Rouxbe Online Cooking School Blog

Curry in a hurry, anyone?

Do you ever feel like Indian food, but think that it’s too hard to make or it’ll take too much time? Well, I’m here to help!

One of this week’s dishes is Almond Coriander Chicken. It’s the perfect blend of spices and textures that will please even those that say, “Oh, I don’t like curry”. The flavors are subtle and smooth yet full enough to definitely make you go back for seconds. Just don’t skimp on the time it takes to cook the onions, as this is a big reason why the sauce is so good! The onions cook for almost half an hour and almost dissolve into the sauce. Not only does this add depth to the dish, it will also make your house smell fantastic. “Chef potpourri,” if you will.

And to go with the chicken? Pilau Rice. This rice is so very good! Every time it’s served, someone asks me how to make it – so now here it is, for all to enjoy! It’s light and fluffy and so full of flavor and texture. Delicious basmati rice is cooked with coconut milk, then finished with fresh cilantro and finely minced green onions. At the very last second, you fold in crispy fried onions. Trust me, this will end up being one of your new favorite rice dishes.

The Pilau Rice makes the perfect match for the Almond Coriander Chicken, but it’s also good with many, many other dishes. It is really good just on its own, as well.

Speaking of “on its own”: the last dish this week is Red Pepper Eggplant Confit. Though it may not “be friends” with the chicken or the rice, it’s great. “What the heck is confit?”, you ask? A confit (pronounced “kohn-FEE”) is an ancient method of preserving meats, usually goose, duck or pork. The meat is salted and then slowly cooked in its own fat. Nowadays you are bound to see more “Nouveau” styles of confit, like salmon cooked in duck fat or halibut poached in olive oil, even garlic cooked in oil. Basically, the term is much more loosely used and it just sounds sexier than “Red Pepper Eggplant Cooked with Oil.”

Anyway, this particular confit is gorgeous served as a side vegetable with grilled steak, chicken or fish. It also makes for a good lookin’ appetizer served on garlic crostini topped off with fresh goat cheese. Yummmmm!

Well hope you enjoy these recipes! Happy Cooking!
Ciao for now,

dawn