Chicken Stew

My parents were the first to leave India on my dad’s side, making them the Lewis and Clark of the Pachikara clan. In the early sixties, they were among a handful of Indians who had chartered a path to North America (encountering women smoking and teens staying out all night!!!).  Like many immigrants, they left the old country in pursuit of a dream: obtaining the best possible medical training for my dad. It led them on many grand, yet unpredictable adventures, including a six month stint in the Canadian Yukon.

In 1969, my dad accepted a position as a surgeon in Churchill, Manitoba. Neither of my parents really understood where it was located. But my mom believed that if a place was far away (and hard to spell), it was worth exploring. Just before they left for Churchill, a friend told them polar bears would be there to receive them. It sounded absurd. 

To this day, there are no roads leading into Churchill. So a few weeks before embarking, my dad shipped their black Beetle Bug on ahead by freight train. Due to heavy snow fall, it would remain hidden, like a hibernating black bear, for much of the year. 

When my family arrived in Churchill in July, there were large slabs of ice topping the Hudson Bay. Freezing temperatures arrived just a few months later, and to prepare for dips to 30 below, my parents replaced the down-lined coats that had warded off frost-bite in the American Midwest with fur-trimmed parkas. My mom’s coat was custom-made by Eskimos and, included the snow white pelt of an arctic fox.

Just before the Hudson Bay froze over, polar bears showed up by the hundreds, thick-necked and hulking, to hunt for seal. The sea ice made for the perfect perch. On occasion, bears would wander into town looking for food. My brother remembers hearing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) warn parents via loud speaker when they were sighted and, watching a mama bear and her baby lumbering across the snow through a large picture window at the Trading Post. 

CHICKEN STEW

Serves 6

Flavored with three belly warming spices, this is a wonderful cold weather dish. Serve it with parboiled rice or basmati rice.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons canola oil
5 black peppercorns
2 (1-inch) cinnamon sticks
8 cloves
8 cardamom pods
2 cups roughly chopped onions
1 jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1½ tablespoons minced ginger
1 cup roughly chopped tomatoes
10 to 15 fresh curry leaves or 5 sprigs of cilantro
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, rinsed and cut into 2-inch pieces
½ cup roughly chopped potatoes
½ cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and cardamom pods. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.  

Add the onions, jalapeno, and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and curry leaves, if using, and stir. 

When the tomatoes start to soften, add the chicken, potatoes, water, and salt. Stir.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium and cover.  Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken flakes when pulled with a fork. 

Add the coconut milk, vinegar, and cilantro (if using in place of the curry leaves). Stir gently and cook for another minute.  

Remove the jalapeno, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon before serving.

Mom’s Chicken Biriyani

By mid-December, I feel deeply vexed by the commercialism that threatens to swallow up Christmas. To cope, I meditate on places that are deeply meaningful to me: my parent’s kitchen, a friend’s comfy couch, a peaceful aisle at the public library. I also ponder places beyond my reach. High on that list is my grandma Amachi’s prayer room. 



Counting all the family trips we took to India and the one time she visited the states, I spent a year with Amachi at most. She was a boxy woman with soft, doughy cheeks. When anyone leaned in for a kiss, she gently inhaled as if trying to breath in their essence. Like other women of her generation, Amachi fastened her hair in bun and wore a white chatta and mundu which seemed to glow when she moved about her kitchen and other dimly-lit spaces.



Since Amachi never learned English and I spoke Malayalum like a toddler (‘patti’ (dog), ‘poocha’ (cat), ‘kozhi’ (chicken)) our communication rarely involved words. We pantomimed. We nodded. We laughed. We frowned. 



During our trips, I came to know Amachi best by observing her gentle, rhythmic ways in the kitchen and watching her undetected in the prayer room. By mid-afternoon, she began boiling water for tiffin. Around 4 p.m., she covered a section of the expansive table she had used to nourish 14 children with perfectly steamed plantains, unda rolled from avalose podi, and hot, milky tea. Even now, when I eat a ripe plantain I think of the safety of her kitchen
.


Amachi’s prayer room was the size of a walk-in closet. It had a Syrian Christian cross (with curly ends) and a large statute of Mother Mary with the Christ child, arms open wide. On occasion, I walked by it at night, having misplaced a book or a hairbrush. In shadowy light, produced by the bouncing of candles, I would see Amachi’s outline: head bowed, hands clasps, lips moving in prayer. 



Mom's Chicken Biriyani

Serves 6 to 8

Biriyani is a richly-flavored Muslim dish commonly prepared with lamb or mutton in Kerala. We always serve it at Christmas (swapping in chicken) and for other meaningful occasions. The ingredient list is admittedly long, but friends that’s what it takes to eat like a Mughal Empress.



For rice:

½ cup butter
10 cardamom pods
10 cloves
1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
Pinch saffron
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt

For chicken:

3 tablespoons coriander
1 tablespoon fennel
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
8 cardamom pods
10 cloves
3 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2½ teaspoon minced ginger
1 medium jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise
1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
¾ cup chopped tomatoes
1 pound chicken, preferably bone-in
3 tablespoons yogurt
1/3 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice

For garnish:

3 tablespoons butter
½ cup thinly sliced onions
¼ cup roughly chopped cashew nuts
3 tablespoons raisons

INSTRUCTIONS

For rice:

Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Rinse until the water becomes clear. Drain. 

Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the onions and cook until they just begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. 

Add the rice and stir to coat it with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice granules separate and begin to look opaque.

Add the water, lemon juice, salt, and saffron, pinching it to release its essential oils. Stir. Bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not stir the rice while it is cooking. 

For chicken:

Blend the coriander, fennel, turmeric, cardamom pods, and cloves in a spice grinder.

Place the onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, cinnamon, tomatoes, chicken, yogurt, water, salt, lemon juice, and ground spices in in medium-sized stockpot or a Dutch oven. Stir together. 

Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the chicken flakes when pulled with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. If there is more than 1/3 of a cup of gravy, remove the chicken using a slotted spoon and cook the gravy to reduce it to 1/3 of a cup. 

For garnish:

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. 

When it melts, add the onions and cook until they begin to caramelize. Transfer to a bowl. 

Melt the remaining tablespoon butter and add the cashews and raisins. Cook until the cashews turn golden, stirring frequently.

You’re almost there (!):

Place a layer of rice in a large casserole dish (or one medium-sized casserole dish and a small casserole dish). Remove the cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon stick. 

Top with a layer of the chicken. 

Add another layer of rice, removing the rest of the cardamom pods and cloves. 

Add another layer of the chicken.

Top with the cashews, raisins, and onions. 

Bake at 400 degrees for an hour. 

Serve with cucumber tomato salad and lentil wafers.

Mushroom and Chicken Tamale Pie

MUSHROOM AND CHICKEN TAMALE PIE

Serves 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

For filling

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound white or baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground garlic

1 teaspoon salt

2 large scallions, diced

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup shredded mild cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese

Minced cilantro to garnish

For topping

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup corn meal

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil in a saute pan on medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Remove mushrooms from the pan. 

Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining olive oil. Add the chicken, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and salt. Stir and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Toss the mushrooms, chicken, scallions, red peppers, and corn together in a bowl. Layer the mixture in a 9 inch x 13 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, canola oil, and egg. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until just moistened.

Spread over the chicken mixture.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro.

Roast Chicken and Sweeet Potatoes

I dread ordering chicken. Too often, it arrives at the table dry and dense (whether lounging on salad greens or snuggled between two slices of bread. Worst yet, it has the flavor profile of raw zucchini. Try as one might, the flavor of the chicken cannot be revived with thick goops of mayonnaise or other forms of fat. Luckily, I grew up in an era when family meals often centered around roast chicken. The only thing lovelier than biting into the moist, rich flesh is inhaling the aroma that permeates the kitchen and beckons anyone in it's path to S -L-O -W down. As you'll see from the recipe below, it takes very little effort to create a satisfying and healthful chicken dinner. 

HERB ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SWEET POTATOES

Serves 4 to 6

TIPS:

- You can limit the seasonings in this recipe to salt and freshly ground pepper and produce a delicious bird. Adding thyme, parsley, rosemary and oregano will make the meat even more flavorful.

- It's most economical to grow your own herbs. I have an array in my community garden. Before I got a plot, I raised them in window boxes.

- I'm not one to advocate for buying a lot of kitchen gadgets, but I do recommend investing in a pepper mill. The bright, almost lemony flavor of freshly ground peppercorns really outshines pre-ground varieties.

- I opted to pair the chicken with sweet potatoes because I love the subtle molasses flavor they develop when roasted. They also provide a strong dose of the heart healthy antioxidant, beta-carotene. 

INGREDIENTS

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, preferably free range

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 large sweet potatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons fresh sage finely chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry.

Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 inch roasting pan. Season the cavity and outside with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and garlic. Gently lift the chicken skin and spread the herb paste over the flesh.

Truss the chicken to ensure even cooking.

Arrange the potatoes on a large cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sage. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour or until the thermometer reads 170 degrees. Roast the potatoes until fork tender.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.