Weeknight on Kitchen3N

Turkey Korma

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I woke up the morning after Thanksgiving like I imagine a runner feels the morning after a race: like I got hit by a truck. A whole week of groceries, prep, planning culminating in an evening with loved ones and good food. It was EXHAUSTING and I was happy to do it. But even after the last doggy bag was packed, we had quite a bit of turkey left over. It's been our breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then last night, I recalled my friend Biny of #binyskitchen saying how she'd use her leftovers for turkey pot pies. Now, pot pies don't fly here, but South Asian flavors do. I thought I'd cook some of the leftover turkey in a cream sauce with spices and frozen peas (to make it the slightest bit healthy) and the gang inhaled it! So here's how I created it. Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. If you ever want to make South Asian food at home, you need these in stock. Fine to use a "garam masala" mix if you don't have the last 5 spices. I wouldn't use a curry powder to sub the first few spices, as that has turmeric and chili powder and would change the flavor of the korma. What is korma? Any meat/seafood/veggie dish cooked in a cream or yogurt or nut paste sauce. Simmered with warm spices (not the spicy spices) and slightly sweet. Chicken korma was my favorite dish growing up, but only reserved for special occasions, like Eid or birthdays. Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp ghee or butter
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garlic/ginger paste*
1 cup turkey/chicken broth or water
2-3 cups cubed turkey breast
1 cup frozen peas
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp clove
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup half & half

Directions

In a large saute pan, heat ghee or butter over medium high heat and add onions. Cook until onions are translucent and lightly browned around the edges. Add the cumin, coriander and garlic/ginger paste. Stir, then slowly add the broth or water. Scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and allow mixture to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the turkey, peas and remaining spices. Stir to combine then add the milk and half and half. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve with rice or quinoa.

*You can sub garlic/ginger paste with 1 clove of garlic AND a small (maybe 1/2inch) piece of ginger minced or pressed through a zester.

Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The first thing I do when someone sneezes in the house, is submerge a chicken in a pot of boiling water to make chicken stock for soup. That’s a normal, knee-jerk reaction, right?

Ok, perhaps I exaggerate. But there’s just something about the thought of clear, warming chicken noodle soup that makes me feel like it will banish all the ickiness of a cold away. And while the classic has a special place, this tomato paste and spice spiked version will carry you over from your sick days to your top o’ the mornin’, heel clickin’ days. Because for some reason, the weather is still dipping below freezing here in NYC in the middle of spring and the kids have caught strep throat while the hubby and I work our way through the common cold. Un-believable.

Zesty Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

Thu, 04 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve lusted after many versions of Tequila Lime chicken for ages but never got around to finding a good substitute for tequila (we don’t imbibe or cook with booze around here - except for teeny tiny amounts of vanilla extract or almond extract). I’ve thought about agave syrup, among other things, and thought some more. All that thinking got me nowhere until I watched Pioneer Woman make her tequila lime chicken the other day. Enough is enough. It’s time to give those chicken breasts in the freezer some cilantro/lime lovin’ (is that weird?). Now I still haven’t found a good substitute for tequila, but I definitely compensated for the flavor in other ways. Along with super fruity EVOO, lime juice, salt and pepper, I added a touch of garlic and honey to the marinade. These days, I always add a bit of sweetness to chicken marinades. It seems to round out all the flavors. And the sauce just takes it over the top. It’s my go to sauce for dressing up any meat or fish. I don’t exactly measure things out these days, so I will attempt to provide the most accurate measurements I can! You really should taste as you go along though. If the flavor falls flat, add salt. If the tang of the yogurt overpowers, add a little bit more garlic. If it’s too pale green, add some more cilantro. If it’s not spicy enough, well you know what to do.