Darjeeling Unlimited

And HELLO!

Feels like it's been WAY longer than two weeks since we've had a little chat, doesn't it?? I SO appreciate you all being patient and understanding during our move, but now, WE ARE IN! (and we're mostly unpacked... crazy?)

I'll have to upload a few photos of the new stove so you can see how much joy I get every morning in looking at it, let alone actually turning it ON! And you know what's funny? We've been in this house just one week now and the thing that we've made THREE times already is Indian food. I think it was inspired by my beautiful friend, Nicole, who brought me home BOAT LOADS of fresh spices and herbs from some magical international grocery she found in Atlanta... and they really are inspiring. I've never smelled nutmeg so POWERFUL before... ANYWAYS- we're on an Indian kick at the moment and I know that's new to Recitherapy so I thought, "why not?". Let's get on the Indian train, shall we?

This is a really simple curry chickpea and chicken... be mindful that I didn't have a roasted chicken on hand, otherwise I would have used that. But baking chicken breasts will work just fine, as well.

You'll Need:
2 chicken breasts or 4 tenderloins, seasoned with LOTS of salt, pepper, curry powder and Indian masala garam
(or just use roughly 2 cups of shredded and seasoned roast chicken)
drizzle of olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced thinly
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
a little fresh ginger, finely chopped or minced
1 & 1/2 cup chickpeas
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
3 whole carrots, diced in discs or small bits
3 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in 3 cups boiling water
1 big dollop greek yogurt
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 & 1/2 teaspoon cumin
more salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked basmati, white or even jasmine rice

Okay! This whole process from start to finish is a "toss in and keep goin' " method, so don't feel like you've got to be on any one step for too long.

**if you're baking chicken, preheat your oven to 375, line a baking dish with foil and put your chicken on, drizzle olive oil and all those seasonings all over the top and bake uncovered for just under an hour. then dice it so it's ready to be added to the mixture.**

So to get started, drizzle a little olive oil in a deep simmering pan that can hold some liquid and toss in the onion, garlic and ginger. Simmer it for a few minutes over a medium low heat. Now add in the chickpeas, spinach (yes, it's alright if it's still frozen, a little extra water won't hurt this dish) and carrots. Stir this all around and let the garlic and ginger flavors get all over the veggies. Now add in your spices... curry powder, cinnamon and cumin... maybe a little salt. Before the veggies begin to stick to the bottom of pan, go ahead and add in your chicken bouillon. I find it easier to actually dissolve the bouillon cubes in water first separately and then add it, but whatever floats your boat. Now turn up the heat SLIGHTLY and let it all simmer away, stirring every few minutes. Once the mixture begins to thicken a little bit, toss in your well seasoned chicken and let simmer some more, now turning the heat back a bit. Let the mixture simmer for about another 5 minutes and then stir in the greek yogurt, turning the heat back even more now to low.

At this point, I'd sprinkle in a little extra salt and pepper, stir it around, taste it, and maybe even add in a little more curry powder if needed. You should still have a fair amount of liquid left stirring around and you WANT that... it's good to have that gravy like sauce to pour over the rice. To serve, just mound a pile of that fluffy rice and dish it just over the top, spooning on some extra liquid if you want.

If you end up loving the flavors and smells of this dish and you want to make something similar again in a few days... i've got more recipes coming, INCLUDING THE EASIEST, BEST, MOST LEGIT HOMEMADE NA'AN, too! :) :) AHH I can't wait to share that one with you. You'll love it so much. We love it so much. We love it so much we made it two days in a row WITHOUT having an Indian dish to go along with it. (makes a great flatbread for eggs in the morning) ;)

So there you have it... a simple, delicious and FRAGRANTLY intoxicating Indian dish for you to make tonight... it's Saturday! Make Indian!

More delicious recipes and maybe some photos of the stove shortly. ;)

XOX

Grace !

Asking for a little bit of grace and patience as James and I have been PACKING in preparation for our big move! Yes, we bought a home and yes, the kitchen appliances are NEW and we cannot WAIT to christen our new oven with something deliciously shareable!!

If you will, CHECK BACK SOON for an updated yummy post... And pray for our sanity ;)

XOX