Book: The Curry Book by Nancie McDermott
Recipe: Stir-Fried Chicken with Tomatoes and Green Peppers
...well, not exactly. Before I get to the "not exactly" part, let me share an conversation I had with my mother at the grocery store yesterday.
Me: Mom, if I want to make a simple chicken dish by just browning some chicken and having a veggie on the side, how would I prepare the chicken so it will taste good?
Mom: (points to stewed tomatoes in her cart) Well, you can add a couple of cans to the chicken and (starts to name some other things)
Me: But how do you do that?
Mom: Nevermind. You are hopeless.
Me: Thanks.
Ingredients:
2tbsp veggie oil (I added a bit more because it was a bit dry)
1.5c sliced onions
1c green peppers, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tspn ginger, minced
2 tbsp curry powder
3/4lb boneless skinless chicken breast
3 plum tomatoes coarsely chopped or 1 15oz can of ready-cut tomatoes, including juice (Are diced tomatoes the same? That's what I used.)
1/2 tspn salt
3 tbsp fresh, finely chopped cilantro
I had most of the ingredients on hand except the ginger and fresh cilantro which I went to the grocery store to pick up. After I arrive home, I put all of the utensils and ingredients out on the counter top so I can begin prepping.
This is a video if my can opener. I just love it!
It was then that I noticed that the red pepper I had onhand was moldy. I was not about to go back to the grocery store for that so I decided to plug along with the recipe MINUS the pepper.
In a pan over medium heat, heat up oil and bit of garlic, then later add onion til it softens. Next add green peppers, garlic, ginger, curry powder and cook. (At this point it smells so good that I can't wait to have some!) Add the chicken, cook, coat about 3mins (I did it longer.) Stir in tomatoes, salt, and cover if using fresh tomatoes (uncover if using canned). Cook until chicken if cooked through.
I also made some jasmine rice.
Where is the jasmine rice? Down the disposal. There were black bugs floating in the water and live bugs in the uncooked bags.
Bottom line: I would make this again. I overcooked the chicken but not too badly but I didn't feel like it had enough flavor. It was also really soupy and... yes, I poured some of the juices down the drain. Next time I try this dish I would use fresh tomatoes and not canned. I would use more ginger and cilantro too. Anyway, I doubled the recipe so I could have it for a few days... yeah, me?? It's tasty, but it needs something or needs to be made again correctly.
I called my mother to tell her how the dish came out:
Mom: This is why you should look at a recipe and know how to alter it to make it taste good. First, I would never have used (and goes on about what she would not have done...)
Me: Yeah, well, that's fine if you know how to cook and know what to look for! I get yelled at for not following a recipe precisely and you are telling me to not follow them all of the time. Sigh.
This is my crew that follows me around everywhere and watch me go back 'n forth to the garbage can, twist their heads curiously as I say "Oh crap!" or laugh at myself.
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