America's Test Chicken: vegetarian

Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Stuffed Turkish Grape Leaves and Cabbage Rolls

America's Test Chicken consists of two separate chickens, each with her own take on this cooking thing. Check out Chicken One's related blog, A Travel for Taste where she shares travel stories and recipes collected whenever she ventures abroad. And give Chicken Two's new, also-related blog, Poop from the Coop a read. There you can find stories about her personal adventure re-experiencing the kitchen after many years away. Please join our Facebook group to share your own recipes, kitchen practices and know-how. We are also on Pinterest and Instagram.

The complete recipes appear at the end of this post.

From Chicken One:
Stuffed Turkish Grape Leaves

This was an exciting recipe for me. You know one of the main goals of this blog is to attempt recipes we've always wanted to try. For the first few months, that's exactly what we did. In that process, we've mostly lost our fear!

A secondary reason for this blog is to explore cuisine from other regions and cultures. Therefore, this recipe fits both objectives nicely!

A little background is in order: I teach English as a second language online. Recently I had a student from Germany whose heritage is Turkish. Through him I acquired his wife's stuffed grape leaves recipe. I love receiving authentic family recipes, so I was eager to try this one. It was not complicated in itself, but the recipe came to me written in German, so I had a little translating to do!

I had to visit three markets to find grape leaves, which was surprising to me. Maybe I should be more judicious in choosing the markets I visit! Once I did, I soaked them in water per the recipe.

Then I made a filling of ground beef, rice, tomatoes and a few other goodies.

Once that was mixed, I tried my hand (first time!) at rolling up the filling in the grape leaves.

Basically you start with the filling at the stem point of the leaf. then you tuck the sides in and roll it toward the tip of the leaf. It's a tiny, green burrito, really!

The photo above has WAY too much filling, but I reduced it when it squished out the sides as I rolled it! SCAFU (Situation Chicken All Fowled UP!)

Eventually I got on a roll (excuse the pun) and ended up with about three dozen stuffed leaves.

I'd only ever had the Greek style grape leaves before making these, and the Greek ones are much thicker.

Language note: Greek ones are dolmades; Turkish style are called either dolma or sarma. For that matter, they are Weinblätter in German. My understanding is that they are essentially prepared the same way anywhere, with small family or regional differences, mostly in the filling.

After resting from rolling up so many of the sarma, I put them all in a pan and poured boiling water over them.

Then I simmered them on top the stove for 45 minutes or so. They tasted wonderful! However, (SCAFU 2) the grape leaves were very chewy and a little tough. I checked with my student and his wife said I should soak them longer next time. Internet sources say to add lemon juice to the soaking water, too, which should help. I'm wondering if a different brand of grape leaves might also make a difference. If any of you know, please leave a comment below.

Two final notes: First, I blanched and peeled my tomatoes before dicing, but you can also use canned peeled and diced tomatoes.

Second, you can make such a stuffed roll with any edible leaf such as chard or even cabbage leaves like Chicken Two's rolls to the right. Cooks mainly use the brined leaves that come in a jar, but if you use fresh leaves you much pickle or cook them before making rolls.

I'm looking forward to making these again. It's one of those things you can easily make into a vegetarian meal or spice the filling any way you like.

From Chicken Two:
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

When I was growing up, my mother used to make this dish every now and then. I remember wishing she would make it more often. The fun, besides another cooking adventure with Chicken One, was trying to recreate the smell and taste.

My mom used to make it in a pressure cooker, but since this recipe didn't take long to make and cook, I decided to do it in the oven. The option is up to you, of course. Just remember to reduce the time!

Here I'm browning ground beef, but you can substitute ground turkey, pork or lamb.

This is the tricky part: remove the heavy vein from each cabbage leaf. Trust me, it folds better with that stiff vein gone!

Submerge leaves in boiling water for two or three minutes, just until limp.

Fill the rolls.

Don't forget to put sauce on the bottom before placing the rolls in the pan.

Just like mom made! Sorta! They really tasted great, and my dear hubby ate two of them! Give it a try.

Stuffed Turkish Grape Leaves

Ingredients

14 ounces pickled grape leaves

½ cup rice, washed

½ pound ground beef

1 onion, minced

½ bunch flat parsley, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

½ teaspoon mint

3 garlic cloves, minced

olive oil

Instructions

Place grape leaves in large bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Soak 10 to 20 minutes.

Make the filling: Combine rice, ground beef, onion, parsley, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, mint and garlic in a bowl. Mix well.

Make the rolls: place a grape leaf flat on your work surface. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling at the stem point of the leaf. Fold in the sides of the leaf and roll forward toward the tip. Repeat until filling is used up.

Heat a little olive oil in a large pan. Place rolls in pan and cover with boiling water. Cover tightly and bring to a boil. Then immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer about 45 minutes until filling is cooked. Serve hot.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

12 ounces ground beef (or pork or lamb)

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 7 1/2 ounce can tomatoes, undrained, cut up

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice (I used brown rice)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or thyme

8 medium to large cabbage leaves

1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp oregano for sauce

1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese (I substituted sharp cheddar)

1. Cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, water, uncooked rice, 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Bring to boiling, reduce heat, simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

2. Trim veins from cabbage leaves. Immerse leaves, 4 at a time, into boiling water for 2 or 3 minutes or until just limp.

3. Stir 1/4 cup Swiss cheese into meat mixture. Place about 1/3 cup of mixture on each cabbage leaf. Fold in sides. Starting at an unfolded edge, carefully roll up each leaf making sure the folded sides are included in the roll.

4. For sauce, stir together tomato sauce, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/4 tsp of black pepper.. Pour half of the tomato mixture into a 2 quart square baking dish. Arrange cabbage rolls and spoon remaining mixture over the rolls. Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Let stand about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted then serve!

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Samosas Two Ways

The complete recipes appear at the end of this post.

From Chicken One:
Punjabi Potato Samosa (Aloo Samosa)

So the bitter gourd dish was a real SCAFU (Situation Chicken All Fowled Up) - ok, it wasn't really a SCAFU, but no one liked the end product, including the cook! However, I had other-end-of-the-spectrum, brilliant success with this dish: samosas.

Samosas are pockets of fried dough with filling, something every culture has in one form or another. Although India claims the samosa as its own, the original samosa came from Central Asia, home of today's Kazakhstan and all those other -stans.

And it's an old recipe. A ninth-century Iraqi poet even wrote a verse about it. The samosa is delicious freshly made or left-over, which means it travels well. They are served with a chutney or sauce.

I got my recipe from maayeka.com and you can find my slightly tweaked version below. I also got some excellent advice from finecooking.com.

The pockets are made in four stages: filling, dough, assembly and frying. Learning to make the triangular samosas was fun, especially with the advice of this guy, who I barely understood but learned a lot from anyway! A happier cook you will not find!

This recipe is for Punjabi samosas, which means a spiced potato filling, but the variations on fillings are endless. You can spice them up or down, add raisins and cashews, make a meat filling - really anything you can come up with is fine. Here's my filling:

My cone:

And all my little dumplings (they made me think of garden gnomes):

I'm so proud of myself because I am not well-versed in frying. However, with enough homework beforehand, I think my friend samosas turned out rather well!

And they were delicious! I have plenty more internet links for resources plus a whole lot more photos. If you want to make these, let me know and I'll be happy to send all of them along!

From Chicken Two:
Spinach Phyllo Samosas

This was a fun one for me because, in my travels, I've eaten many versions. This particular version, which I found in Raghavan Iyer's Indian Cooking Unfolded, is definitely going to be my favorite. I think it's a simpler recipe than most, using store bought frozen phyllo sheets, and is baked instead of deep fried.

For my filling, I used paneer (whole milk cheese) that Chicken #1 made, and spinach that I made. Just kidding!

Here's the paneer.

This is a great recipe if you like origami since it's all about how you fold the phyllo. You start by cutting the sheet into four equal strips.

After you add a heaping spoonful of filling, fold the dough over the filling forming a triangle.

Maintain a triangle folding over itself and mimic a classic flag fold.

Tah Dah! Aren't they pretty after they're baked?

Both types of samosas (Chicken #1 and mine) turned out pretty yummy. I'd definitely make them again.

I made a Tamarind Date Chutney to dip these in, which turned out pretty good, if I say so myself. I will be happy to share that recipe if you want it. Just drop us a line here and I will be happy to forward it.

Potato-pea Samosas (Aloo Samosa)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds
1/4 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 medium potatoes, boiled
4 tablespoons + 2 1/2 teaspoons cooking oil + more for frying
1 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon chopped serrano chili
3/4 cup green peas, boiled
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon mango powder or lemon zest
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
water

Cooking Directions

For the filling: Toast coriander seeds, pomegranate seeds and 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds in a hot skillet for about 45 seconds. Crush coarsely in mortar and pestle.
Peel and smash potatoes roughly; you don't want a mash.
Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds. When cumin becomes golden after about a minute or so, add ginger, serranos and boiled peas and saute for 1 minute.
Now add cayenne, ground coriander, mango powder/lemon zest and salt to taste. Stir to mix.
Add smashed potatoes, the toasted and crushed spice mix and garam masala. Saute for 2 minutes on medium heat.
Place in bowl and stir in fresh chopped cilantro. Set aside.
For the dough: In a large bowl, combine flour, cardamom and salt to taste.
Add the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons of the cooking oil and rub it into the flour with your fingers. Add lemon juice and mix again.
Add enough cold water to make a stiff dough like pie crust dough. Cover with plastic wrap and rest 1 to 2 hours.
For the samosas: Knead rested dough until smooth and slightly elastic. Make 8 equal-sized balls from the dough and keep them covered with a moist cloth. Make more or fewer dough balls for smaller or larger samosas, respectively.
Roll out a dough ball to make a disc about 7 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick.
With a sharp knife, cut the disc in half.
Using your finger dipped in clean, cold water, "paint" the water around the curved edge of one half-disc. Fold the disc in a cone shape with a fold on one side.
Hold the cone in one hand and stuff 3/4 full with filling.
"Paint the rim of the cone with water with your fingertip and press the sides together to close it completely, squeezing out any excess air from inside. Be sure to seal the samosa well so it doesn't come open while frying and ruin your oil.
Repeat with all dough balls. Assembled, uncooked samosas will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days sealed in plastic wrap. Allow them to come to room temperature before cooking.
In a large, deep skillet, heat about 2 inches of cooking oil over low to medium-low heat. Using higher heat will make the samosas look right, but the dough will be wet and underdone inside.
Add several samosas to the oil and fry until golden on one side. Turn over and fry til golden on the other side. Do not crowd the pan and do not fry on high heat.
Drain on paper towels. Repeat frying until all samosas are done.
Alternatively, you can bake samosas at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve hot or cold with chutney or sauce.

Spinach Phyllo Samosas

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil + more for brushing
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
8 ounces baby spinach, stemmed and finely chopped
1 cup shredded paneer or drained, extra-firm tofu
2 serrano chilies, stemmed, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 pound (1 package) frozen phyllo sheets, thawed

Cooking Directions

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until slightly brown. Stir in the spinach, paneer or tofu, chilies, salt, and garam masala. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the spinach wilts. Transfer to a colander and let the excess liquid drain.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unfold the phyllo sheets; cover the stack with a clean, damp cloth. Carefully peel a sheet of the dough from the stack and place it on a cutting board with the longer length of the rectangular sheet facing you. Brush with oil. Repeat 3 more times so you end up with a stack of 4 sheets. Each time you unpeel a single sheet, recover the stack. Cut the 4-sheet stack crosswise into 4 short, equal strips.
Working quickly with one strip at a time, with the smaller edge facing you, spoon a tablespoon of the spinach filling onto the center of the narrow end closest to you. Form a triangle by folding the lower left-hand corner of all 4 layers over the filling to the opposite side. Next fold it up on the diagonal to the right side, maintaining the triangular shape. Continue folding this way until you get to the end of the strip. You should have a neat-looking triangle. If you have an uneven lip at the end, brush that lip with oil and tuck it under. Set on the lined baking sheet. Continue filling and folding the other 3 strips. Repeat three more times with the remaining filling and strips to make 16.
Bake the samosas for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are golden. Serve warm as is or with a dipping sauce such as mint or tamarind chutney.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Spicy Rice Pilaf (Pilau Masala) & Carrot Rice (Carrot Sadam)

The complete recipes appear at the end of this post.

From Chicken One:
Spicy Rice Pilaf (Pilau Masala)

If you've been following this blog, you know that America's Test Chicken is all about trying things in the kitchen that intimidate us. At the beginning of this year we delved into Indian cuisine, covering everything from vindaloo to tandoori.

This time each Chicken chose a rice dish from India. You might know them as pilaf, which is variously spelled pilau or pulao in India.

Pilaf/pilau is defined by perfuming some oil with spices before sauteeing rice in the oil. After that, the rice is cooked in a standard way.

My pilau is from northern India and is referred to as Pilau Masala, which really just means spicy rice.

My recipe comes from Indian Harvest by Vikas Khanna, although it does appear in Indian Cooking Unfolded by Raghavan Iyer with slight variation - plus hundreds more recipes online. This rice is a wonderful side dish to curry or alone as a main dish.

The ingredients are simple and beautiful:

Cloves, cardamom and bay leaf perfume the oil, then onions are added:

And finally the rice. After the rice sautes, you can either cook uncovered until the rice is tender, or you can cover it and steam it til done. I cooked this batch uncovered per the recipe, but I think next time I'll steam it. I know the method better, and I won't have to keep adding liquid and tending it so closely.

The word 'perfume' truly is the description for this! The flavor is very light and subtle, and the scent is sweet. It reminds me of the cinnamon rice-and-raisins I had as a child. This pilau, however, is not sweet at all, just lusciously savory.

It's easily converted to vegetarian by using vegetable stock or plain water, though I used chicken stock (of course!).

I added the split chickpeas per the recipe, and they provide lots of protein for vegetarian types. Besides, I had some left over from the puran poli recipe. However, you can leave those out, too, if you like. I think lentils would work just as well.

Oh, man, now I'm hungry!

From Chicken Two:
Carrot Rice (Carrot Sadam)

There seem to be many versions of this tasty dish so I picked the simpler version that can be made quickly as a side or even a main dish. It originates from southern India and is often used as a lunch to pack in the kids' lunch box. I take that to mean it can be served hot or cold.

Just a few ingredients that include peanuts, onion, ginger and carrots. You'll find the recipe below.

I just want to point out that the jar of basmati rice (above) used to be full! We've been cooking (and eating) a lot of Indian dishes lately and that usually calls for rice!!

The recipe says grate the carrots, but I only had small ones in the fridge so I ground them instead. Improvise, I say!

This version calls for margarine to sauté the vegetables and spices, but I used ghee. You can also use a healthy oil as a substitute.

This is a very tasty dish, somewhat nutty and I will definitely cook it again, possibly as the main course with a salad or green veggie. I have some left over, so I'm going to try it cold too....I figure the kids must like it if it's so common!

Give it a try! Enjoy!

Pilau Masala (Spicy Rice Pilaf)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large bay leaf
3 cloves
3 whole pods cardamom
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup split chickpeas (chana dal), rinsed and drained
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup frozen peas, thawed

Cooking Directions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Saute bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon for 1 minute. Add onion and saute another 2 to 3 minutes til soft.
Add chickpeas and cook 2 minutes, stirring.
Add in rice and saute another 2 minutes.
Add stock, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until moisture is absorbed and rice and chickpeas are just tender.
Serve hot.

Carrot Rice (Carrot Sadam)

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon margarin
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3/4 cup grated carrots
salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
chopped fresh cilantro

Cooking Directions

Combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and allow to steam until tender, about 20 minutes.
While rice is cooking, grind peanuts in a blender and set aside. Heat the margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned golden brown about 10 minutes. Stir in ginger, carrots, and salt to taste. Reduce heat to low and cover to steam 5 minutes. Stir in cayenne pepper and peanuts. When rice is done, add it to skillet and stir gently to combine with other ingredients. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Indian Sweet Chickpea Spread and Mango Marmalade (Chutney)

The complete recipes appear at the end of this post.

From Chicken One:
Indian Sweet Chickpea Spread/Flatbread Filling

I'm excited to bring you this recipe. Besides this being a dish completely new to me, it's a recipe from my new Indian cookbook, Indian Harvest by Vikas Khanna. Even if you never cook a single thing from this book, it would make a beautiful coffee table book because of the stunning photography inside. It's a joy to use!

Another reason for my excitement: two new ingredients. The first goes by several names, including Bengal gram and chana dal. Here they are with the dried version on the left and ones I soaked overnight for this recipe on the right:

It actually consists of immature chickpeas, dried, polished and split. It looks a lot like lentils, and many people refer to them as such. Dal is the Indian word for beans and lentils and such, so that explains the chana dal moniker.

The second new ingredient is jaggery, a name that does not describe how sweet it is! Basically, it's unrefined sugar in block form.

Jaggery can be made from sugarcane juice or other plant-based juice such as that of the date palm. Mine was from sugarcane.

The worst part of working with jaggery is that I had to grate it. See knuckle-protection advice over there in Chicken Two's column! Next time I'll buy the grated type.

Although this recipe can be used as a gluten-free, vegetarian spread for toast or anything else you like, it's actually intended to be a filling for a festival flatbread.

We were going to present the flatbreads first in this post, but there were some major SCAFUs (Situations Chicken All Fowled Up) in the kitchen regarding those. Therefore, we are going to try making the flatbreads again with better success before we give you those recipes. Look for them (we hope) in the next post!

Meanwhile, enjoy the sweet stuff this week on toast or crackers until we get you the authentic (again, we hope!) delivery vehicle.

From Chicken Two:
Mango Marmalade (Chutney)

I have to tell you that since we started cooking Indian cuisine, my exposure to different spices has definitely changed what I like in flavors! Now, when I taste a dish, if it doesn't leave just the right amount of pucker, I say it's missing something.

There's nothing missing from mango marmalade, let me tell you! It's simple ingredients taste wonderful and will reach out and smack you in the kisser when you're not looking. Oooeeee! Hot stuff, and I love it.

To quote the author of this recipe, "crisp - tender unripe mango, puckered with natural sourness that was balanced with a smothering of sweet sugar, blood-pumping cayenne and sensuous cardamon". I mean, who can resist anything described with such passion?

The recipe comes from what has become our go-to Indian cookbook, Indian Cooking Unfolded by Raghavan Iyer. We've mentioned him in previous posts. He waxes poetic in his very detailed instructions!

The recipe is below, but a word or two of caution:

You will need to grate a peeled mango. It gets pretty slippery so watch your knuckles! I had a couple of close calls. You can also use a mandoline, but I felt it was just another opportunity to slice and dice my hand! Better to be safe!

Recipes:
I. Sweet Chickpea Spread and Flatbread Filling

Ingredients

1 cup dried Bengal gram (dried, split chickpeas; chana dal)
enough to soak chickpeas + 3 cups water
3/4 cup grated jaggery
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Cooking Directions

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water plus one inch. Soak them overnight.
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place in saucepan with 3 cups fresh water and cook til very soft, about an hour.
Drain and place in food processor with jaggery and cardamom. Process til very smooth.
Serve as a spread or use as filling for puran poli, an Indian festival flatbread.

II. Indian Mango Marmalade (Chutney)

Ingredients

1 pound unripe mango
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ground red cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Cooking Directions

Peel the mango and, using a box grater, shred on all sides as close as you can get to the pit. You should end up with about 4 cups of shreds.
Place mango in a medium-sized saucepan and stir in sugar, vinegar, cayenne, and cardamom. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid starts to evaporate, after 8 to 10 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sugar starts to caramelize and look bubbly(about 10 to 15 minutes).
Remove from heat and let it cool. It can be stored in a glass container for a month in the refrigerator. Best served warm, so you can microwave it for a minute or two before using.
Makes about 2 cups

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Indian Curry Two Ways

The complete recipes appear at the end of this post.

From Chicken One:
This time around the Chickens wanted to make a basic Indian curry dish. In Indian Cooking Unfolded, one of our new favorite cookbooks, author Raghavan Iyer lays out a simple recipe with delicious results.

True to course, we each chose a variation. I did the straightforward chicken curry described in the book. Iyer gives several substitutions, though, including pork, tofu and even potatoes.

It's nothing more than sauteeing some onions, garlic and ginger in oil...

...adding spices, diced tomatoes and cream, then processing until smooth...

...then adding cubed meat or other protein and cooking til tender.

We served ours over basmati rice with naan flatbread on the side. It's that easy!

It makes great leftovers, too. I like to double this recipe so I actually have leftovers!

Then we had to make a trip to Patel Brothers just in case there was something there we needed to see!

Try the recipe below and let us know what you think!

From Chicken Two:

This was a fun dish to make! It's a very easy recipe that makes a basic dish you can use in a variety of ways. I made it with Pork and, though I know you've heard this before, it tasted just like chicken! Ha ha! No, really....the key is in the spices used...and that's pretty much the basis of the flavor.

If using the Pork, I recommend cooking it a little longer than the recipe states to get it more tender.You can also use Tofu, lamb, potatoes or any other ingredient and still have a delicious dish.

Both Chicken #1 and I highly recommend doubling the spices in the recipe. We're not sure, but we think perhaps the author thinks we Americans can't handle a little fire!

Speaking of spices, the recipe called for a spice blend called Raghavan's blend. (Concocted by the author of the book and used in the place of Madras Curry blend.)

I made it myself prior to our cooking fest and when I smelled the finished product, I think it cleared my sinuses!

You can find the recipe for the blend on Poop from the Coop where I detail the process.

Indian Chicken or Pork Curry

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 pieces fresh ginger (each about quarter-coin size), unpeeled and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons spice blend/Madras curry powder or to taste
1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 pounds chicken or pork cut in 2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Cooking Directions

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high til it shimmers. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Saute til onion starts to turn brown, 4-5 minutes.
Sprinkle spices into skillet. Stir and let roast about 10 seconds. Add tomatoes and stir.
Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes.
Add half-and-half and scrape bottom of skillet to deglaze.
Transfer sauce to blender or food processor. Puree until it looks slightly curdled but smooth.
Return to skillet, stir in meat and salt.
Simmer over medium-low, covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and cooked through, about 12-15 minutes for chicken, a little less for pork.
Serve warm over rice and garnish with cilantro.