Indian Adventures

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I decided to make these Indian dishes, inspired by Joelen's Indian/Jewish Adventures on her blog, Joelen's Culinary Adventures. So I made Chicken Korma and Indian Style Basmati Rice. I found both of these recipes on allrecipes.com.

This is the first time I've ever attempted Indian food, or, for that matter, I believe it's actually the first time I've eaten it. The smells that came from cooking these dishes were amazing.

The chicken was excellent, though it definitely had a bit of a kick. (Not unbearable though, and I am pretty sensitive to spicy foods).

The rice itself had a different nutty taste to it, and you could smell it as soon as the bag opened. The rice wasn't bad, but it was actually surprisingly bland, especially with how good it smelled. But we put some of the sauce from the chicken over it, which really helped!

I will definitely try making Indian food again.

Note: I accidentally bought ground cardamom, instead of cardamom seeds - so I guessed at the amount and added it a little later to each dish.

Chicken Korma
Ingredients:
1 T vegetable oil
4 (2 inch) cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
10 cardamom seeds (as noted above, I had ground)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 2 whole chicken breasts)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 c tomato sauce (I just used canned sauce)
1/2 c warm water
1/2 c buttermilk
2 T fresh chopped parsley

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook cinnamon sticks, cloves and cardamom in hot oil for about 3 minutes.

Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until soft.

Cut each chicken breast half in 4 pieces and add to skillet, cook for 5-8 minutes. (I added in my ground cardamom here.)

Season with salt, red pepper flakes, coriander and cumin, then stir in the tomato sauce and water. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes.

Add the buttermilk and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Add the parsley just as you are ready to serve.
Indian Style Basmati Rice
Ingredients:
1 c Basmati Rice (the recipe calls for 1 1/2 c, but the rice package said 1 c to 2 1/2 c water, so I went by the rice package instead)
2 T vegetable oil
1 (2 inch) cinnamon stick
2 pods green cardamom (as noted above, I had ground)
2 whole cloves
1 T cumin seed (I just had ground cumin, so I added it later)
1 t salt
2 1/2 c water
1 small onion, thinly sliced

Directions:
To prep rice - rinse thoroughly in cold water 3-5 times. Then place in a bowl or pot, cover with cold water and let soak for 20-30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves and cumin seed.

Cook and stir for about a minute, then add the onion. Saute the onion until golden brown, about 10 minutes.(I then added my ground cumin and cardamom.)

Drain the water from the rice, and then stir into the pot. Cook and stir the rice for a few minutes, until lightly toasted.

Add salt and water to the pot, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low.

The recipe said to simmer on low for about 15 minutes, but the package said 35-40 minutes, so again I went by the package. (I like my rice to be softer more than al dente, and it turned out perfectly to my DH's and my liking.) Don't uncover while it simmers.

Let it stand for about 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork before serving.