La Reunion Chicken Curry

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‘Make your own curry powder, or buy an imported powder from India for the best results because American curry powders are inferior.’

Ingredients

butter, chicken, onions, curry powder, saffron

Instructions

Here’s the familiar-sounding chicken curry with a couple of twists from the island of Réunion. Of course, serve it with rice and accompanied by the coconut curry in this article. Make your own curry powder, or buy an imported powder from India for the best results because American curry powders are inferior.

  • 1/8 pound butter (½ cup)

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 chicken, cut up into serving pieces

  • 2 onions, peeled and chopped

  • 1 clove garlic, chopped

  • 2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped

  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger

  • 3 tablespoons curry powder

  • 2 teaspoons cayenne powder

  • 1 pinch saffron

  • 1 eggplant, peeled and diced

  • 1 large potato, peeled and diced

  • Water as needed

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the butter and oil in a large frying pan or Dutch oven and heat. Add the chicken and fry over medium heat for fifteen minutes until golden brown, turning occasionally.. Remove the chicken and reserve. Add the onion and garlic and fry until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ginger, curry powder, cayenne, and saffron and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the reserved chicken, eggplant, and potato, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat or until the chicken and potatoes are tender. Add water if the mixture gets too thick. Adjust the salt and pepper and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

Tiger Prawns with Red Chile

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This recipe and others can be found in the following article:

Mascarene Chile Cuisine

 

By Dave DeWitt

 

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup plus one tablespoon cornstarch

  • 2 egg whites

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry (or more if needed)

  • 1 pound prawns or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • 1 ½ cups vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • Pinch of white pepper

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 2 green onions, finely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

  • 4 jalapeños (red preferred), seeds and stems removed, minced

  • 1 tablespoon chicken stock

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the 3/4 cup cornstarch, egg whites, 1 teaspoon salt, and the dry sherry and mix well to make a batter. Add the prawns to the batter and coat well.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok until hot. Add the coated prawns and stir fry for 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove the prawns and drain them on paper towels.

Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the wok. Add the sesame oil. Reheat the wok and stir-fry the onion slices for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, white pepper, remaining salt, and sugar. Add the reserved prawns, green onions, ginger, and jalapeños and stir fry for 1 minute.

In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with the chicken stock and add to the wok to thicken the sauce. Serve immediately.

 

Classic New Mexican Chiles Rellenos

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This is a recipe I’ve used for years and years and it always works and is always wonderful. Traditionally these are prepared with cheese fillings, but a cooked meat mixture, or a combination of meat, dried fruits and nuts also works well. When I’m processing a large bag of chile, I always set aside the largest, whole chiles for this dish.

Ingredients

  • 4 large or 8 small, New Mexican green chiles, roasted peeled and seeded, with the stems on

  • 1/3 to ½ pound cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, cut into sticks

  • All-purpose flour

  • 3 eggs

  • 3 tablespoons flour

  • 1 tablespoon water

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Vegetable oil for frying

  • 1 recipe green chile sauce (see following recipe)

Instructions

Make a slit in the side of each chile and carefully stuff it with the cheese sticks. If the chiles tear, secure them with a toothpick. Just be sure to remove it before serving the chile.

Place some of the flour on a plate and roll each of the chiles in the flour until it’s fairly evenly covered. Shake off the excess flour.

Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a large bowl and the yolks in a small one. Whisk the egg yolks with the flour, water, and salt until they’re thick and creamy.

Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Pour the oil in a saute pan to a depth of 1 ½ to 2 inches, or until it looks like it would reach a little more than halfway up the side of the chiles. Heat the oil to 350 to 375 degrees or until a little of the batter quickly browns when dropped in the oil, about 20 seconds.

Quickly and gently fold the yolks into the whites so that the mixture is an even color but the whites are not broken down. Dip the chiles in the batter, covering them completely and removing any excess.

Slide the chiles, one or two at a time, into the hot oil. As they are browning on one side, carefully spoon some of the hot oil over the top to assist in setting the batter. When they’re browned, gently turn them over and brown the other side, turning only once. Remove them from the oil and drain on a paper towel.

To serve, place the rellenos on a plate and top with some of the green chile sauce. Serve immediately.

Spicy Chorizo Breakfast Burritos

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Just about any filling can be wrapped in a flour tortilla and become a burrito, one of the most popular of the Mexican sandwiches. The breakfast burrito has been made popular in this country by a number of fast food restaurants, but none are as tasty as this one. So start your day with this spicy, south of the border, “tortilla sandwich.”

Ingredients

  • ½ pound chorizo sausage

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1 small potato, peeled, cooked and diced

  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, Mexican preferred

  • 3 eggs, beaten with 1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk

  • 4 flour tortillas

Instructions

Remove the chorizo from the casing and cook in a heavy skillet until crumbly. Add the onion and continue to saute until the onion is soft and the chorizo is done. Remove the pan from the heat and pour off the accumulated fat.

Return the pan to the heat and stir in the potatoes and oregano..

Add the eggs to the chorizo mix and cook until set, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

Warm the tortillas by wrapping in a damp towel and heat in the microwave at 50% for a minute or until hot.

To Assemble: Place one-fourth of the mixture in the tortilla and fold in two opposite sides. Fold over the other sides like an envelope and serve.

Shredded Chicken Flautas w/ Spicy Avocado Sauce

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Flautas (flaow-tahs) or “flutes” are rolled and fried tortillas similar to taquitos but 2 tortillas are rolled together to form a long flute and often served with a avocado sauce. The following is a recipe from a small restaurant located near the hospital in Juarez, Mexico–one of my favorites! This is a great way to use up any left-over chicken you may have on hand.

Ingredients

For the Avocado Sauce:

  • 1 7-ounce can tomatillos, drained

  • 2 avocados, pitted and peeled

  • 3 to 4 serrano chiles, stems removed, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

  • 2 teaspoon lime juice

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • Salt to taste

For the Flautas:

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 2 cups shredded chicken

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

  • 12 corn tortillas

  • Oil for deep frying

Instructions

For the Sauce:

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Allow the sauce to sit at room temperature for an hour to blend the flavors.

For the Flautas:

In a heavy skillet, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Remove from the heat and toss with the chicken and cilantro.

Pour the oil to a depth of a couple inches and heat to 375 degrees. Dip the tortillas, one at a time, in the oil for 5 seconds to soften. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Overlap two of the tortillas (cover ½ of one with the other) and place a couple of tablespoons of the filling, sprinkle with cheese, roll as tightly as possible and secure with toothpicks.

Fry the flautas, 2 or 3, at a time until crisp and browned, about 1 minute. Drain and remove the toothpicks.

To serve, arrange the flautas on a platter, drizzle some of the avocado sauce over the top and serve the remaining on the side for dipping.