Whole Roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style)

Flavored with aromatic spices, this whole roast Masala Chicken (Indian-style) comes out so yummy! The skin is deliciously crisp and the meat is tender and moist. This roast is very easy and quick to prepare, too.

When I was pregnant for the first time 10 years ago with our eldest son, the main food I craved was roast chicken. I had a really bad "morning" sickness (of course, it could be anytime of the day!) for the first 4 months or so and nothing seemed to calm my stomach and made me happier than roast chicken! I don't know why that was but I guess I should just be happy my cravings were not too "exotic" or hard to find!

Filipino Coconut Chicken Curry

The other night we had dinner over at our friend's house. A missionary visiting from France who spoke at our church last Sunday stayed with them. For his last night we decided to have dinner together, sort of a pot luck. I didn't have time to prepare a main dish as we toured him around the area during the day (though I made some French clafoutis for dessert in his honor). Hubby and I just decided to get a couple of rotisserie chicken as our contribution. 

Easy Thai Shrimp Curry

It seems forever since I made a homemade curry! We are a little spoiled here in New Haven as there are many good curry houses both Thai and Indian so I have been a little lazy in making one at home. I made curry more often when we were in west Michigan as, honestly, there weren't really any good authentic curry there so I had to make them at home a lot of times. But, it turned out well for us as I learned to make really good curry dishes so I am thankful for that opportunity and no regrets! You can check the search box and find 10 different curry versions on this blog - yes, that's how much we love curry!

Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Beef Stew

Fall is the time to make delicious comfort food that will help us cope with freezing cold winter nights. I often experiment on different types and flavors of beef stew so all throughout the season we don't get tired of the same old, same old recipe. This time, I fancied something with a bit of an Asian kick. For convenience I used the slow cooker so it's just a matter of dumping all the ingredients in and then it's ready when we are.

Keema Beef Curry

As you know, I am always trying new recipes, not only for my blog but so that my family doesn't get tired of the same old ground beef recipes that I seem to recycle many times over. I found this delicious Keema Beef Curry and thought I'll give it a try and give it our own spin as usual. My dear hubby, who is a huge curry fan, loved  it. We had an unexpected guest last night too so I served this to him as well. He confessed he ate a few servings and totally enjoyed it, too.

Chicken Rogan Josh

Last December 2013 my hubby had the opportunity to visit India! Of course, he was excited as he'd always wanted to travel to India to see this amazing country, taste his favorite curry and experience its culture. He was invited by a friend to speak and help out in their annual church conference and he readily said yes. Of course, I was excited for him but nonetheless, because he would be absent for 2 weeks, I was kind of scared, too. I told him to make up for it - he'd better bring me home some of India's best spices!!! :)

Green Curry Laksa

Laksa, a very popular dish in South East Asia and am pretty certain in other parts of the world, is essentially a coconut curry soup with noodles often with chicken or shrimp, bean curd puffs, fish sticks and sometimes bean sprouts for extra crunch! The flavor is amazing and complex - a little sweet, tangy, savory, creamy and definitely spicy-licious from all the wonderful spices added to it. It's the kind of food that hubby and I love - multi-dimensional in taste and truly satisfying.

Easy Thai Red Chicken Curry

My husband is on quite a restrictive diet at the moment so we try to avoid big food groups such as dairy, wheat, soy, some nuts and anything fermented that may negatively impact his health. So, it has been quite a challenge to cook sometimes. I have to be creative so he can still enjoy his food despite all the restrictions. Thankfully, I can still make for him his ultimate favorite food - Chicken Curry!

Coconut Chicken Curry

Having grown up surrounded by coconut trees in our little island, called Marinduque, in the Philippines I love anything with coconut flavors. And we do use coconuts (tree and fruit) for everything that you can imagine. I don't know how our country will survive without this towering plant from the Palm family. We use its logs to build houses, leaves for roofing, oil for cooking and making our hair shiny, coconut husks for charcoal and of course it's meat for snacking, baking and plain eating. In the midst of a heatwave in the Philippines, nothing can be more refreshing than fresh coconut juice from a freshly opened young coconut! The possibilities are truly endless and I haven't even mentioned coconut milk!

Ginger Cinnamon Cream Chicken Curry

If you follow our blog regularly, you probably already know that we love Chicken Curry! I have a few curry recipes in our blog as you may have noticed. Now, this particular recipe was inspired by an Indian and Pakistani dish called "Pasanda"- a mild and creamy curry dish which I have discovered through one of my cookbooks. However, this recipe has evolved so much that I cannot in good conscience call it a Pasanda Curry when this version is so far remote from what the original version is. For starters, a pasanda would never have fruits in it though it always has almonds and that I retained. Also, in a Pasanda the meat is marinated in yogurt with spices and then fried. I do neither and I use cream instead of yogurt. Besides, curry is not really the main ingredient here though it can be used. It's Cinnamon, Ginger and Coriander that really give the chicken its lovely flavor though the curry powder (or chili powder) along with paprika, ginger and turmeric give the dish a lovely glowing yellow color once everything is mixed in. Hence, the birth of this Ginger Cinnamon Cream Chicken with Pineapple and Raisins. I love this dish and am proud of this. I have served this to many guests and they have loved it. Think of this dish as a great introduction to someone who is scared to try a real hot curry. This is pretty mild but since it's cooked with many spices - it is surely full of flavor. The addition of the fruits is what sets this apart - you bite into the savory creamy chicken and then suddenly your taste buds get acquainted with the sweet flavor from the raisins and pineapple and all these contrasting flavors just marry so well. I encourage you to try this and let me know if you like it. Most of all, it's such an easy dish to do. If you know Manila Spoon, we like dishes that are easy to make but does not compromise on taste. Enjoy!

  

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Oil

3 Tbsps Butter

5 Garlic cloves, crushed

1 Medium Onion, chopped

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)

1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Coriander

½ tsp each Paprika, Turmeric, Curry or Chili powder

1 Lb Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large pieces), cubed

1 cup Heavy cream

½ cup Water

¾-1 tsp Salt or to taste

½ cup sliced Almonds, divided

¾ cup Raisins 
¾ cup Pineapple Chunks (drained)

Garam Masala, for sprinkling (optional)

Procedure

Heat the oil in a deep pan. When the oil gets warm, melt the butter in it.

Sauté the garlic in the melted butter briefly until aromatic. Add the onion and fresh ginger and cook for about 3 mins or until the onion begins to soften. If using ground ginger, just add it with the other spices.

Lower the heat and add the spices. Let the spices sizzle for a few seconds then add the chicken and coat with the spices. Once the chicken is fully coated/glazed add the cream, water, salt and half the almonds. Stir. Raise the heat to bring it to a high simmer. Cover then gently simmer for about 20 minutes.



During the last 5 minutes, add the raisins and the drained pineapple chunks. Cook until the 20 minutes are completed or until chicken is tender and the pineapples and raisins are fully heated through. Sprinkle with Garam Masala (optional). 

Just before serving, garnish with the remaining almonds. Enjoy with rice. While this is great on the day it is made, it is even better the next day so if you can wait, refrigerate it overnight and have it the next day. The recipes doubles easily. Have this with rice, naturally!

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Thai Green Chicken Curry

Filipino food is not generally spicy. There's only a certain region in the Philippines which feature a spicy cuisine. So while we do have our own version of chicken curry (at least my family does!), it was never really spicy but relied more on either turmeric or ginger for flavor rather than curry powder or paste.

Indian Butter Chicken

To say that we like chicken curry is an understatement. We love curry to the max! Whenever we travel, whatever country that may be - the first restaurant we always try to look for is an Indian curry house.  

Before I got married, I wasn't a major fan of anything spicy. In the region (Southern Tagalog) where I grew up, spicy dishes are not really a big thing. We usually love sweet, sour and salty but spicy, not too much. But then I met my British husband who is into everything spicy. I was converted by him. He loves chicken curry. When we were still in England we used to visit Brick Lane in East London for some curry therapy. If you are ever in London, this is the place to go if you want to get curry. There are rows upon rows of curry houses there. I miss this place!

However there is one special curry place for us and, no, it's not in India or the UK or even the USA (truth is, there is no Indian restaurant where I live).  Sad, isn't it. We found it, of all places, in Vietnam! While it may take years before we go back and eat there again, we have fond memories of Vietnam and most certainly the curry we had there. Here's a photo of myself in front of the restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. It's not much to look at but the curry is great, if you are able to wake up its owner to cook for you! Seriously, it was great and the best we have tasted! Check this out when you find yourself in the streets of Saigon.

And for good measure, here's another photo of me and my hubby in Vietnam. Photo was taken while we were cruising the Mekong Delta. Happy Memories!

Before I get any more sidetracked, here's one of our favorite curry dish - Indian Butter Chicken. This is a mild curry so feel free to up the heat to your desired spice level. Enjoy!




Ingredients

5 pieces Roma or plum tomatoes - or 2 (14oz/410gr)  cans of diced tomatoes (fresh is better though!) 
2 Tablespoons oil and 5 Tablespoons Butter 
2.2 pounds (1 kilo) skinless but bone-in chicken thighs (boneless are fine but they tend to fall apart)
Thumb-size peeled and chopped fresh ginger or 1 tsp of ground ginger
3 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
2 teaspoon each red Curry powder, ground Cumin and ground Paprika
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ - 2 tsp salt, or to taste      
¼ - ½ cup of plain Yogurt (you can use heavy cream, if you prefer)                
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (a must for me!) 

Procedure 

If using fresh tomatoes, cut-up the tomatoes and then place in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth (puree the canned tomatoes too, if using this instead). In a deep pan, heat the oil and butter on medium to low heat until the butter melts. Stir in the spices, and let sizzle briefly, for a minute or less. Add the salt and brown sugar and stir until combined. Immediately, add the chicken pieces and coat them with the spices.

Mix in the pureed tomatoes. Though the mixture may seem thick at this point, it will thin out as it simmers. Bring to a quick boil and then cover the pan and gently simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is tender, occasionally stirring it. It is done when the chicken is tender and the sauce is medium-thick. It is already good and yummy at this point but if you like a creamier sauce, add plain yogurt or heavy cream and then squeeze some fresh lemon juice, to taste. Cook a little further without boiling just until the cream is heated. Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves. Serve hot with freshly steamed rice (basmati or jasmine are the best for this!) and some green veggies on the side. Curry heaven!

Note: While the chicken curry tastes great already on the day it is cooked, it may be done a day ahead and chilled on the fridge so the flavors continue to infuse overnight. Even better the next day!

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Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8

Abby's Chicken Curry

I maybe Asian but I was never fond of curry dishes. The Filipino cuisine is not generally spicy compared with our other Asian neighbors. But then I married my British husband, Mark, who is so into curry. He got me into it and now I really love curry dishes and will often cook it for my family.

Here's a chicken curry recipe that we love - spicy bite with a hint of cinnamon sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 kilo / 2 lbs (about 8 pieces)  trimmed chicken thighs
1 tbsp each - butter and olive oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp curry powder (I usually use 1 tbsp each of mild and hot curry powder)
1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

3 plum tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper

1-2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp chutney (optional)

Procedure:

Heat the oil and butter in a deep pan. Brown the chicken on both sides. If you don't like the skin you can remove it after the browning. Set aside.

In the same pan, saute the garlic and onion  in the pan drippings until aromatic about 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat and then add all the spices (curry powder, turmeric and ginger). 

Put the chicken back into the pan and coat with the spices. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the chutney). Stir. Don't worry if it seems to be dry, it will eventually create its own sauce.

Bring to a boil. Cover then simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.

Stir in the chutney (if using). At this point there would be a lot of sauce which is great to pour on rice. Adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper and a little sugar, to taste.  Serve with freshly boiled rice and thick plain yogurt (if desired).

Note: 

This dish may be prepared a day ahead so the flavor is fully absorbed by the chicken thighs. Also, you will be able to skim the fat right off if refrigerated a day before it is served.

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.   Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (Selah)   Psalm 46: 1-3