coriander, leaves chopped

juice of ½ a lemon

Preparation

Cut up the meal into bite sized pieces.

To make garam masala (for the spice paste), process all ingredients in a small processor to form a fine powder. Sift through a fine sieve and return to processor.

To make spice paste, add fresh and dried chillies, vinegar, tamarind and salt to garam masala in processor. Process to form a paste. Add water and process to combine.

 Add half the spice paste to the pork and massage well. Refrigerate, covered, for several hours or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 160C or 320F.

To make curry, heat ghee in a large casserole dish over medium heat.

Cook onions, garlic and ginger, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add remaining spice paste. Cook, stirring, until chillies are soft.

 Stir in pork to coat. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly with a lid and transfer to the oven.

Cook for about 1½ hours or until pork is almost tender. Remove lid and cook for about a further 15-20 minutes or until pork is very tender and sauce has thickened. Stir in sugar.

 To make raita, peel and quarter then place beetroot in a saucepan of cold salted water. Bring to a boil. Boil until tender. Drain and allow steam to evaporate. Transfer to a small processor and process until finely chopped.

Place yoghurt into a bowl. Stir in beetroot, cumin and juice. Season. Refrigerate until required.

 To make turmeric cabbage, melt ghee in a large deep saucepan. Add onion, ginger and garlic. Cook until soft but not coloured. Stir in mustard and cumin seeds. Once they begin to pop, stir in curry leaves. Stir in spices.

Add cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in water. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Stir in lemon juice Season.

To make salsa, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season.

Serve curry with rice, turmeric cabbage, raita, salsa and pappudums.

My Recipe Box - Curry

I've always made chicken curry in a variety of ways, but I never documented. Yesterday I looked at some recipes and using a combination of them came up with what John says was the best ever.
In the past I have added the dry spices to the pan with the chicken and vegetables and let them blend then added tomato paste. Then I have used either chicken stock or coconut milk.



I don't have precise measurements. The spices are very much to your personal taste. I used at least a tablespoon of each.

INGREDIENTS

Curry powder
Garam masala powder
Chili powder
Cumin powder
Turmeric powder
Cayenne powder
Ginger fresh chopped
Garlic fresh chopped
Piece of a jalapeno
Tomato sauce - I use the kind sold in a box brand Pomi Strained Tomatoes I used about a half cup.

Combine all the above in a blender until it is a smooth sauce.

Chicken - whatever you choose. This time I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. This would also be delicious with lamb!
Green peppers chopped
Onion chopped
Rest of the jalapeno
Potato chopped
Celery chopped

You can add any other vegetables that you like.

Add olive oil and heat pan. brown the chicken and vegetables. Add the pureed sauce mixture to the pan. Mix and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add coconut milk.  And let simmer for at least an hour to combine flavours.
Image after coconut milk is added.

Serve over rice.

My Recipe Box - Mulligatawny Soup

We've had various versions of this soup over the years. The very first time we had it was in Montreal back in the early 1980s.

This is my attempt at creating my recipe that I have gleaned from several recipes plus some experience learned when experimenting with this soup and curries.

Making sure that the spices fry up nicely until they are fragrant is crucial. The tomato paste coating everything and simmering a little before adding the stock and milk also ensures a deep tastiness.

Other than that you can add whatever vegetables work for you.

Lentils - sometimes I add and sometimes I don't. 

I could also see blending this into a creamy soup.

Mulligatawny Soup

4 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter - or any oil you might have
1 1/2 pounds diced boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Salt
Garam masala


Set a 4 or 5-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the ghee. While the ghee is heating, season the chicken with the garam masala and salt. Once the ghee is hot, add the chicken and cook, turning often, until golden brown and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

2 tablespoons garam masala
Curry powder
Cumin
Turmeric
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
Chili peppers or hot sauce
Salt
2 cups small diced onions
1/2 cup small diced carrots
1/2 cup small diced celery
1 cup of potatoes - Yukon or sweet or both
Vegetables - squash, zucchini, tomatoes or whatever you have on hand
Back pepper
Can of tomato paste

Cook onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, chilies, and spices stirring, until onion is browned lightly and mixture is fragrant. Do not over brown the onion or else it will give the soup a burnt taste.

Add tomato paste ensuring all the vegetables are coated.

1 cup dried red lentils
6 cups chicken or beef stock - divide into 4 cups and 2 cups

Add the lentils and 4 cups of the stock bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook the soup until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.



1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Spinach
3 cups steamed white basmati rice - optional
1/2 cup toasted, finely ground cashews - optional



Add the reserved chicken, the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, remaining 2 cups of chicken stock, spinach, and coconut milk.

Continue to cook the soup at a simmer until the lentils and chicken are both tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cider vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

To serve the soup, place 1/4 cup of the rice in a warmed bowl, and pour 8 ounces of the soup over the rice, garnish with a tablespoon of the cashews, and 2 teaspoons of the cilantro.