Years ago, it took three friends to convince a certain Irish man to try Indian food. Trying to make the distinction between spicy and spiced is always a challenge–till you try it. Needless to say, the Irish man is now a convert. He now enjoys Indian food and has a variety of chillis in his pantry. So the dish that he tried was Tamarind Chicken. Traditionally a South Indian dish, it has several varieties. Some are more spicy, some more tangy and creamy. I did not grow up eating this variety of curry so I created my own version of it. He liked it. WIN! Hope you and your family like it too.
Ingredients:
5 chicken breasts, cubed
1 inch of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
1tbsp of minced garlic (2-3cloves)
2 quartered onions
2 tomatoes
1 jalapeno
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1tsp of fenugreek seeds
1 Bay leaf
3-4 whole cloves
3-4 whole cardamom pods
2 tbsp of tamarind paste, dissolved in 2cups of water
0.4oz of Berbere spice blend (from rawspicebar–refer to image for spice blend)
2 tbsp of canola/vegetable oil
salt to taste
honey/sugar to reduce spicy-ness (optional step)
Method:
Blend ginger, garlic, jalapeno, tomato and onions.
Heat oil in a pot, and add the mustard, fenugreek, cloves, cardamon to pot and wait for them to start popping in the hot oil
Then add the onion-tomato paste from the blender. Then add the berberre spice blend.
Cook then spices, stirring often, till the raw smell has cooked off and it turns a deep red color.
Add the chicken and saute for 5-10 mins
Add the tamarind paste in water
Cook till the sauce thickens, on medium-ow heat for 30 mins
Taste to adjust salt and seasonings. You might want to add more spice, or if it is too spicy you can add a tbsp of honey or sugar.
Serve hot with Naan or basmati rice.