BajaNomad

East India meets Mexico: Indian Curried Vegetable Chicken Enchiladas

EnsenadaDr - 4-8-2013 at 08:14 PM

Servings: 8

Tools: 2 medium saucepans, 1 saute pan, knife, cutting board, micro-plane, 9″ x 13″ pan, spatula, ladle

Ingredients
I’m going to break down the ingredients into sections below for each element you have to prepare prior to assemblage in the pan.

Shredded Chicken (see recipe below)
Easy Indian Madras Curry Sauce (see recipe below)
Vegetable Blend (see recipe below)
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
18 corn tortillas (should probably have an entire pack of 24 in case you need as many)
Shredded Chicken

1 lb. chicken breast (this can be either the bone-in or the boneless skinless variety)
water to cover chicken by a few inches in pot
pinch of kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1/2 cup prepared curry enchilada sauce (see recipe below)
Optional Garnishes: sliced green onion, cilantro, avocado or sliced radishes

Easy Indian Madras Curry Sauce

3 Tb. vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tb. all-purpose flour
1 in. knob of grated fresh ginger (Use a micro-plane for this. I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer so I always have it on hand)
4 Tb. Madras Curry Powder
2 cups chicken broth
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Vegetable Blend
1 Tb. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 medium carrots, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 large handful of baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

Steps
1. Prep all ingredients above so they are ready to begin cooking. Preheat oven to 375°

2. Place chicken in a pot and fill with water to cover by a few inches. Put on stove top on High heat. Cook for about 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and is easy to shred with 2 forks.

3. While chicken is cooking, start on the Madras Curry enchilada sauce. Heat vegetable oil in a medium sized saucepan on Medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until tender (they turn a bit translucent). Turn down heat to LOW. (This is very important because you don’t want to burn your flour in the next step)

4. After you have turned heat on onion, garlic mixture to LOW and it has a minute or two to adjust temperature, add in the flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute. (Note: Be sure NOT to burn your flour in this step.) Add in the curry powder and stir. Cook for another 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and tomato paste and stir until combined. Cook on low until sauce reduces and thickens; about 15 minutes.

5. While curry sauce and chicken are cooking, start on the vegetable blend. Add extra virgin olive oil to a saute pan and heat on Medium heat. Add carrots and cook for several minutes until tender. Add the frozen peas and grated ginger and cook another minute until peas are defrosted. Add chopped spinach and cook until it wilts and moisture is cooked off. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

6. Once chicken is cooked through and it easily shreds, pull it out of cooking water and onto a cutting board. Using two forks, shred all of the chicken. Retain about 1/2 cup of the cooking water in the sauce pan, drain rest off. Add the shredded chicken back into pan with remaining water. Add 1/2 cup of the curry sauce to chicken and combine. Cook on Low a few minutes for chicken to season in the sauce mixture.

7. Add a ladle or two of the curry sauce to the bottom of the 9″ x 13″ baking dish and spread around bottom of pan. Place 6 corn tortillas on bottom of baking dish and spoon more sauce over them, spreading to cover. Alternate each layer with the cheese, veggie blend, shredded chicken (be sure to strain the chicken out of the sauce it is cooking in, so it doesn’t get too watery), curry sauce and tortillas. Be sure to finish the final two layers with sauce and then cheese.

8. Place into oven and cook for about 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. When finished take out of oven and let sit to cool for a minute or two. Slice, garnish and serve.

That Recipe Sounds Very Yummy!

Gypsy Jan - 4-9-2013 at 12:32 PM

Where can I find Madras curry powder, preferably in the Rosarito area?

Thanks for any advice, GJ

Spicy Consumption

MrBillM - 4-9-2013 at 02:56 PM

It's interesting that most of the "Classic" third-world Ethnic foods exist from a history of taking cheaper inferior foods and making them more palatable.

As opposed to the Classic "American" mainstays which tend to be less-complicated.

As a historically (relatively) Rich country, we have traditionally been able to afford better quality meats and other staples so we don't need to dress-up poor quality.

The same rule applies to other aspects of social life.

In discussing Soccer with a German friend who continually complains that Americans "don't get what the rest of the world does", I've pointed out that Soccer is so popular worldwide because it's a Poverty sport.

All you need is a (community-owned) Ball of some sort.

Americans have traditionally been able to afford the accessories necessary to play Baseball properly.

Hey BillM, What the What?

Gypsy Jan - 4-9-2013 at 03:24 PM

All societies that existed before refrigeration used salt and spice to preserve/disguise the off-taste of old meat. Reference bacalao from Scandinavia which became a source of wealth for the Northern European countries because the Pope decreed that Christians must have meatless Fridays.

England Spain and France were first world wealthy countries in the 1700's and they were avid users of spices and salting to preserve their food.

That's how they survived and progressed to better techniques.

Now, please tell me where in Rosarito I can buy curry powder or just go away.

EnsenadaDr - 4-9-2013 at 09:54 PM

I love curry, and I love Mexican food. The two of them blended sound great. I just made a cauliflower, carrot and potato coconut curry dish with a very good Curry powder that was listed on the internet.

I believe DENNIS gets his from Penzey's spices, over the Internet. I just Googled it and here is the link, I'm fairly certain you can get it ordered by mail. I am still waiting for Dennis to cook up a curry dish!!

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/514170

https://www.google.com/search?q=best+curry+powder+madras&...

[Edited on 4-10-2013 by EnsenadaDr]

[Edited on 4-10-2013 by EnsenadaDr]

EnsenadaDr - 4-9-2013 at 10:00 PM

Jan I will be passing through there in a few weeks, I have an excellent curry powder if you can't find any.

DENNIS - 4-10-2013 at 07:26 AM

Lemme help you out with that big, nasty link up there:

http://tinyurl.com/cwo7mj3

Skipjack Joe - 4-10-2013 at 10:37 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by MrBillM

It's interesting that most of the "Classic" third-world Ethnic foods exist from a history of taking cheaper inferior foods and making them more palatable.



Interesting theory, but I think you've got it backwards.

The 'inferior' food is cheap because nobody buys it not the other way around. Once you learn to like it the price goes up.

That's what happened to calamari in the US. I can remember going to downtown LA and buying it really cheap in the 60's. Now it's available at every supermarket.

Skipjack Joe - 4-10-2013 at 11:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by MrBillM

In discussing Soccer with a German friend who continually complains that Americans "don't get what the rest of the world does", I've pointed out that Soccer is so popular worldwide because it's a Poverty sport.



I got into a similar argument with someone over basketball over football.

He claimed that basketball was an inferior sport because the games were always decided in the last 2 minutes. What's the point of watching a struggle for two and a half hours when the ending was all that mattered, he said. The very thing that made the game exciting, he reinterpreted as boring. What canya do?

Regarding the recipe: it just seems like a lot of work to go through for one meal.

Edit: But if you make it I'll be at your doorstep. :lol:

[Edited on 4-10-2013 by Skipjack Joe]

EnsenadaDr - 4-10-2013 at 02:04 PM

Ok Skipjack, then here is the short version:

Banquet Frozen Enchiladas
1/4 cup diced onions, lightly sauteed with one teaspoon dried curry, then mix in
1 can of Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce, cover Frozen Enchiladas with the sauce/onion/curry mixture
microwave till heated
top with sour cream
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Quote:
Originally posted by MrBillM

In discussing Soccer with a German friend who continually complains that Americans "don't get what the rest of the world does", I've pointed out that Soccer is so popular worldwide because it's a Poverty sport.



I got into a similar argument with someone over basketball over football.

He claimed that basketball was an inferior sport because the games were always decided in the last 2 minutes. What's the point of watching a struggle for two and a half hours when the ending was all that mattered, he said. The very thing that made the game exciting, he reinterpreted as boring. What canya do?

Regarding the recipe: it just seems like a lot of work to go through for one meal.

Edit: But if you make it I'll be at your doorstep. :lol:

[Edited on 4-10-2013 by Skipjack Joe]