Carpe Diem

Project Spinach Chicken

The day marked its beginning at 11.20 am when I uttered ‘wow’ in pure delight after tasting my spinach chicken. It was a perfect blend of spices and no red chillies in it, as I am trying to avoid the powder form. Four years in South Korea has made my stomach lining prone to red chilli attacks in every other form. Since I have had enough, I decided to shift to green chillies only and keep it minimal. The best part is contrary to my expectation it worked just fine. 

My little red pressure cooker is working overtime with all the cooking. The spinach chicken was cooked entirely and wholly in this wonderful cooker. This time I chose to introduce three new changes in the preparation. Instead of dicing or chopping onions, tomatoes and spinach, I decided to put each one separately in the mixer and run it till it became a paste. Second, I marinated the boneless chicken overnight with Smith and Jones ginger and garlic paste and third, I did not use red chilli powder at all, only three green chillies.

For each vegetable gives a separate flavour and a distinct aroma, it is important to separate them while preparing the gravy. For example, I used four mid-sized onions for one kilo boneless chicken. After washing them and cutting them I made the paste. In the mixer I also added cloves of garlic that I had peeled yesterday, ginger root and three green chillies. All these ingredients have a strong flavour and take time to cook, so all this goes in first. For stir frying I used refined vegetable oil. It took a good half an hour to cook. How to know that it has been cooked? Simple, the paste starts separating from oil. Next, after making a paste of five tomatoes I added it along with premixed spices in water to the prepared onion paste in oil. I added salt, (not too much, remember you also put it when you marinated the chicken), coriander powder, MDH kitchen king, and garam masala. Then I let it heat and heat.

Once the gravy was ready, I added the already marinated chicken. The gravy gave a rich aroma of spices along with ginger and garlic. It has to give a balanced aroma, not too tangy not too harsh. Then in the end, the show stealer arrived when the entire gravy turned into a magnificent green mixed with deep orange and swept into soft, moist pieces of chicken. I added the spinach paste at last.

The entire spinach chicken takes one-pressure-cooker-whistle long to cook. I like to leave it in the cooker, switch off the gas after the first whistle and let it rest. Let it cool off and rest while all the ingredients mix well and the chicken gets softer with the left over heat. Eating is an activity that involves all our senses- sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. The colours of spices blending with colours of vegetables is a wonderful sight, sound of spices being added to hot oil adds to the joy of cooking. While we eat, we taste food and smell its aroma. The aroma begins to tingle with our senses since the first jeera chonk is put in hot oil. 

In India, we eat with our hands, this unique act makes us privileged to actually touch the texture of what we are eating. As Oprahji observed in her recent visit to mysterious land of India, where people dwell and prosper in ‘Slumdog Millionaire –esqe’ life we still eat with our hands, where she had food from katori and thali- the Indian way. In Circuit’s words ‘poor Indians, hungry Indians’, and eating with hands Indians. 

Eating with hands evoke certain emotions that kindle senses and makes you connect to the food. It is like an innately warm and gentle caress. It is like building a sensual connection with food that is to be devoured with passion and care mingled together, followed by warmth and satisfaction of consuming it. Food is not just about carb, protein and fibre, it is about enjoying the aroma, touching the texture and feeling the food melt in your mouth. Your hands dip in while your fingers reach for the food. Eating has to be an experience not just an act. 

Spinach Chicken

It is time for me to experience the spinach chicken. Bon Appetite!!