Curry powder is a great spice (actually it's a mix of many spices) to use in countless ways in cooking. You can put it in the flour that you fry your chicken, fish, or vegetables in. You can add a spoon of it to mayonnaise to give your sandwich a nice kick, or to your olive oil for your salad. And of course, you can add it to your sauteed vegetables to have along or add with whichever fish or meat you use to make a yummy curry dish. This recipe is for a light curry. It isn't too strong because some Spaniards don't like their food too spicy. But, my guests seemed to really enjoy it so here it is.
Ingredients:
-1 pound of boneless chicken breast
-1-2 onions
-2-3 green peppers
-5 mushrooms
-4-6 pieces of garlic
-1 1/2 cans of coconut milk
-1/2 tbsp. turmeric
-1 tsp. of coriander
-1/4 tbsp. of smoky Turkish pepper
-1 tbsp. curry powder
-1 tbsp. HOT Indian Curry Powder (add more if you like it spicier!)
-1 tsp. of Garam Masala
-1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
-1 tsp. of salt
First wash the chicken breast under cold water with vinegar and salt. Then, cut it up in cubes, discarding the fatty pieces. Place the chicken in a bowl and add the the powdered spices, salt and minced garlic and let it sit in the fridge for several hours. Saute the sliced onions, mushrooms and peppers sprinkled in salt on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and saute for 5 more minutes. Then add the coconut milk and cover on low heat for another 5 minutes. Uncover, and stir. Continue cooking uncovered on low until the chicken is white through and through.
Serve over Chinese rice noodles, being careful to not use too many noodles or your food will have no flavor.
This is a VERY easy recipe that you can vary depending on what you have in the fridge. You can omit the chicken if you are vegetarian and use more mushrooms. If you are a meat eater use beef or pork, and if you prefer fish use a light fish like hake (Merluza). You can use more curry powder if you like it spicier, and delete the coconut milk and just use stock or water instead if you aren't a fan of creamy dishes. You can also use cream or yogurt instead if you don't like coconut.
Remember that the sky is the limit and keep cooking! Enjoy!
