Cooking with Curry: Take your taste buds on a journey

Is your palate begging for some spice? Well, Autumn Hairston (joiDeCuisine) is here to clue you in on an easy way to wake up any bland dish in 2 seconds flat! Read on and let your palate be amazed. (Click here for a downloadable and printer-friendly version of this article and recipe.)

Close your eyes & visualize crystal blue waters, sunny skies & oceanic breezes…it’s time to teleport your taste buds on a fantastical sojourn through Thailand, India, the Bahamas Trinidad & Tobago, and St Lucia as we explore the exotic spice blend, curry.

Kari podi in South India, garam masala or “hot mixture” in South Asia; both refer to a mixture of herbs and spices- sometimes containing as few as five or more than twenty ingredients, wet or dry. The generic term “curry” is often applied to foods containing the spicy blend while the name “curry powder” is speculated to have originated in Britain.

Here in the US, in its most popular yellow powder form (courtesy of turmeric), curry is almost exclusively, though incorrectly, synonymous with only West Indies and other Caribbean island cuisine. But curry powder also has roots in south Asian cooking; specifically Thai and Indian recipes.

Of the plethora of dishes that incorporate curry into them, curried chicken & goat dishes are extremely popular here in the West. Curry can catapult a stew from standard to savory; take a burger to mouthwatering dimensions & liven up sumptuous seafood dishes.

Stop by your favorite grocer or see what your local specialty food shop has to offer in the way of international curries. Then experience the #joiDeCuisine by trying out this popular curry recipe from Food Network. Also browse the site for other recipes that make your mouth water.

Easy Chicken Curry with Vegetables

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons red Thai curry paste

1 yellow onion, sliced with the grain

2 chicken breasts cut into cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 teaspoon dried basil

3 cloves garlic, minced

Zest of 1/2 lime

1 1/4 cups coconut milk

1/4 cup chicken stock

One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

Lime wedges, for squeezing

Directions

Cook 1 tablespoon of the oil, the curry paste and onions in a large saute pan over medium heat, stirring often and letting sizzle, 5 to 6 minutes. Pat the chicken dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the remaining oil to the pan. Cook the chicken in the onion-curry mixture until golden on all sides. Add the broccoli, carrots, basil, garlic and lime zest and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are coated, about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Let the chicken simmer until cooked through and the sauce begins to thicken, about 20 minutes. Squeeze with lime juice before serving.

Email Autumn at joiDeCusine@etudelife.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry