the frugal gourmet

morning exercise: a brisk episode called "chase the recycling bins", brought to us by winds gusty enough to whip your socks off.
breakfast: "real" hot chocolate with marshmallows
read-aloud: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Now that I have set the tone for the day, let me rhapsodize over a new recipe: Chicken Curry with Cashews and Sweet Potato. (I more than doubled the recipe, as I had a 5 lb roasting chicken on hand.) This is swoon-material, folks. We consumed it over bowls of steaming rice and chased its fiery heat with sliced fruit and yogurt. As a bonus, our kitchen exuded that exotic and pungent aroma of an East Indian bazaar. It was quite inexpensive to make, as the meat was 69 cents/lb and the sweet potatoes were 39 cents/lb. Prices like those help soften the blow of 7.99/lb for cashews!

Chicken Curry with Cashews and Sweet Potato Recipe

Interesting Notes

I like to make Indian food and try to get my friends to try it. Some of them are put off by the long lists of ingredients, and so I came up with a simple way to make a rich-tasting curry.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons sweet curry powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted cashew pieces
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (can substitute a small serrano pepper)
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into pieces
• 1 medium sweet potato, sliced

Serves / Yields

1 1/2 Quarts

Preparation Instructions

In a large saucepan heat the oil until it is hot, and add the cashews. Let the cashews cook for about a minute, but do not let them brown. Add the curry powder, and cook in the oil with the cashews for another minute. Then, add the onions and jalapeño pepper. Reduce heat and let simmer until the onion is translucent.

Reduce the heat to low, and add the diced tomatoes, salt, water, yogurt and chicken breast.. As the mixture warms, stir regularly, until the yogurt and tomatoes blend. Increase the heat a bit, and add the sliced sweet potato. Continue to heat until the sauce starts to bubble, and then let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the curry to rest a few minutes before serving.

Serve over rice – basmati works well, as does coconut rice.

Helpful Hints

For a milder curry, cut the jalapeño pepper into coarse pieces and remove from the mixture before adding the tomatoes, water, yogurt, etc. If possible, soak the sweet potato in cold water for about 20 minutes before slicing—this will allow it to rehydrate a bit, and not absorb the water in the curry. If possible, make the curry a day in advance, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, the flavors will have blended a bit.