“I never look at the
masses as my responsibility; I look at the individual. I can only love one
person at a time - just one, one, one. So you begin. I began - I picked up one
person. Maybe if I didn't pick up that one person, I wouldn't have picked up
forty-two thousand....The same thing goes for you, the same thing in your
family, the same thing in your church, your community. Just begin - one, one,
one.”
Mother
Teresa (1910-1997);
Founder Of The Missionaries Of Charity
Founder Of The Missionaries Of Charity
Well
I love this quote. Even if we are only able to help one person at a time,
it meant the world to that one person. As I start this morning and I look
through different charities, I search for who I can help next-even though it seems
so little compared to how big the world is. My charity of choice next week is to empower young girls in the slums of India by helping them deal with violence through education and life skills.
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Speaking of India, I have an Indian recipe to share this evening! My hubby and I are doing a movie and date night (at-home)-so I like to make a nice dinner for him. This is a classic Indian dish called Spinach Chicken Curry.
We start by warming the dry spices-bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.
You should warm these spices for about 3 minutes at a low temperature so they don't burn. You will know when it is done because it will start to smell wonderful.
Next, add the onions and let them cook until they are translucent, but not burnt. They should look like this:
Next, add the garlic, ginger, tomatoes and green chili.
Let the tomatoes cook with a lid on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Check after 5 minutes to make sure they don't burn. The consistency should be similar to tomato paste. All the liquid should be absorbed and it should be pasty. This is where all the flavors are, so be patient-this is a very important step!
Mix in the remainder of the spices (coriander powder, cumin powder, curry powder, salt, chili powder, and garam masala).
Add spinach, stir, cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Chicken will be done when you can easily cut it with the spoon and it is completely white inside.
Here is the finished dish! Serve it with fresh basmati rice or naan. This is kid-friendly if you don't add a lot of chili powder. In addition, it is packed with nutrients from the spinach.
Here is the recipe:
Spinach Chicken Curry
- Chicken-2lbs, skinless and boneless chicken breast (cut into bite-size cubes)
- Spinach-16 oz. frozen chopped spinach
- Tomatoes-6 medium tomatoes chopped into a small dice (or canned)
- Oil-4 teaspoons
- Black Cardamom-1
- Cinnamon-1" stick
- Green Cardamom-2
- Bay Leaves-2
- Cloves-4
- Onion-1 large onion chopped into a small dice
- Ginger
- 2 tsp
- Garlic-5 cloves of garlic chopped finely
- Green Chili-1 (or more if you like it spicy) with rib removed and de-seeded.
- Salt-to taste
- Red Chili Powder-1/2 teaspoon ( I use 1 but this may be too spicy for some! Always start with less and at the end you can add more if you like)
- Garam Masala-1 tsp
- Cumin Powder-1 tsp
- Coriander Powder-1 tsp
- Curry Powder-1 tsp
Directions
- Heat oil to medium-low heat.
- Once hot, add cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms and bay leaves and roast lightly for about 3 minutes. Make sure to stir them around while cooking so they don't burn.
- Next, add onions and let them cook until they turn translucent (about 4-5). You can put the lid on to cook them faster with steam.
- Add garlic, ginger, green chili, and tomatoes. Mix and cover. Make sure you don't burn the tomatoes and check them after 5 minutes or so. The tomatoes will cook about 10-15 minutes. This is where the moisture will evaporate and the mixture should look similar to tomato paste. This step is very important-so be patient. This is where the deep flavor develops!
- Add the chicken and dry spices (coriander powder, cumin powder, salt, chili powder, curry powder, and garam masala). Stir well and cover. Cook for 8 minutes.
- Add spinach and mix again. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes (until chicken breast cuts easily with a spoon and there is no pink).
Tips
- Prep and lay out the ingredients in the order that you are going to add them. Trust me, if you have everything measured and set out, it makes the cooking process go very smoothly and takes the difficulty out of all the steps. I have learned this over time, the works pays off and you can enjoy cooking. You can even do other things instead of hustling and bustling to get the spices together.
- Always start with less spice. You can always add more at the end, but you can't take it out!
- I usually season each layer as I go, otherwise I use to 1/2-1 teaspoon to the spice mix. It depends on how you like it. Never over salt a dish!
- Most of these spices can be purchased in a spice section at your regular grocery store. If not, there are many Asian stores that have these spices. If you can't find a chili-use a jalapeño! Don't stress.
- In the end-once you have all the spices for Indian food-you really don't need to buy much for a LONG time. Honestly, on days where I want to use what we have around the house, I usually end up cooking Indian dishes because the other ingredients are minimal and usually items I already have on hand (tomatoes, onion, chicken etc.). Indian dishes are very dependent on spices.
- Indian food is very healthy if you don't add a lot of oil! The flavor is very rich so you feel like you are eating something sooo indulgent. I never add more than a couple tablespoons if I can and it turns out great. All the spices have many health benefits too! Sometimes I feel like I am at a restaurant!!
Question of the day
What is your favorite way to enjoy the weekend?
