Quid ad cenam paro : Trinidad Chicken Curry

What am I preparing for dinner?
A lovely new recipe for Trinidad Chicken Curry adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

In the beginning

I came upon this recipe because I was looking for things that one does with turmeric. Turmeric has many health benefits and is great from a food-as-healer perspective. It has long been known as an anti-inflammatory and is useful in helping to relieve a number of chronic conditions. And it doesn't turn your teeth yellow, which is always good.

There are many possibilities. You can sprinkle and cook it with all manner of dishes: smoothies, steaks, chicken, rice, pasta, eggs, potatoes, et al. I learned that it is one of the ingredients in mustard. Besides mustard seed, of course. But Hot Dog with Mustard wasn't doing it for me. So I came upon a recipe for Trinidad Chicken Curry, and it looked like just the type of thing to start from.

The Recipe

Trinidad Chicken Curry

"Native Turmeric Cooktown.jpg"
By John Hill (Own work)
via Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut to 1-inch pieces

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 whole onion

1 green pepper

2 Roma tomatoes

4 teaspoons (8 cloves) minced garlic

1 handful cilantro

1 Tablespoon lime juice (or key lime juice)

1/2 to 1jalapeño, chopped (optional)

2 Tablespoons (well-rounded) curry powder

2 Tablespoons turmeric

4 Tablespoons peanut oil

2 teaspoons coriander

Instructions

1. Start the rice. Nice sticky rice is best, so if you start it first in a rice cooker or nice and low on the stove, it has all the time it needs.
2. Place chicken in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and add mustard.
3. Chop and then add half the onion, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, green pepper, and black pepper (plus jalapeño). Add the lime juice.
4. Stir the whole mixture together so that the chicken is totally coated in the seasoning ingredients. Allow chicken to marinate while you prepare the rest, or this part can be prepared in advance.
5. Add curry powder and turmeric to a bowl. Pour in 3/4 cup water and stir until dissolved. 
6. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Toss in the coriander and seeds and allow to sizzle momentarily. Pour in the curry mix cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. The color will darken. Add a little more water if needed.
7. When the curry has become a thick paste, add the other half of the chopped onion. Then add in the chicken. Stir to coat the chicken, then cook, half covered, for five minutes.
8. Add in 1 to 2 cups of water. Stirring occasionally, cook for another 20 minutes.
9. If you like a more structured sauce, add the corn starch at the 15-minute mark by scooping out a tiny bit of sauce and mixing it with the cornstarch until smooth, then add that mixture back into the whole.
10. Add salt and pepper and fresh cilantro to taste.
11. At the end, be sure to taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve with chopsticks (because fun!) over sticky rice; spoon sauce over the top. If you want more vegetables, steam some in your rice cooker and serve on the side. I recommend asparagus. It tastes great with the sauce!
12. Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord. AMEN!!

The Verdict

Who can go wrong with chicken curry? I didn't burn the curry paste, or the rice (thanks rice cooker!), so the dish came out great. Flavor-wise, this recipe is a keeper for me. This version has more vegetables per serving that most curries, and double that of the Pioneer Woman's version. If you are into fresh kale or spinach, this recipe would work well. Maybe I will try that with the leftovers. The intersection of the hint of lime and the sweetness of the coriander were an excellent backdrop for the spicy mixture of curry, turmeric, black pepper, and jalapeño. Bonus: the sweetness lingers on so the house smells great!