My boyfriend said to me the other day that he was craving Vindaloo.  I love to experiment with food from different cultures, so I was happy to oblige.  Indian food is lesson in flavor combinations and what spices bring to the table.  When we are eating healthy we rely on spices to take chicken breasts to a whole new level.  It’s not fat that brings the flavor in this dish.  I keep a well-stocked spice cabinet, but these spices can all be found at your regular grocery store. They’re also pretty cheap if you can get the little 2-ounce jars.

Don’t be afraid of the number of ingredients—it’s sooo worth the smell about to fill your house!  You will need a small food processor or a blender, a microplane or box grater, and a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (Good old-fashioned elbow grease and a fat wooden spoon works, too.) Roll up your sleeves, and let’s get into this!

 

INGREDIENTS
8-10 dried red chiles (less if you want it mild)
1 tablespoon of coriander seed
10-12 black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 1” cinnamon stick)
1/8 tsp ground cloves or 6-8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons MILA chia
10 cloves of garlic (peeled and grated)

1-2” piece of fresh ginger (peeled and grated)
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 large ripe tomatoes*
1 med-large onion
1 1/2lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
3/4 cup chicken stock or 1 cup  water with a bullion cube dissolved
1/4 cup PURE Mangosteen juice
1 teaspoon brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a dry skillet, over medium heat, toast all of the dried spices for a few minutes until fragrant, and remove from a pan to a spice grinder or small food processor.
2. While the pan is still hot, but not on the heat, add the MILAand ground spices. Let them warm up a bit before adding those to the processor/grinder.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, tamarind paste and apple cider vinegar to the processor and buzz around until a paste forms.
4. Chop the tomatoes and add them to a hot skillet with a drizzle of oil.  Cook on medium until they begin to break down.
5. Add the paste to the pan and cook together, stirring constantly, until it is fully incorporated and you can smell the ginger and garlic.
6.  Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Set aside.
7.  Clean out your skillet and use it to brown your chicken.  Once you start getting a little color, add the turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper.  Toss around and then add the onion. Cook until the chicken is brown, but not completely cooked, and the onions are nearly translucent.
8. Add the reserved sauce to the skillet, along with chicken stock, PURE Mangosteen juice and brown sugar.  Stir to combine and cook over medium heat until the sauce reduces and become thick.  This should take about 10-15 min.
9. Spoon chicken curry over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro and limes.

 

How spicy you want this will determine how many chiles you use.  I used 10 and mine was hot, but not TOO hot.  This is subjective, obviously.  I like my curry to be hot enough to make my eyebrows sweat, so this one was PERFECT!  This made my boyfriend slap the table it was so good.  I also had a close-my-eyes-and-don’t-speak-to-me-moment that made the effort worth it. 

One pro-tip: Let this hang out overnight and reheat it in the morning and toss it with some roasted potatoes. Fry up an over-medium egg and slap that bad boy on top.  Garnish with cilantro and green onion, and you have yourself a curry hash that will impress all your brunch peeps. ENJOY!

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Hey guys!  Before I get started on giving you all my secrets, I thought I would take the time to introduce myself!  My name is Elizabeth aka BB Cooks.  I am an Advertising Art Director, by day, and a wanna be chef in every other minute of spare time I have. My boyfriend, Jason, and I live in Easton PA with his son (9), daughter (7) and a precious puppy (3). Needless to say, our lives are pretty crazy!  No matter how insane it is around here we always make time to sit and have dinner together.  Food is where we come together and share our stories, our problems, our wins and lots and lots of laughs.

I have 2 very good friends that work at PURE corporate and once they introduced me to the products they carry I felt my brain start churning with ideas and we decided this would be a great way for me to share my love for food and my passion healthy living!  Whole health is at the forefront of my cooking and I can’t wait to share how PURE products have influenced my recipes.

 

Follow my instagram @BB_Cooks where you can find all the recipes from this blog as well as tons more drool worthy creations from my little kitchen.