Calling cooks!! Chicken with coconut milk recipes??

[jenphilly]

Think most of you by now have probably picked up on my whining about what foods I cannot eat. So, we do a little more Asian dishes and recently (Victoria's encouragement) have been trying Indian inspired dishes. But, I am not one for spicy food, tho Tor and Byron love it. Victoria recently picked out a tandoori spice mix at Wegmans. I've tried it with chicken, coconut milk and small pieces of potatoes. I thought it turned out really well, but it was not spicy enough for them.

Anyone have a recipe that I could cook to different levels of spice? My thought was to make the dish to my liking, pull out a plate for me, then add more spices to make it hotter for them. But, using the Tandoori mix and even more curry does not give it too much heat. Any suggestions or thoughts?

Hoping someone here is also a gluten and lactose free cook or experienced and has some suggestions!!

Thanks to anyone who offers some tips or advice

 

[MomtoPercy]

I don't have your dietary concerns but I can tell you this - for me, the success of a curry or spicy dish lies in cooking with the spices from the start....heating the spices in a dry pan to release their oils and flavour and then adding your other ingredients to be imbued with said flavour (Whoops! I sound just like Nigella Lawson there, don't I? ) Spices added at the end of cooking won't have the same taste at all and in fact may spoil the dish The best I can suggest is that you make double the "starter mix" (the spices, onions, garlic, etc). Then, before you add the rest of your ingredients, take out some of the mix, transfer it to another saucepan and add more spice/heat/whatever to that mixture and cook it off with a bit of reserved coconut milk. When you've finished cooking the main dish and removed your portion, add the reserved 'extra spicy' mix to the remainder and cook for another bit to incorporate all the flavours together.

 

[jenphilly]

Thanks for that info about curry... never had heard that!!! May very well be why the curry just never gives it the kick that it did when I made just curried chicken.

I know to heat garlic before adding anything that it releases the flavor and oil

thanks!

 

[MomtoPercy]

This recipe demonstrates nicely how to 'activate' the spice before you continue cooking the rest of the dish.

Cook In Curry Sauce - Jamie Oliver Naked Chef

 

[Freespin]

Ash Jamie Oliver. Drool... Imagine the breakfast... Haha anyway! Also if you add things like dried Chili after you have taken out a portion for yourself then the longer you leave it to mingle the h hotter it will get.

 

[jenphilly]

might have to try that... I have the nutribullet, so might put a handful thru that to grind them up so they are more effective... or combine that thought with splitting the starting spices and putting in then and just cook two batches. I do that often anyway... I cook stuff for them that I can't have, its not fair to make them live entirely gluten and lactose free too.... I make a killer chicken and dumplings and no matter what I try, the gluten free version is just not the same. It was a staple for Victoria growing up, especially when she wasn't feeling too good, one of those comfort foods, so I still make that when they want a pot. Its tough to sit and watch them eat it, but I just glare... doesn't work, they just laugh and happily eat away... cruel, heartless people