Mango chicken curry with rice

I've been searching for a curry my mother used to make for a very long time. However, the base of it was a KnorrSwiss curry mix that isn't available any more (believe me, I've tried to find this!) and Mom added to it with curry powder she'd gotten in Johannesburg, asking a friend to bring some back for her, after we moved elsewhere. The curry used mutton or chicken, and stewed all day long in its sweet/savory sauce. It was served over rice with lots of 'sambal' accompaniments - chopped peanuts, tomatoes, bell pepper, raisins, onion, mango chutney. Now obviously, I'm not going to make a real chicken curry, but there is a new product on the market that's astoundingly similar to chicken - gardein. The texture is so very like chicken that with the right treatment it's a perfectly satisfactory replacement - otherwise, I think I'd use chickpeas, potatoes, or dry-fried tofu pieces in its place.

I found the following recipe here and got rather excited to see if it might be the same (or similar) to that early favorite of mine - in fact, it's what I used to beg for as a birthday dinner, year after year! I'll paste it in, with my changes:

Mango Chicken Curry Recipe

Ingredients

* 3 Tbsp (or more) of vegetable oil
* 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
* 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
* 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 2 mangos, peeled and diced
* 2 Tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar
* 1 1/4 cup water
* 4 gardein 'chicken' breasts, rinsed and dried, chopped in 1" cubes, or 1 container of tofu, cubed and dry-fried.
* 1/3 cup golden raisins
* 1/2 cup coconut milk
* Salt and pepper
* Cilantro for garnish

Method

1 Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and another tablespoon of oil, cook for a couple more minutes. Add the curry powder and cumin, cook for a few more minutes. The spices will absorb some of the oil, so if anything begins to stick too much to the bottom of the pan, add a little more oil to the pan. Add the ginger and garlic, cook for one minute more.

2 Add the vinegar, water, and a 1/2 of the chopped mango to the pan. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a low simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Scoop the sauce into a blender. Purée the sauce, pulsing until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan.

3 Add Gardein pieces and raisins to the pan. Return to a low simmer. Cover the pan and let cook for 8-10 minutes.

4 Add remaining mango pieces to the pan. Stir in the cream. Let cook at a very low temperature for another minute or two, uncovered. Do not let boil! Or the cream may curdle. Adjust seasonings. If a little too sweet, add a little more vinegar. If not sweet enough, you can add a dash of sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro. Serves 4.

Chana masala

This wonderful dish is copied from the incomparable Manjula, who has a video on her site, if you need reinforcement! I can't recommend her videos enough. I have added my notes in italics.

Serves 2 to 4.

Chola Chana Masala

Ingredients:

* 1 15 oz can of chickpeas (kable chana, Garbanzo beans)
* 3 tablespoons oil
* Pinch of asafetida (Hing)
* 1 teaspoon cumin seeds used ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon gram flour (Besan) aka chickpea flour
* 1 large tomato or 1 15 1/2 oz. can of chopped tomatoes, drained (but save the liquid!)
* 1 teaspoon ginger paste
* 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies use 1 Thai bird chili, instead
* 2 teaspoons coriander powder
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder use ground chili pepper flakes instead
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
* 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro (Green coriander)
* Thinly sliced tomatoes for garnish

Method:

1. Drain the water out of the can of chickpeas and wash the chickpeas well.
2. Blend the tomatoes, green chilies and ginger to make a puree.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed crack right away oil is ready.
4. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds.
5. After the cumin seeds crack, add the gram flour and stir-fry for a minute.
6. Add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chily powder and cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat.
7. The mixture will start leaving the oil and will reduce to about half in quantity.
8. Add the chickpeas and a half cup of water or the reserved tomato juice and let it cook for 7 to 8 minutes on medium heat, covered.
9. Press the chickpeas with a spatula so they soften. Note: add more water as needed to keep the gravy consistency to your liking, and let it cook for few more minutes on low heat. We added at least 3/4 cup more water and it could have used more.
10. Add the garam masala and cilantro. Let it cook for another minute.
11. Garnish with thin tomato slices.

Christmas day, 2008

I think we are both still full from yesterday! This meal could have served at least 6 people and left remnants - as it is, we now have tons of food left over. We need to freeze what we can. Everything was totally delicious, and we had a lovely, laid-back day. Warning about that chocolate pie, though: it makes a LOT and it's VERY filling. Next time we make it, I think we'll cut the recipe and just make 1/4 or 1/3 as much.

Breakfast

Pancakes with maple syrup
Soy eggnog

Lunch

Creamy garlicky celery soup
with
toasted baguette slices, along with 2 toppings - one, adapted from epicurious.com - walnut/sundried tomato/garlic spread, original calls for goat cheese but I mixed 1/2 and 1/2 Tofutti cream cheese/sour cream. and the other, rosemary lemon white bean dip

Dinner

Appetizer Samosas with chutney
Main course The wonderful 'not mutton' curry
naan
jasmine or basmati rice
Salad with a light vinaigrette
Dessert Millennium Chocolate Almond Midnight pie

Thai Green Curry with Veggies and Tofu

from the creative Vegan Mouse blog, shown on the postpunk forum:

Thai Green Curry with Veggies and Tofu

2 TB canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 TB green curry paste (this is spicy so use as little or much as you like - store the leftover paste in a little ziploc bag in the freezer)
2 cans coconut milk
2 cups broccoli florets
1 small red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 TB soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
juice of one large lime


Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Saute for a while until onions are browned and a bit soft. Add potatoes, carrots and green curry paste. Stir around to coat, then add coconut milk and stir. Bring to a boil. Add broccoli, red pepper and zucchini. Add soy sauce, sugar and lime juice. Lower heat to medium low. Add tofu cubes. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or so or until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Serve over hot rice.

Coconut tofu with curry dipping sauce, basmati rice & fresh peas

After seeing the delectable-looking coconut tofu on the Postpunk forum by the inimitable Tofu666, I just had to try this! So I stuck it in my recipe sidebar (under recipes to try) and every so often would look at it, think 'hmm...' and then go make something else. It's not low-cal, mind you. Finally I had a what-the-hell moment or two and proceeded to follow his recipe to the letter. Oh my my my - this is not something you want every day, but when you do make it, you'll savor every crunchy, flavorful bite. This would be lovely as 'grazing' food, especially with the wonderful curry sauce (no wrong curry, in my lexicon!)

From the original source:

1 block of extra firm tofu cut into 32 pieces
1 tbs. tamari

Marinate the tofu strips in tamari for 15 minutes.

Then we used the three pan method.

Pan one:

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. black pepper

mix all the ingredients together

Pan two:

1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs. water,
1/8 tsp. green curry paste

mix together until a slurry forms

Pan three:

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes (my note: all I could find was sweetened, and it still worked - I've since gotten some unsweetened to have on hand)

Roll the tofu in the seasoned flour, then the cornstarch slurry, finally in the coconut flakes. Be sure to press down a bit on the coconut to make sure it coats the tofu completely.

Deep-fry the tofu in peanut oil @ 385F for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. (my note: I do not deep fry, but this was a sort of shallow fry, about 1/2" of the oil. It still works.)

Green Curry Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup of coconut milk
2 tsp. of curry paste (or to taste)
1/2 tsp palm sugar
1 tsp. tamari

Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat.

We have been very much enjoying fresh peas and beans from our local farmer's market - boiled til crisp-tender, then tossed with carmelized onion, a bit of margarine, and cracked pepper.

Curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard

Recipe adapted from Epicurious, and copied intact from http://everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com/

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 heaping T of a medium-spiced curry paste
1/2 t dried red chili flakes
5 1/2 c vegetable broth
2 c red lentils
1 large bunch of rainbow chard, tough stalks removed, coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

In a large pot, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in curry paste and dried chilies and stir until well blended. Add broth and chard and bring to a boil. Add lentils and turn down heat to a simmer, adding the chickpeas to the mix. Cover and stir occasionally until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Serve over brown rice and top with yogurt, if desired.

Not-mutton curry and pilaf

Mmmm! Given a choice between chocolate or curry it's going to be curry, for me. The favorite meal of my childhood, I'd ask for curry at each birthday; Mom simmered raisins and lamb in a fragrant stew all day long, then served it surrounded by at least 10 condiments - shrimp chips (to suck heat from your tongue), bananas, coconut, chopped peanuts, onion, chutney, green pepper, tomato... This was a rijstafel, adopted from the Dutch West Indies, and translated, then translated again, to a South African, then American palate - divine, still (and to be good, the heat should make your scalp sweat; I should be left with a rich, sweet-pungent, joyous mouth-memory.

This curry's no exception to my general love for the breed, though it is (I believe) a far more authentic technique, or at least more direct. Ground coconut, cloves, and cardamom are just the 'c' spices in a rich and very flavorful blend that ultimately becomes the thick sauce, which suspends relatively few 'main' ingredients - mushrooms, potato.

Note, though, that if you don't have the whole spices that are called for - don't overestimate, as I did the cloves. They ended up being pretty overpowering. Next time I'll under-clove. Got this from holy cow! a wonderful blog I just discovered.

Vaishy's 'My Dad's "Not-Mutton" Mushroom Curry'

Ingredients:

3 cups of assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into chunky strips (I used crimini and shiitake, but you could use portabella or even button mushrooms)
2 medium potatoes, cubed and microwaved with some water for about 5 minutes until they are barely tender.
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 red chillies
5 cloves
5 pods of green cardamom
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use a packaged kind I buy from Whole Foods)
1-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes, diced

Heat 1/2 tbsp of the oil in a skillet. Add the coriander, cumin, chillies. cardamom, cloves and peppercorns and roast until they start changing color and become fragrant. Remove and reserve.
Heat another 1/2 tbsp of oil stir fry half the sliced onion, garlic and ginger until they are golden brown. Reserve.
Without adding any more oil, roast the coconut shreds for just a few seconds until they start turning golden-brown. Remove immediately. Be vigilant because coconut can burn easily.
Put the spices, onion, garlic, ginger and coconut in a blender and using 1/2 to 1 cup of water, grind to a smooth paste.
In the same skillet used for toasting the spices and onions, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.
Add the remaining onion and cook until the onion starts turning golden-brown.
Add the diced tomatoes and turmeric. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down.
Add the sliced mushrooms and stir to coat with the spices. Add the potatoes.
Cover and let cook until the veggies turn quite tender.
Now add the ground spice-onion mixture. Stir thoroughly.
Cover and let it cook another 10 minutes for the flavors to meld together.
Garnish with some cilantro or, like I did, add about 1/2 cup watercress in the last few minutes of cooking.
Serve hot!

I served this with Raisin and Nut Pilaf, also from the same blog:

My note: this is so good!

Raisin and Nut Pilaf

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped cashew and/or pistachio nuts
Salt to taste
1 tbsp canola oil

Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and oven-safe handles.
Add the cumin seeds and stir until they sputter, flavoring the oil.
Add the rice and stir until the grains start to turn opaque.
Now add the water and salt and let it come to a boil.
Turn the heat to low and add the peas.
Cover the saucepan with tinfoil and place the lid over it, to ensure a tight seal.
Place the saucepan in a preheated 350-degree oven.
Remove from the oven after 20 minutes. Be very careful because the handles will be screaming hot. Do not open for at least 10 more minutes because the rice is continuing to cook in its steam at this point.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 1 tsp of canola oil. Add the nuts and toss them about until they start to turn golden. Add the raisins, stir for about 30 seconds, and turn off the heat.
Pour the nuts and raisins into the rice pilaf and with a fork, fluff gently to mix.

Mock Chicken Makhani

This recipe is copied and slightly amended from here

This is an Indian dish also known as Butter Chicken.

3 T vegan margarine
1 onion, thinly sliced
¼ t cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t ginger, minced
½ t turmeric
1 t paprika
1 t cayenne, or to taste
1-2 t chili powder
1 T ground coriander
2 c seitan, diced
¼ c peanut butter
15 oz can tomatoes w/ juice
1/2 c frozen peas
1 T tomato paste
½ c vegan sour cream

Melt margarine in a large saucepan or frying pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and cinnamon and sauté until soft. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.

Reduce the heat to medium, and then add the spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, while stirring.

Add the seitan, peanut butter, tomatoes, peas, and tomato paste.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sour cream and heat through.

Serve on rice or with naan.

Spicy chickpea and spinach curry

This recipe uses dried chickpeas, which must be soaked at least 8 hours or overnight. Depending on their age, chickpeas can take more or less time to soften during cooking, so use the cooking time as a guideline, not a rule. Check the chickpeas occasionally — if they seem too dry, add additional water in 1/4 cup increments.

2 cups dried chickpeas, picked over
8 cups baby spinach leaves
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

In large bowl, combine chickpeas and enough cold water to cover by two inches. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Drain chickpeas, then combine in slow cooker with 1 cup water. Cover and cook on high, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 4 hours. Add spinach, tomatoes and their juices, coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook 1 hour more. Sprinkle in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir in cilantro and serve.

from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/237287

Quick Spinach and Chickpea Curry

Recipe By :Susan Voisin
Serving Size : 6

1 small onion -- chopped fine
1 clove garlic -- minced
15 ounces chickpeas, cooked -- (or 1 can)
1 10-ounce can tomatoes with green chilies
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach -- (chopped spinach) thawed
2 -3 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon salt (optional)

In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion, stirring constantly, until it is just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook one minute more (you may add a tbsp of water if needed to prevent sticking).

Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, spinach, garam masala, and salt. Stir and cook for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve over rice or other grain.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 142 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (12% calories from fat); 8g
Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 585mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat;
0 Other Carbohydrates

from http://www.fatfreevegan.com/beans/quick_curry.shtml

Creamy Curried Veggies

	Rich and full of flavor, this dish is at its best when served over rice.
	Ingredients: 1 large onion, sliced 2-6 cloves garlic, minced 1-3 large carrots, diced 2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium potato, cubed 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets, sliced 6-8 mushrooms, sliced 1 tbsp curry powder 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp turmeric pinch of cayenne pepper 1 cup coconut milk or soy milk 1 cup peas 3 tbsp Braggs or soy sauce 1. In a large saucepan, sauté the onions, garlic, and carrots in oil on medium-high heat until the onions become translucent. Add the vegetables, curry, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne, stirring often so they don't stick to the pan, cooking for 2-4 minutes. Add the milk, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Stir in the peas and Braggs (or soy sauce), and cook uncovered on medium-high heat stirring constantly until the liquid has thickened. 2. Serve over rice or noodles Note: you can use whatever vegetables you have kicking around (e.g., spinach, kale, green onions). Makes 4 servings. from How it all vegan, reprinted on http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/pregnancy-recipes.asp?id=399

Aloo Saag (Indian curried spinach and potatoes)

This is a definite favorite! When I'm not feeling well (I have colitis) aloo saag goes down easy with no difficult-to-digest beans, tofu, or other bits.

1 lb. fresh spinach leaves, washed well (or frozen if you must)
2 cups 1/3"-dice potato (about 6 new potatoes or 2 medium baking potatoes: be aware that russets will tend to break down, unlike new potatoes - you may want to slightly undercook or wait until the end before gently folding them into the spinach mix)
4-6 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more as needed
1 tsp. garam masala
3 Tbsps. plain soy milk, plus more as needed
crushed red pepper to taste

serves 2 as main dish, 4-6 as a side
time 20-30 minutes

1 Wash the spinach leaves well and drain. Toss them in a pot along with a 1/2 cup of water. Heat on high for a few minutes, stirring, until the water starts to steam and the bottom leaves begin to wilt (if you're using frozen spinach, cook in microwave for 4-5 minutes). Give it a good stir, cover, lower heat, and cook for about 7 minutes, until just tender. Drain (don't worry about getting out all the water.) Puree until smooth in a blender or food processor.

2 Meanwhile, toss the diced potatoes in a pot with water to cover, and bring to a boil. Add a ½ tsp. of salt. Cook the potatoes for about 10-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain.

3 Heat up a couple tablespoons of oil in a good-sized, non-stick sauté pan. Saute garlic and onion over medium heat. Stir in the turmeric and cook a minute or two more.

4 Toss in the spinach puree and potatoes and stir well. Add the milk, salt, garam masala and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper to taste. Bring to a low bubble, and cook a few minutes more to let the flavors meld. If the mixture looks too dry, add a little more milk. Enjoy!

-- adapted from www.digsmagazine.com

http://www.fatfreevegan.com/veggies/aloo.shtml