Living with the INSTANT POT - CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA · Saturday February 10, 2018 by colin newell
My New Years resolution for 2018 was doing more meal planning and preparing meals in our gourmet country kitchen. Now don’t get me wrong. I do my share of sous chef work; chopping, mincing, blending and eating!
Part of this plan was getting onto the pressure cook bandwagon that is currently sweeping the nation. So, off to the online marketplace to get an Instant Pot – and after watching a handful of instructional videos from Florence Lum and her husband of Vancouver, B.C. I was ready to dig in and start steaming!
My favourite foods are South Asian Punjabi spiced cuisine and Italian – so the Instant Pot was the right tool to start the experimentation and learning process.
Chicken tikka masala is good recipe to start with, and one of the most popular Indian dishes ordered at South Asian restaurants in Western Canada. It goes great with basmati rice to help soak up all of the delicious sauce, or with some plain naan bread on the side.
I enjoy Indian dishes that most of us Westerners simply label as “Curry”, which is completely inaccurate and misleading – Curry literally means “gravy” or “sauce” – so calling South Asian cuisine “Curry” does not do this very broad spectrum of cuisine justice.
Anyway – as I said, chicken is really easy to work with and really showcases the fragrant and aromatic spices that make up this dish.
Let’s do it!
Ingredients
For marinating the chicken:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup Buffalo yoghurt (you can use cows or sheep yoghurt)
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
For the sauce:
15 ounces canned tomato sauce or puree
5 cloves garlic minced
4 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup heavy whipping cream added last
The process
Rice: I prepared 1 cup of Basmati rice with a 1 cup of water and a few scratches of salt in the Instant Pot in 4 minutes of pressure cooking. Perfect! I set that aside while I moved on to the chicken.
Marinating the chicken: Combine all marinade ingredients (minus the chicken) in a bowl and mix well.
Add chicken chunks and coat with the marinade.
Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Pressure cooker saute mode:
Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for medium heat. When it has reached temperature, add chicken chunks (along with any marinade sticking to them) to the pressure cooker. Saute until the chicken is cooked on all sides, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.Turn off the saute mode.
Pressure cooker high pressure mode: Add all of the sauce ingredients except the cream to the pressure cooker, over the chicken, and stir. Secure and seal the lid.
Select the manual mode to cook for 10 minutes at high pressure. Use the quick steam release handle to release pressure.
Pressure cooker saute mode: Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for low heat. When it has reached temperature, add cream to the pot, stirring with the other ingredients. Simmer until the sauce is thickened to your liking, a few minutes.
Serving: Serve with basmati rice or naan. Garnish with cilantro. It’s crazy delicious and there is enough here to serve 4 folks hungry for some great South Asian eats!
You can check out Florences YouTube channel for more hands-on recipes and inspiration.
Colin Newell is a Victoria resident and coffee drinker who is always looking for better ways of cooking great food faster with less hassle.
Chicken, Sausage and Oyster Jambalaya · Tuesday July 18, 2017 by colin newell
I have a weak spot for Cajun cooking and my occasional forays into this wonderful regional cuisine from Louisiana almost always includes variations on Gumbo or Jambalaya.
These dishes scale up nicely so if you have the pots and the ingredients, you can whip up double and triple batches and feed your entire neighbourhood!
Here is a spin on Jambalaya that borrows from a Creole gumbo recipe that I have kicking around.
For reference, here is my gumbo recipe and my other Oyster Jambalaya – Enjoy!
Meat
1 1/2 lbs Chicken breast cut into bit sized pieces.
12 oz hot Italian Sausage, Andouille or Chorizo – whatever is on hand
Produce
1 tsp Basil, dried
1 cup Bell pepper
1 cup Celery
2 cups Swiss chard – chiffonade
2 cloves Garlic
2 cup Onion
1 Parsley, Fresh
1 tsp Thyme, dried
1 14.5-oz can Tomatoes, with juice
Canned or prepped Goods
4 1/2 cup Chicken broth
1 6-oz can Tomato paste
Condiments
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Pasta & Grains
2 1/2 cup White Basmati rice
Baking & Spices
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 tsp Salt
Oils & Vinegars
2 tbsp Canola Oil
Instructions
In a large pot, or Dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon oil, the sausage, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook for 15 minutes.
Remove sausage and place on platter – cut into bite size pieces when cool.
Add chicken to cooking pot and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove chicken from the pot and set aside.
Drizzle another tablespoon of Canola oil into the pot and then add onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables are almost tender or translucent. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
Place chicken and sausage back into the pot.
In a small bowl combine remaining 1 teaspoon salt, ½ tsp pepper, thyme, basil and cayenne pepper. Toss to combine.
Add seasoning mix, Worcestershire, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes to the meat and veg. Stir to combine.
Next, place rice and 4 ½ cup broth in the pot. Stir to completely combine. Over medium heat, wait for the ingredients to come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let jambalaya simmer for 15 minutes. Added chopped oysters and Swiss chard. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Check on the jambalaya at the 25-30 minute mark and see if it needs additional liquid. Stir occasionally to avoid burning on the bottom of the pot.
Once rice is completely cooked, serve immediately with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Fall colours Canadian Style sourdough pizza · Sunday October 16, 2016 by colin newell
At this time of the Fall, Andrea and I start looking forward to some rustic cooking; soups, stews and, yes, the occasional treat of pizza with seasonal ingredients. And since I have a sourdough starter that has been on the go since 2008, what better opportunity than right now to whip up a great pizza dough and accompanying pizza. Here goes:
Andrea and Colin’s simple Sourdough Pizza
Ingredients
1 cup sourdough starter, unfed or not at room temperature
1/2 cup warm tap water
2 1/2 cups Caputo 00 Pizza Flour *
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
A word about Captuo “00” Bread Flour: It is the gold standard of pizza flours by which most others are judged, but there’s quite a bit of confusion as to exactly what it is. You’ll read in countless sources that Italian Tipo “00” flour, like the Caputo, is a “soft wheat flour,” with a low protein content. Caputo 00 flour is ideal for pizza dough for two reasons: one, it’s finely ground, and two, it has a lower gluten content than most flours.
The “00” refers to the texture of the flour: Italian flours are classified by numbers according to how finely they are ground, from the roughest ground “tipo“1, to 0, and the finest 00. Gluten, the natural protein that remains when starch is removed from wheat grains, creates the elasticity you feel when you bite into a crunchy loaf of bread. The lower the protein content of the flour, the lower the gluten, and the lower the gluten, the less elasticity there will be in your dough (cake flour has the lowest gluten level).
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a hook attachment, combine all ingredients. Mix on medium low until all ingredients are incorporated and you have a firm ball. If dough is still very sticky, add about 1/8 cup of flour at a time until dough is firm. Your dough may be wetter than expected based on how wet your starter is. Don’t worry, just add more flour.
Remove dough from bowl and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
Kneed by hand for about 1 – 2 minutes, then form into a ball.
Place the dough ball in a medium mixing bowl that has been coated in olive oil or cooking spray. Lightly toss the dough ball in the bowl to coat in oil/spray.
Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Place covered bowl in a warm area for 2 hours or until about doubled in size.
You can make this pizza dough ahead of time and keep in fridge for 1 or 2 days.
Transfer risen dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll out with rolling pin or spread with your knuckles to desired crust thickness.
Transfer dough to a pizza peel, if baking on a pizza stone, or onto a pizza pan or baking tray.
Top with sauce and favorite toppings.
In our case:
- Tomato sauce (by Jamie Oliver)
- Saute mushrooms and shallots
- Salami
- fresh mozzarella balls (from our local market, Root Cellar…)
Bake in a preheated 500 degree oven (or outdoor BBQ) for 7 to 10 minutes – until cheese is bubbly and crust is browning.
Enjoy your home made pizza!
Baking 101 Bernard Callebaut sticky chewy chocolate brownies · Thursday September 1, 2016 by colin newell
I just made this rich, dark chocolate brownie with a soft chewy center, firm edges and a crackly top. Simple to make using just one bowl. Pay attention to the measurements as they are the key to success.
INGREDIENTS
- ¾ cup Fry’s, Hershey’s or Dark Dutch cocoa
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ⅔ cup butter – melted
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 free range jumbo eggs
- 1⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup dark/medium Bernard Callebaut chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9 by 13 baking pan.
Add cocoa and baking soda to a large bowl and stir to combine.
Melt ⅔ of a cup of butter in your microwave. With a wooden spoon, stir ½ of the melted butter into the cocoa and baking soda. Stir until combined.
Add ½ cup of boiling water to bowl with cocoa and butter. Stir until combined and smooth.
Add sugar, eggs and the rest of the melted butter to the cocoa mixture. Stir until combined.
Sift in 1⅓ cup of flour. Add vanilla and salt. Stir until combined and batter is smooth.
Add chocolate chips to batter and stir until combined.
Pour into prepared baking pan and smooth the top out with a wooden spoon. Bake for between 35 and 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness.
Cool for 30 minutes in pan. When cool, remove from pan and cut into snack sized brownies.
Yield should be around 2 dozen.
Serve with ice cream while warm – or with black coffee. They are an addictive treat.
If you feel the urge to coat them with icing, wait until they are cool and use your imagination.
Alternately, one could swirl in peanut butter chips or raw peanut butter instead of the chocolate chips.
Colin Newell is a Victoria area resident and long time creative writer. A baker since the age of 12, he has been around the mixing bowl a time or two!
Food, drink and smoking Summer 2016 · Friday August 19, 2016 by colin newell
Having saved up for a house, back-yard and BBQ for going on 20 years, you can imagine my delight when all of this actually came true!
I now have the house and back yard and a very beat up but serviceable Weber Genesis 3-burner 300 series BBQ that is still cooking away (and over ten years of age…)
And in the first 60 days of living in our house, I BBQ’ed 45 nights! We just started our 3rd year in the house 1 month ago! Amazing. I am a better BBQ chef now but what kind of smoker am I?
Well, I am not a smoker at all – but I could aspire to be.
And if learning how to gas flame BBQ cook is one skill, then learning how to smoke meat is an entirely, ahem, different kettle of fish. But let’s discuss some basics.
Smoking meat to perfection requires much more finesse than many people are aware of. There are two distinct setups when it comes to the arrangement of a smoking system: the vertical setup, and the horizontal setup. In the vertical setup, the fire can be as low as the bottom level of the apparatus, separated from the meat at the top with water and smoking wood in the middle.
In the horizontal setup, the cooking chamber, water, meat, smoking agents, and firebox are all connected. Of course, it is also possible to achieve good smoking results simply by using a regular grill. The source of heat for completing the smoking process can be achieved with a number of different agents, including wood, steam, electricity, gas, and charcoal.
The greatest challenge in being able to achieve a consistent temperature throughout the meat is to be able to maintain a constant, healthy flow of smoke. Generally speaking, those who are new to the art of smoking meat will be best-suited with an electric smoking apparatus.
Generally speaking, indirectly seating through smoking is a method adopted for larger pieces of meat. Naturally, different cuts of meat will have a different amount of time that will be most ideal for dispersing the heat of the smoke across the full surface area and throughout the entire cut.
The attached graphic gives you a great idea how different meats or proteins respond to smoke – or in other words, “when they are done…” It was a neat graphic to look at and the attached image prints well – so use it freely and learn a bit more about “smoking” – smoking of the healthy kind that is!
What you can do is open up the graphic by clicking on it and then right clicking it to save to your desk top.
Or (and this should work better…) Click on this – smoking-times-and-temperature.jpg
Now I need to get out some of those hickory wood chips I have kicking around!
Apologies in advance to my lovely Vegan and Vegetarian friends.
Colin Newell has been writing this blog for over 20 years and you will notice the absence of junk content, click bait, promo links and other rubbish. We are better than that and everyone should demand better content!
