Dakshin Murgh, Spiced Hominy, & Tamarind-Date Chutney

I am so tired, I think I'm coming down with something... My throat is sore, my head is swimming and my chest is tight... So I have nothing more to say than, here are some good recipes... Now, I'm off to take my vitamins and garlic!

The recipe for this chicken is from Suvir Saran's indian home cooking. He warns that this recipe isn't as fiery-hot as it should be, so the peppers can all be increased... which I will do next time. I was tempted to try this when I saw all the curry leaves! I love them!

For Dakshin Murgh:

• 2 pounds chicken thighs, chopped
• salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Spice Mix:

• 14 curry leaves
• 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 green cardamom

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 3 whole dried red chilies
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 fresh hot green chili, sliced into rounds
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1 (13/1/2-ounce) can coconut milk

Method:

Toss the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt, ground pepper and lemon juice and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the spice mix, combine the spices in a frying pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Grind to a powder in spice grinder and set aside.

Combine the oil, mustard seeds, red chilies, cardamom, green chili, and curry leaves in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until you hear the mustard seeds start to crackle, 1 - 2 minutes. Add the ground spice mix and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the shredded coconut and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until opaque, about 5 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is tender, 25 - 30 minutes. Stir two or three times during the last 10 minutes of cooking and scrape the bottom of the pan to keep the sauce from sticking. Taste for salt and serve.

For Hominy (which is something I came up with at the last minute needing a veggie)

• 1 can hominy
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 1/2 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 green chili
• 2 - 3 teaspoons sambhar powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  

Method:

Heat oil in a skillet and fry cumin seeds till a shade darker. Add onion until it starts to caramelize. Add green chili and tomato and fry until tomatoes soften. Add hominy and sambhar powder and fry until hominy is hot.

For Tangy Sambhar Powder (from Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking)

• 1/2 cup dried red chilies
• 1/4 cup dried channa dal
• 2 tablespoons sesame seed
• 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
• 1 tablespoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon black pepper corns

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a 6-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place mixture in skillet and roast 1 - 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until seeds crackle, spices turn one shade darker, and the mixture has a nutty yet pungent aroma. Transfer to a bowl, and cool 8 - 10 minutes. Transfer to a spice blender and grind until mixture looks like the texture of finely ground pepper. Mix well and store in airtight container.

For Tamarind-Date Chutney (from Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking)

• 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate paste
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon (or I used 1/2 teaspoon) ground cayenne pepper

Mix tamarind paste with warm water in a 1-quart saucepan until tamarind is dissolved. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors. Transfer sauce to a blender. Cover and blend on medium speed until smooth. Tightly cover and store in refrigerator up to 10 days.