seasoned

It's that time again! Time for more Novel Food.

The book for this round is about a teenager who is going to India for the summer, hence the title, Monsoon Summer. Jasmine's mother was adopted by Americans from an orphanage in India and is going back to help start up a clinic for pregnant women in need, and the whole family is joining her. Jazz is sure the summer is going to be a disaster, especially since she's leaving behind a thriving business, a best friend (who she recently fell in love with) and the comfort of knowing who she is. All this changes as everyone rediscovers themselves (even her kid brother), though Jazz resists as much as she can.


One thing she can't resist, though, is the food. She does find herself sucked into learning how to make authentic Indian cuisine, and it's scattered throughout the book: lamb vindaloo (p. 98), samosas (p. 70), chicken masala (p. 83), lentil soup (p. 150), fruit salad (p. 197), shrimp curry (p. 173) and tea (p. 167 ... though it features more than once). It was really hard to decide which one I wanted to focus on, but in the end, I chose the chicken masala (Chip was rooting for a chai tea, but I wanted to make food).

from The Best International Recipe


Chicken
1 t salt
½ t ground cumin
½ t ground coriander
¼ t cayenne pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 c plain whole milk yogurt
2 T oil
1 T fresh ginger (grated or minced)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced

Masala sauce
3 T oil
1 medium onion, minced
salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 t fresh ginger (grated or minced)
1 serrano chile, minced
1 T garam masala
1 T tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
2 t sugar
2/3 c heavy cream
¼ c cilantro, minced


Sauce may be made up to 4 days in advance--gently reheat before adding chicken

1. Chicken: combine first four ingredients and sprinkle washed, dried chicken with spice mixture. Press gently to adhere, then place chicken on a plate and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk remaining ingredients and set aside.
2. Sauce: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onion and ¼ t salt; cook 5 to 7 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, chile, garam masala and tomato paste and cook about 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cream. Remove pan from heat and keep warm.
3. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet (or broiler pan) with foil and place a wire rack over the sheet. Using tongs, dip the chicken into the yogurt mixture and arrange on the wire rack. Discard the excess yogurt. Broil until the thickest part reaches 160º and the outside is lightly charred in spots, about 10 to 18 minutes, having flipped the chicken halfway through.
4. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1 inch chunks. Stir into warm sauce and add cilantro. Serve with rice.

My notes: I, um, kinda forgot about the chile in the sauce, so I just added cayenne pepper, instead of the actual chile. It still was very tasty. I also skipped the cilantro because I served this to my youth group--not everyone likes that herb. It would make a nice addition, though, so if you do like it, don't skip it. And if you do the same thing I did--'thing' being to use chicken tenderloins--then rotate your pan as you broil.

The last pic features a place mat from India; many thanks to Megan!

Book recommendation: Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
Recipe recommendation: Chicken Tiki Masala
Restaurant recommendation: Bonatà