Friday, May 30, 2008

Mango Chicken with Red Pepper and Mint Raita


We really enjoyed this chicken dish...other than prep work it went together pretty quickly. I think I was just trying to do too many other things at once. I won't type up a recipe for the greens...they needed work, but the raita was nice and cooling alongside the spicier chicken dish. This can obviously be made with as much heat as you choose to add, but we liked it as it's written below!

Mango Chicken with Red Peppers:
(Adapted from Hooked On Heat)
Prep time: 10 min (she must have mad prep skilz that I don't possess!) Cooking time: 20 min Serves: 4

2 whole boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (CM's come 2 whole breasts to a pack usually)
2 large mangoes, diced into cubes
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
2 red chillies, finely chopped (I only had serranos and I seeded and deribbed them...)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (subbed 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger and 1 large clove of fresh garlic, minced)
1/4 cup chicken stock/water
~1/2 tsp turmeric powder
~3/4 tsp ground red pepper
3/4 tsp cumin powder
3/4 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
salt, to taste (I used 1 tsp+ Kosher salt)
fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped for garnish
I added the following that the recipe didn't call for:
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Siracha chili sauce (a couple good turns of the pan)
a little agave nectar (it just wouldn't be Erinafied if I didn't use this! My mangos were just a little on the tart side, you may find you don't need it)

Heat oil in a large non-stick wok and saute chopped chillies, ginger-garlic paste and onions till lightly browned.

Add in chicken pieces, peppers and spices and salt, and stir-fry till chicken is cooked through. Try not to cook on too high a heat or your chicken will toughen up. Stir in chicken stock and mango, and allow to simmer for a few minutes.

Add the lemon juice, Siracha chili sauce, and agave (if needed) and adjust salt if necessary.
Serve with over brown basmati rice and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Mint Raita:
(Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking)

1 cup plain yogurt (I used non-fat, but use whatever floats your boat)
1 (~1/2 lb) English cucumber, shredded (calls for peeled, but I didn't and I only needed 1/2 of one large cuke)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and set in the refrigerator for ~1-2 hours to let the flavors marry.

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