Curry powder and chutney

[allie]

I made a recipe last night in the slow cooker using these ingredients:
chicken breasts
can pineapple chunks, drain and reserve juice
curry powder
crushed garlic
chicken bouillon granules
grated onion
salt
pepper
cornstarch - water to thicken

You basically put everything except the pineapple and cornstarch/water in the crock and cook it. Then you turn on high, add pineapple and thickener and cook about 30 more minutes.

It said to serve over rice and offer accompaniments of coconut, dates, raisins, chopped banana, and/or papaya. It also said to serve with your favorite chutney.

This was good but not as flavorful as I'd like. I used some cheap curry because I wasn't sure if my family would like it and didn't want to spend a lot on something to sit on the shelf. Can anyone recommend a good curry powder to me or any other suggestion to make this dish better?

When it comes to chutney, I am lost! I have never had it that I know of and would have no clue how to choose a favorite to accompany this dish.
Any suggestions on choosing a good chutney or making it?
TIA!

[BombayBen]

fry the onion off with a bit of garlic and ginger, add about a tablespoon of tomato paste and mix thoroughly. A generic make at home curry powder which I keep 'ready mixed' in my cupboard is:

3 parts ground coriander
1 part ground cumin
1 part ground turmeric
as much or as little ground chilli powder as you like

put them all in a tub and shake thoroughly. Adding store bought garam masala - about a teaspoonful just before taking off the heat also adds a nice subtle flavor and will really bring out the pineapple taste.

I am not too sure that with the fruitiness of the pineapple, you need a chutney but to make a quick accompaniment - mango usually goes really well with chicken. For a quick chutney

1 large ripe mango, 1 finely chopped red onion, a clove of garlic, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.

Saute the onion, add the garlic mango sugar and vinegar and reduce on a low heat until it reaches the consistency of a thick jam - let it cool

enjoy!!

[cheflayne]

I would make a curry powder when ready to cook (an example would be the one posted by BombayBen), using whole spices which I would grind in an electric coffee bean grinder. Heat some oil, add curry powder and cook, constantly stirring for about 3 minutes. Add pineapple (fresh taste and hold together best) cook and stir until light golden brown. Add onion and garlic, cook and stir until light golden brown. Add chicken, cook and stir until light golden brown. Add water and bouillon cubes and simmer until done, thicken with cornstarch.

Chutney basically is a sweet and sour jam or marmalade.

BombayBen's recipe would basically work with anything. I immediately thought of a banana date chutney with a pineapple curry, but I see those listed as accompaniments, so maybe a pumpkin macadamia chutney.

When making chutney, good alternatives to brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, are palm sugar and rice wine vinegar.

If you don't want to make your own curry powder, then I would recommend a Madras curry powder such as Merwanjee Poonjiajee & Sons or Sun Brand.

If you don't want to make chutney, I would think you could use a jam or marmalade that you think would go well, add vinegar to it and simmer until it thickens up again.

[shel]

Hi Allie,

I have quite a few curry recipes, some going bach to the english occupation of india and kenya if you'd like, i'd be happy to compile them and send them your way.

kind regards,

shel

[Mezzaluna]

I recommend Penzey's. They have several blends. I use the sweet, but they have nine blends: Spices at Penzeys Spices Curry Powder

You can buy a small amount to try it out. I don't think they have a store in your area, but their mail order service is very good.

[allie]

Thanks for the suggestions! Now that I know a chutney is sweet, I don't think it really needs that. It was pretty sweet and the coconut and raisins really worked with the flavors well. I forgot to buy bananas and papaya so couldn't try that.

I think making my own curry is a better option. That way I don't have it sitting in the pantry going stale. I didn't know where to start since I've never had it before and only bought this to try. Thanks for the tips! I really, really appreciate it.

Shel, if you have the time and it's not too much trouble, I'd definitely be interested in taking a look at more recipes!

Ben, I'm saving your recipe for use next time! Those are all items I keep in the pantry. Cumin and chili powder, especially, are used a lot around here.

[shel]

Originally Posted by allie

Shel, if you have the time and it's not too much trouble, I'd definitely be interested in taking a look at more recipes!.

i'd be happy to. i'm a little overloaded today, but i'll put a file together for you in a day or two. one thing about making curry powder, always, always start with fresh spices, toast them lightly whenever possible, and grind them just before using for the most flavor. some spices, like turmeric, are almost impossible to find except as ground powder, so don't buy a lot and what you do buy, store properly. Whole spices can keep well for a long time. Here's one that was handy - from an old Kenyan cookbook

Curry Powder

1 teaspoon black (preferably Telicherry) peppercorns
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (I like yellow seeds)
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large bay leaf, broken
8 whole cloves
6-12 cardamom seeds (pods removed)

Grind all the ingredients together until fine. I use an old Krups blade-type coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices. If not using the powde right away, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark cupboard away from heat.

shel