There’s ginger in the fridge. It’s been there for two weeks and the thought of it getting moldy depresses me. Tonight I’ll return to one of my all-time favorite books, Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking, to see what I can create from the random assortment of spices and veggies I have on hand: coriander (whole and ground), black peppercorns, yellow mustard seeds, cinnamon sticks, ground fenugreek, ground cayenne pepper, turmeric, ripe farm-stand tomatoes, onions, French beans, new potatoes (purple and pink), lemons, 1.3 Ibs chicken thighs, and coconut oil.
Although I’m short two pounds of chicken, I’ve decided to substitute it with the potatoes and green beans which I will blanch in a pot of boiling vegetable and beef broth and add just before stewing my chicken with coconut milk. Instead of adding water to cover, I will pour in the excess blanching broth on top, and use any that remains to cook my rice in.
I’ve just discovered that I only have Jasmine sticky rice in the pantry…what to do?! I’m going to add a tablespoon of salted butter, six dried curry leaves, and two teaspoons of dehydrated coconut flakes to liven it up. Nothing like the basmati I’m supposed to be serving this curry with, but hey, maybe it will exceed my expectations.
Officially a new favorite recipe. The rice had so much depth to it and it absorbed the tomato-coconut juices from the curry beautifully. I could live without its stickiness, but otherwise, the flavor is exquisite. Jaffrey says her recipe “has a goodly amount of delicious sauce, so eat it with rice and a vegetable of your choice. This is an ideal dish for entertaining.” Well, I guess I just combined this suggestion into one, and I’m quite pleased with the turnout. Next time I have a dinner party—and with the rapid return to normalcy, that should be very soon—I’m going to make this recipe, potatoes, beans, and all, perhaps including those 5 cloves I just discovered I missed tonight (lol) and a big pot of coconutty, curry basmati with a touch of lemon zest.
Cheers to experimenting.
-Sarah