Autumn Curry

You may have noticed I haven’t been including any recipes lately. We’re down to two around here and the food has become simple and whatever I make seems to last a lot longer. Fortunately, to satisfy my creative needs I was hosting my book group this month. I was longing for a warm curry, filled with autumn vegetables. I scanned my recipes and the internet and adapted a couple of different ones to come up with this delicious meal.

It’s full of yams and potatoes but you could also add acorn squash or pumpkin.  I love curry flavor but not too spicy so I use a mild curry and plenty of it. You’ll have to decided and adjust to your taste.  I was quite busy that day and divided the recipe into two parts. In the morning I got everything started then as you’ll notice in the recipe I set it all aside in the fridge and ran errands. When I returned I put it all in a big pot for several hours of simmering.  I didn’t want it to simmer all day and end up with mush but I wanted plenty of time for the flavors to blend. I think it worked because the dish was full of warm curry flavors, the potatoes and yams were done and the kitchen smelled wonderful.  Here’s the recipe. It can be adjusted in a variety of ways to suit your needs. This fed six of us with leftovers for two.  Perfect!

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

5-6 tablespoons curry powder (divided)

Salt

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger-divided (use 1 tsp. early in recipe, 1 tsp. later)

1 large yam, peeled and cubed

1 pound of Russian fingerling potatoes, cut small (or any potato cubed)

48 oz. chicken broth, fresh or canned

Thai basil

1 Lemon grass stalk (cut to 5-6” length)

2 cans coconut milk

1 cup golden raisins

2 Tablespoons Major Greys Chutney

Directions:

Put 2 tablespoons of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of salt on a plate. Coat chicken with mixture. Heat a large kettle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the coated chicken. Sauté until lightly browned. Remove chicken and set aside in a large bowl. Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil to pan and add onion, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the ginger. Remove and lay atop of chicken. Add yam and potatoes and cook for a about 5 minutes, tossing. Remove to chicken/veggie bowl. Add chicken broth to pan, scraping up all the tasty bits. Warm slightly. Pour over bowl of chicken/veggie mixture. Lay lemon grass stalks and basil atop. At this point you can cover the bowl and set aside in the fridge for a few hours if necessary.

Later: In large kettle, heat 2 cans coconut milk just to warm. Add the lemon grass and basil (from the bowl), 1 tsp. more of fresh minced ginger, 1 tablespoon more of chopped basil, 1-2 teaspoons curry powder. Heat, stirring, then add everything from the chicken mix bowl into the kettle. Cook for 2-3 hours until yams and potatoes are cooked through. Continue to add more curry powder and salt to taste. During the last hour add the golden raisins and Chutney. Serve over rice.

*I added a teaspoon of cornstarch/water mixture to thicken.

                                                                                     Enjoy!

Comments

[Sunday Taylor]

Janet, this looks delicious! We are empty nesters like you, and I often don't feel like cooking. But now that it's getting cooler, I am more motivated and have been making soups and other cozy foods that feel very comforting right now. Happy Thanksgiving!