Curry

Curry, is a blend of many different spices to make something special. Tonight, I had a craving for curry chicken and sautéed cabbage. So, I made some myself. Don’t ask for the recipe, I didn’t use one. Olive oil, enough, but not too much and not too little. Three cloves of garlic, half an onion, chopped, two small potatoes, chopped, and a package of chicken tenders, again chopped. That’s all the measurement I can give. The rest is a pinch of sea salt, a dash of pepper and paprika. I also added some curry. It’s from the local grocery store, so it’s only mediocre as far as curry goes, good, but not great. I sauté all together and as the chicken browns and little bits stick to the bottom of the pan, I deglaze using some rice wine. I stir up all the bits and add some water and just let cook at medium to medium high heat. Miranda, my seven year old daughter is dieing to help, so I let her stir. As Miranda works on the curry, I start on the cabbage. I wash and dry a half head and coarsely chop into bite size pieces. I pour a little olive oil into a skillet, a little olive oil is at least a quarter cup, add some cumin, and turn the stove to medium heat to let the oil infuse with the smoky sweetness of the cumin. When the cumin starts to sizzle, I add the cabbage, with some help. I toss until the cabbage is coated and starts to wilt and add a pinch of sea salt. At this point the potatoes in the curry are done and I add a little flour and water slurry to thicken. I find a bag of long grain and wild rice pilaf, the kind you just toss in the microwave for 90 seconds. Everything is done at the same time and I start to plate. It looks good and smells better. I sprinkle a little paprika on Miranda’s plate for garnish and snap a few shots. Now, the proof is in how it tastes, right? Well Miranda’s plate was clean when she was through; she liked the curry better than the cabbage, but still polished her plate without grumbling. What did I think? The curry was good, not great, the rice competed too much with the curry, and it should have been more of a foundation, not in the forefront. Overall it was good, I haven’t met a curry I didn’t like, whether Indian, or Thai, but if I had a better quality curry powder, it would have been awesome.