Chicken Curry

The school cafeteria was a large room, its sticky blue and white checkered floor reflecting the dull florescent lights over head. Rows of fold-out tables created the obvious social divisions; a zoo exhibit of jocks, goths, geeks, and freaks. And nearly every day, as I sat down amongst the Wonder Bread sandwiches and Capri Suns, my "exotic" lunches would often turn heads. With my baked acorn squash, or my rice and apple chutney, there was no escaping the questioning stares. But I was proud of my unique lunches. Though I had to start off every lunch with an explanation about my unusual food, my lunches always tasted the best! They were way better than any pathetic little Lunchable with its cardboard crackers, slightly slimy pressed meat, and flavorless limp cheese...if you can even call it cheese. But even my "exotic" lunches seemed normal to me. It's what my family always ate. My idea of "exotic" food was curry!

I honestly can't remember a single time where my family ever made a curry dish. We had some dishes that came close in flavor, such as; Thai peanut soup, or chutney. But never can I recall us making a full on classic curry dish. To me, it was something foreign and alluring, full of color and enticing aromas. I even tried taking a three hour evening class once to learn how to make a curry dish. But it was more of a demonstration than anything else. And with my kinesthetic learning style, the class didn't really help.

Years later, I am proud to say I have finally mastered a curry dish! This recipe was very simple to make, however, it did take a long time to put together. Since the sauce has to simmer for over 20 minutes, it's certainly a dinner you'll want to plan ahead for to give yourself plenty of time to make it. But honestly, it is worth it! Last night, my husband and I enjoyed our dinner of chicken curry on rice, homemade garlic naan bread, and a cool refreshing glass of young coconut water on the side. This recipe may seem intimidating to some, but trust me; if I can make this dish with no other previous curry-making experience, you totally can!

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
7 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon crushed bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste (I added about 1 teaspoon)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves-cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2-3 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I used 3 teaspoons and it was very spicy! If you don't want it hot, only add 1/2 teaspoon.)

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, crushed bay leaf, ground ginger, sugar and salt. Continue to stir for about 2 minutes.--It will create sort of a dry paste--Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring on occasion.

Stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot with rice or naan bread.