Thursday is curry day

Thing about curry is, you like it or you don't. There are many different types of curry powders available: red or yellow, Middle Eastern or Indian or Chinese or Thai. I prefer the Chinese yellow curry powders, and in general I try to buy them at an Asian market because that's where you'll get the largest variety and best quality. You can most likely buy a packet mix for curry in the Asian aisle of your local market, but why do that when you can just buy the curry powder and add some of your own ingredients?

Our curry today is pretty simple to make. Just chicken, onions and peas, served in a sauce made of chicken broth and curry powder. Served over rice, it makes an excellent meal. You can add whatever you like to it. Thinly sliced carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, and even chunks of potato go well in the dish. Coconut milk in place of the regular milk adds another depth of flavor. Try whatever sounds good to you.

Curry Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 C frozen green peas, thawed
1 1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C milk
1 T curry powder (more if you like it spicy)
1 rounded T corn starch dissolved in 2 T water
1 T butter
2T olive oil

Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Heat 1 T of the oil in a non-stick wok or frying pan. Add the chicken and sauten until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pan and place in a dish, cover with foil. Add the 2nd T oil to the wok followed by the onions. Cook until almost translucent. Add the peas and saute for about 1 minute. Add the cooked chicken back to the pan. Stir in the chicken broth. Sprinkle the curry powder and stir until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly. When sauce thickens, add the 1 T butter (this will make the sauce rich and shiny). Salt and pepper to taste.

This is a little bit spicy. If you prefer less spice, go with only 1/2 T curry powder. You can always taste for spice and add more as you are preparing the dish.

Serve immediately over rice.

Serves 3-4