Of GARAM MASALA and BELL PEPPERS
We at the NC catch recipes like butterflies in our net --they are random and isolated, fluttering past and capturing our wonderings. In this case, however.....
"Go on to the Route 79 blog," I told Trobee one foggy day. "It's cool. By a British dude named Jag. He has lots of good stuff on there I wanna try, and I can't decide what. You choose."
"Oh-kayyy...." Trobee took her position at the computer and entered the Route 79 site (-- "Reflections on a bus journey home"). She skimmed through the recipe roster, muttering comments and reactions that I really didn't pay much attention to. Why bother? There would eventually be one that she would seize upon, and other ideas would fall away from her memory like fallen autumn leaves. Give it a moment.
"Oooh! Check this one out, Court. This looks really good: Chicken Rice. I think we have everything, too."
Chicken Rice. Didn't sound earth-shatttering. But names of Indian dishes are often deceptively simple. Defiantly simple, in a most devious way. Oh yes. Pictures of Indian food, on the other hand...
I checked it out. Hm. Possibilities there. "All right, go for it."
I liked how the recipe had the attitude of working with humble ingredients that were on hand. Two 'decaying' bell peppers versus Jag's imagination; no need to toss them just yet. In their last gasp, this Chicken Rice dish could redeem them, meanwhile satisfying the day's supper space. (Says Jag in the post:"Well - it’s not bad given that it was scraped together from stuff in the fridge that would have been thrown out today. The chicken was leftover from a Route79 toasted club sandwich with avocado we had a few days ago...")
Mastery of the moment into something tasty. Cool.
Trobee liked the play-by-play of photography that demonstrated the recipe step-by-step. "I like this guy's style," she commented. "Where did you say he was from?"
"He writes from London. He does his thinking while taking the bus home. You know, those cool red double-decker buses? I rode one at Disney World once. Anyway, he's different in the blogging world. Unique. Maybe because he's been at it since before blogging became the 'in thing'."
I didn't think she was listening anymore at this point. Her mind was in foodie la-la-land. She was imagining. Taking mental notes. Fine by me.
RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N
Trobee murmurs to the food as it cooks -- a sort of spice-seductress Scherezade. With tattoos.
"Boil, boil up there, my pot of gold."
It works, so I pretend not to notice. Maybe it's like when gardeners talk to their plants....
* * *
"What does he mean by 'decaying'?" Trina wanted to know when it was her turn.
"Huh?" I looked at the recipe. Sure enough, it called for 2 'decaying' bell peppers.
"Oh. Oh, yeah. I think he just means that it's what he had, and what he was determined to work with. As in, use whatever you got, y'know?"
Which was the charm of Jag's recipe in the first place. Could Trina happily handle its 'whatever' vibe? Its un-recipe-like instructions? We would see. I was curious.
* * *
At any rate, we did not have bell peppers that were 'decaying'. Not today. As it 
happened, ours at the NC were juicy and ripe. Perky, even. Brother Chase had just selected them earlier that day in anticipation of his own thing. Which wouldn't be nearly as cool as our creation. I decided I would borrow the beautiful 'bells'.
"Chase is going to kill me," I acknowledged,"but whatever."
* * *
Garam masala, garam masala. It is in so many traditional and non-
traditional Indian recipes. Yet despite our fascinated attraction for Indian spicing styles, you may have noticed that we include the popular spice blend in very few of our recipes. A few people have questioned us about this in e-mails.
Confession: We have created this recipe several times with great affection, but we on posting on it. The reason? It relies on garam masala. We at the NC harbor a scandalous (perhaps) attitude towards garam masala.
The truth is, we're prejudiced when it comes to involving garam masala in an NC recipe (We like Our People to share our eating experiences as closely as posible). It is, after all, a spice mixture that doesn't own up to any set formula -- an 'X-factor'. Sure, there are a few spices that are commonly featured, such as cloves, coriander, bayleaf, and pepper; it retains a mostly North Indian identity. But not even that is certain.
I frequently read that each household makes their own garam masala from scratch, turning up their noses at storebought varieties. However, Trina's buddy from South India claims that she has never heard of someone making their own. Buying a favorite garam masala, for her family anyway, is the way to go.
"Really?" from us at the NC. Okay then. We decided to try out a pre-mixed variety, since we couldn't settle on one homemade version. What better way to test the stuff with Jag's Chicken Rice Recipe?
Well, we also had a few pretty pictures to show off. So here goes.
photos by Trina and Trobee
top graphic by Mo Digital
Route 79 Bell Pepper n' Chicken Pilaf
An evolution that began via Route 79.
1 cup rice
2 chicken breasts or 8 oz. seitan, chopped and cooked
1 1/2 tsp oil
2 dried red chillies
1 tsp garlic paste or minced garlic
1 red onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes
Splash of lemon juice
1 tsp salt
Masala:
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- In a medium skillet, heat the oil until it is sizzle-hot. Add the dried chillies ans saute until they are a bit darker. Add the garlic paste, followed by the masala. Cook 1-2 minutes.
- Add the carrots and onions. Sauté until the onions are clear in color. Add the bell peppers and the diced tomatoes . Cook until the tomatoes are cooked through.
- Add the rice and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add a splash of lemon juice, salt, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
- Add the cooked chicken cubes. Cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is done.
