Vibrant Chicken

Vibrant Chicken, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Otherwise known as "Bo's Dinner"

You can usually assume when you see Indian food, that my darling husband cooked for us. So much fun for me when he does!! After all, when you are the family cook, a night off without going to a restaurant is a wonderful - and when it is Indian food made by your spouse, who happens to be a great cook, well BONUS!

I wont spend a lot of time telling you how it was made because, well, I didnt watch. Probably hanging on the couch watching tv!! I will tell you how it tasted, though. Vibrant. See the title? Vibrant. It aint tellin' a lie! There is no other way to describe the flavor - it wasnt spicy, just a firework of flavor if your mouth.

Dont believe me? Make it yourself! Serve it over rice with a side of spinach! Makes a fabulous dinner!

Vibrant Chicken with a Spicy Tomato Sauce (660 Curries)

1/4 cup ginger paste, see cook's notes (I can tell you, Bo used store bought)
2 tablespoons garlic paste (same as above)
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, skin removed, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup fried onion paste, recipe included (feel free to make just what you need if you dont want leftovers)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (ground red pepper)

Garnish: 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems.

Combine ginger and garlic pastes in medium-size bowl; mix well. Add chicken pieces and smear them all over with the paste.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces, meat side down in single layer, and cook until they are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn pieces over and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate.

Add tomato sauce, onion paste, coriander, paprika, salt, cumin, turmeric and cayenne to skillet. The sauce will immediately start to bubble and boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until a thin layer of oil separates from sauce, forming a spice-colored film on surface, 20 to 25 minutes.

Return chicken pieces to skillet and coat them with sauce. Cook, covered, turning chicken occasionally, until meat in the thickest parts is no longer pink inside and the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve chicken sprinkled with cilantro.

To make ginger paste, place 1/2 cup water in blender jar. Add 8 ounces coarsely chopped unpeeled fresh ginger. Puree, scraping inside of jar as needed, until it forms a smooth, light brown paste. Add a little more water if needed.

To make garlic paste, place 1/2 cup water in blender jar. Add 50 medium-size to large cloves peeled garlic. Puree, scraping inside of jar as needed. Leftover ginger paste or garlic paste can be frozen in small batches for later use.

To make Fried Onion Paste,
Makes 3 cups

1/4 cup canola oil
2 pounds red onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

Preheat a wok or a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Pour in the oil and swish it around gently to coat the bottom of the pan. the oil will immediately get hot and appear to shimmer. Add the onions and cook them, stirring occasionally, until they are caramel-brown with a deep purple hue, 25 to 30 minutes. Initially they will stew in the oil, but once they start to cook down in volume, you will need to stir them more often as they start to stick to the bottom. Transfer the onions to a place to cool.

Pour 1 cup water into a blender jar. Add the caramelized onions and puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, to make a smooth, reddish-brown paste. (If you wont' be using all of the onion paste, divide it into smaller batches and freeze them for up to 2 months. Leftover onion paste, stored in a tightly sealed container, will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)