CURRY PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND COCONUT

Though the name says chicken, this is a fun way to use up vegetables that you hate to eat. The original recipe penned by David Tans, used shrimp and fewer vegetables. The end product is a child of Italian and Asian cuisine and the blend of flavors and spices are amazing and beautifully balanced. For adding an extra tinge, i added some amount of capsicum paste too, which gave this a rich color and the addition of coconut milk has transformed it to extra rich and creamy gravy. Vegetarians can replace chicken with tofu, cottage cheese or soy.

Gather these:

• Pasta (Use your favorite kind or mix it up!) – 250 grams
• skinless chicken breast, cut to long thin pieces        – 300 to 400 grams
• diced onion         – 1 medium
• cherry tomatoes   – 8 halved
• coconut milk         – 2 cups
• peppers, red and yellow – 1/2 of each, pasted smooth, resulting a beautiful orange color.
• red chili flakes   – 1 tablespoon
• coriander seeds, cumin, fennel, cloves and cinnamon – 1/2 teaspoon each
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• grated ginger and garlic – 2 tablespoon
• vegetables as needed – 1/2 cup
• turmeric powder   -1.5 teaspoon
• pepper and salt
• fresh coconut oil
• cilantro as needed

Start with:

• In a pot of boiling salted water, cook your pasta al dente, run through cold water to thwart sticking.
• In a skillet, heat some coconut oil, add diced onions, saute till soft, followed by ginger and garlic.
• Once the raw flavor dies, add the vegetables and saute them for a minute or two.
• Dry roast coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, fennel and cumin, grind them well using the pestle and mortar, while you enjoy the aroma.
• Add this spice mix to the onions, mix them for a minute, followed by the pepper paste and pepper powder.
• Add the chicken,salt,and turmeric powder, followed by lemon juice and zest.
• Add the coconut milk, then the halved tomatoes, cook the chicken till tender.
• Once cooked, add the red chili flakes and some cilantro, check the taste.
• Separate the cooked pasta to the required bowls, add the chicken gravy, top with cilantro and indulge into it!

BURNT GINGER GARLIC BROWN RICE

Very first recipe using brown rice, contrasting flavor and taste compared with the normal white rice, but nutritious in may ways.Brown rice is quite chewy with a nutty flavor, so everyone is going to hate it if it is cooked with water. Addition of bouillon of some sorts might make it less boring. I have tried here a very basic rice recipe with available ingredients and to mask the rice taste, used lots of ginger and garlic. Add your favorite protein and batch of vegetables. For one cup of brown rice, add around 2.5 cups of water/stock and cook for around 50 minutes. Also, you can replace the brown rice with white rice!

Gather these: 

• cooked brown rice    – 2 cups
• olive oil                      – some
• ginger and garlic chopped – 2 tablespoons each
• vegetables(i used mushroom carrots, peas, baby corn and peppers) -1.5 cups approx
• soy sauce                  – 1 tablespoon
• sweet chilly sauce      -1/5 tablespoon
• prawns                        – half cup
• salt
• pepper
• sugar
• 3 eggwhites

Start with:

• Cook brown rice with instructions above preferably in a large pot.
• Heat some olive oil in a pan, add the ginger and garlic, caramelize them till you get an intense aroma.
• Add the protein, saute till its cooked.
• Add the vegetables according to your order, mine was baby corn, mushroom, peppers, peas and carrots since i want the carrot crisp while eating.
• Once combined with the protein and ginger garlic, add salt, some soy sauce, chilly sauce, pepper and a teaspoon of sugar.
• Add the cooked brown rice, scramble the egg whites in another pan, mix it at the end. Add your favorite herb if required.
• Serve hot!