Curry

My husband served as a missionary in South Africa, where they eat a lot of curry. I made this curry chicken recipe last night, and he said that of all the curries he's eaten since coming home 20 years ago, this was the most like what he had in South Africa.

I figured I'd better write down how I made it before I forget.

Luisa's Curry Chicken

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 tsp. each salt and pepper (I used kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper)
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons curry powder (I used a hot curry powder that I purchased at Cost Plus World Market)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, sliced into chunks
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
4 oz. tomato paste mixed with 4 oz. water (or 8 oz. tomato sauce)
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 bay leaves

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat oil and curry powder in an enameled cast iron French oven (or large skillet) over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.

Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add chicken and red bell pepper chunks and toss lightly in curry oil to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes.

Add coconut milk, diced tomatoes, tomato paste/water, and sugar. Stir to combine. Add bay leaves.

Lower heat to simmer and cover. Allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice with chutney and/or sliced bananas. (We used a spiced mango chutney, also from Cost Plus World Market.)

I wish I had taken a picture. (I want to be more like my friend, L., who makes good food and then posts beautiful pictures of it on her blog, http://exoskeleto.blogspot.com/. Her blog always makes me hungry!)

P.S. This curry was even better today, the day after I made it.

Soup

Luisa's Not-Famous-At-All Chicken Soup

3 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup flour* (I use gluten-free flour, or see below)
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4-5 potatoes, diced
3-4 carrots, sliced
2-3 stalks celery, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper

cilantro, torn in pieces, to taste (optional)
4-6 cups chicken broth or water (enough to cover vegetables)
1 rotisserie chicken (remove all meat and shred)

In a 6 1/2 quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly until golden, about 5 minutes. Add onions and garlic, cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and cilantro. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes. Bring to a boil. Stir in shredded chicken and warm through.

*Sometimes I use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the soup. I cook the onions and garlic in the oil, then add the rest of the vegetables, seasonings, cilantro and broth, cooking until vegetables are tender. Then I mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water and add this to the soup. After it comes to a boil, I stir in the shredded chicken.

(And sorry, my soup doesn't actually look all that appetizing in the photo. I'm no food stylist. I promise it tastes better than it looks.)