Staying In?

I wanted to share a quick and easy recipe for a fun night in. For some reason the mood struck me mid-week and I made this meal on Thursday night. I wish I had waited until Friday night because it turned out to be pretty special. Kevin LOVES Indian food, specifically chicken curry. I picked up a small can of curry sauce at Whole Foods:

It has actually been sitting in my cupboard waiting for me to make it. I am sure you can find similar products, but I have to recommend this because it was so tasty. Start with chicken breasts- I used two small chicken breasts and sliced them into bite size cubes before cooking. Then I simply cooked them quickly in a frying pan . Once the chicken was cooked through I drained the excess olive oil and set my chicken on a back burner that was off.

The best rice to cook with curry is Basmati. A long grain rice grown in India. You can find brown or white Basmati for as little as $2 a bag if you can shop at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I have found that Basmati or Thai Jasmine Rice tend to cost MORE at places like Albertson's or other chain groceries. The rice should have directions on it, but you cook it the same way you would your regular white or brown rice. My rice needed to cook for almost the exact same amount of time as my curry so once I got the rice and water boiling I turned the heat down, threw on the lid and worked on the curry.

Simply cover your cooked chicken pieces with the curry sauce, cover and simmer at a medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir your sauce and chicken every five minutes or so. The sauce will thicken as it cooks You know it is done when you lift your cooking utensil and the sauce slowly slides off, or stays in place.

If you have TJ's you can buy fresh naan, white, wheat, or garlic seasoned white. Warm the naan in the microwave for 1 minute. I have also found frozen naan at Indian groceries (while I was in CA, I haven't seen an Indian grocery here). Serve the curry over a layer of hot basmati. Serve the curry right away. It tastes best HOT.

Fresh sliced mango, or mango sorbet, or mango mochi are the perfect desserts with this meal.

Note: Curry STAINS be careful with the sauce, and make sure you soak your pans and plates with hot soap and water. I let them soak over night, and rinse completely before washing up.