Crock Pot Chicken Masala

Back in 2007 I spent a month in India for a “HIV/AIDS and public health challenges” volunteer experience. It was absolutely amazing. We were completely immersed in the culture, which scared the crap out of me at first. I flew alone – for the first time alone and the first time ever on a plane for more than 3 hours. It was a 26 hour non-stop flight. I arrived at the Delhi airport, surrounded by a language I had never heard before (Hindi). My ride was no where to be found and I had no idea how to figure out how to contact him/her. Thankfully a half hour later I found them. And they didn’t speak English. They were employees of the NGO that my non-profit was affiliated with. They weren’t dressed very nice, but were nice to me. I couldn’t help but feel a little skeptical about the situation. Before we left the airport I tried to call my parents and J to let them know I arrived safely. My phone disconnected me 3 times and they were, of course, worried something happened to me. Thankfully it stayed connected long enough to hear I was OK and that they should call J to tell him I was safe. I then went with the two Indian men I had just met to an old van. Yes, one of those creepy vans without side windows. They loaded my luggage up for me and I sat alone in the backseat without a seat belt (because they don’t use those in India). I was honestly so scared that I might not make it through the night, but I knew I had to trust that everything would be fine. The ride was an experience I will never forget. It was my first glimpse into the chaos of Delhi driving. When we were at stop lights, children and women begged at our car (just like you may have seen on Slumdog Millionaire). I had never seen anything like this. We finally drove down a dark ally, my heart racing, and arrived at my hostel. The hostel keeper didn’t speak English, of course, and my two other travel partners hadn’t arrived yet, of course. The women at the hostel were very nice and helped me get settled into the room we (the 3 girls) would share. I was so scared and had no idea what was going to happen next. After I fell asleep there was a loud pounding at the door – it was my travel partners (but my mind went to the worst possible scenario, of course).

After that moment the trip improved greatly. One of the girls spoke Hindi, which made all the difference. Our experience was amazing. We were immersed into India. Working and living in conditions similar to those of the lower-middle class of India (which would be poor in the US). We worked with homeless children, men dying of HIV/AIDS who were disowned from their families, young boys who were already addicted to drugs, amputees who lost limbs from drug use, women who had been abused, and so many more amazing people. This was an experience I will never forget. I went from being scared to death of a country to not wanting to leave. I still hope to go back someday and experience India all over again.

A woman in Old Delhi who just was fitted for these new glasses

Teaching English in a Village

A young boy in the slums of old Delhi

Nutrition classes in the slums of Old Delhi for eye health

 

During our time there we ate a lot of traditional Indian food. We usually ate whatever was prepared for the people we were serving, so there was tons of dal with rice and nann. We often ate with our hands. The food was absolutely delicious. I ate the best mango I have ever had in my life  – so ripe I could peel it with my hands. I fell in love with paneer and kheer (and probably put on a few pound because of it). Occasionally we’d venture out and eat at a local restaurant, which was always amazing. I only made the mistake of getting something too spicy once the entire month, was a pretty good success. 

Since being home, I have tried to make Indian dishes occasionally. The cumin, chai, cinnamon, and masala spices bring back memories instantly. A friend of mine made us Chicken Tikka Masala when I stayed with her in Madison a few months ago. It was so easy and SO delicious. I made this for J a few weeks ago and he loved it too. I served it with the very Indian side dish of green beans, haha, but it needed a vegetable! If I were doing it again I would add raisins to give it a touch of sweetness.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
(unfortunately I don’t know the source of this recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 24-oz chicken breast or thighs (1.5 pounds)
• 1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup basmati or long-grain rice
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (or plain non-fat yogurt if you want a non-fat option)

Directions

1. In a 4 or 6qt slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, and masala. Place the chicken on top, cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 3-4 hours).
2. In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Prepare the rice before serving.
4. Just before serving, stir the cream into the masala. Serve over rice with cucumber relish.

 

Curried Cucumber Ranita

It’s that time of year when there are more cucumbers than you know what to do with. We had six in the refrigerator and I wanted something other than sliced cucumbers and pickles. I was going through an old cookbook with loose recipes inside and Cucumber Ranita fell out. I love when that happens. The recipe wasn’t quite what I wanted (cream, whole milk yogurt, spices I didn’t have on hand, etc…), I just used the recipe as an inspiration for this recipe. We served it at a family party a few weeks ago and it was a hit.

Curried Cucumber Ranita

Ingredients

• 4 cucumbers, about 6″ in size
• 2 cups plain yogurt, regular or greek – the regular worked just fine and wasn’t too runny
• 1/4 cup cilantro, diced
• 1/2 cup Madras Curry Paste
• 4 oz orzo pasta
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup peanuts

Directions

1. Prepare the pasta per directions on package. 
2. Finely shred 2 of the cucumbers. Mix with the yogurt and cilantro. Add the curry paste and stir well.
3. Quarter the remaining cucumbers. You may want to remove the seeds or use seedless, but regular cucumbers worked just fine for me.
4. Mix the yogurt sauce with the pasta. Add the cucumbers, raisins, and peanuts. Stir well. Serve cold.

 

Bok Choy and Beef Pockets

Image from Steamy Kitchen (click image to visit site)

Bok Choy – have you ever cooked with it before? I haven’t but after getting a huge head of it in our CSA last week, I knew I was going to learn. After searching online I found a number of recipes for egg rolls using bok choy. We had some egg roll wrappers in the refrigerator from a different recipe I meant to make a few weeks ago (but never got around to…stupid board exam).

I decided to make more of a pocket than an egg roll, because it would allow for more filling to fit into each nutritionally meaningless wrapper. It also made them more filling. They were super easy and super delicious! I prepared the filling in advance, which made it easier to work with, because when it is hot it is very runny.

Bok Choy and Beef Pockets

Ingredients

• 1 large head of bok choy 
• 16-20 ounces of lean ground beef (we use grass-fed, which is so lean that we don’t need to drain any fat afterwards)
• 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 package egg roll wrappers (16 count)

Directions
Filling

1. Prepare the bok choy by cutting and cleaning the leaves. You can use all the plant, including the stem. Chop into small pieces.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium and add the ground beef. Once the ground beef is 50% done, add the sesame oil, garlic, and bok choy. Stir and cook down until the leaves wilt and the beef is completely cooked. Add soy sauce and more sesame oil, if needed.
3. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until you are going to assemble the pockets.

Pockets

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray. 
2. Place a wrapper on your prep surface. Using a slotted spoon, scoop 1 spoonful of mixture into the center of the wrapper.
3. Fold up the bottom corner so the tip is in the middle of the pocket. Repeat on each side. Use a basting brush and water as needed to help the wrapper stick together.
4. Place each pocket onto a prepared baking sheet with the folded sides up. You could coat them with egg using the basting brush if you’d like them to be more golden.
5. Bake the pockets for 20-25 minutes. I turned mine after 15 minutes so both sides would be crispy and to prevent one side from burning. This did make them less pretty because the sauce from inside the pocket leaked a bit when the folded side was on the pan.