Indian Chicken Curry

For most Asians, the cooking and eating of food is taken seriously, with great appreciation and enjoyment. Food is not eaten just to fill the stomach, but also to help fine tune the body, both spiritually and physically. Indian food has maintained this long tradition to combine different seasonings and ingredients, adjusting them for the health of family members. Most of the cooking taking place at home and the variety of spices and herbs are not the same in each family. I try to make chicken curry Indian style my way, and the recipe that I show here is simple enough for those who love Indian food but feel too intimidated to try because of the long list of herbs and spices.

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken thighs and breasts
2 potatoes (sweet potato or regular potato)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
1/2 cup chopped white onions
2 tbs butter and oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
2 tbs curry spice*
Salt, pepper, sugar to taste
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk or coconut milk

Directions:
Wash and cut chicken into 4 inch pieces. Mix chicken and yogurt together and marinate a few hours or overnight. When ready to cook, remove chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Reserve the marinate.
Spray cooking oil onto a baking sheet and place potatoes and carrots in one layer. Bake in toaster oven at 400° until golden brown.
In a large pan over medium heat, add butter and oil. Brown chicken on all sides and remove from the pan.

In the same pan, sauté the onions, ginger and garlic for a few minutes. Add the curry spice and fry until fragrant, being careful not to burn the spices.
Put the chicken back, the reserved marinate, and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes and cook further until the vegetables cook through (about 15 minutes). Add milk and bring back to a boil. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with a bowl of rice or baguette.

 *Indian spices:
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup fennel seeds
1/4 cup fenugreek
2 cinnamon sticks broken up
2 tbs clove
2 tbs black peppercorn

Pan fry all the ingredients above until fragrant. Grind into powder.

 Mix these toasted spices with:
2 tbs garam masala
1/4 cup tumeric
2 tbs cumin
2 tbs paprika or chili powder

Put in a jar with lid. Store in dry place