Hindustani massala chicken

What you need (6-8 servings):
1kg chicken breast, in cubes
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 chili pepper, seedless, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp massala curry powder
1 tbsp tomato puree
Salt

Heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the onion, garlic, curry powder and tomato puree for ca. 1 min. Add the chicken and stir fry for another few mins. Add salt and chili pepper to taste. Stir in a bit of water, cover and simmer for approx. 15 mins.

Serve with bara or roti, on a white roll or in a pita pocket.

Pom (Surinamese chicken casserole)

I'd been hesitant to try this until a former colleague of mine brought pom rolls to work as a birthday treat instead of the obligatory cake. To my own surprise, I loved it! I got the recipe from another colleague, made some minor adjustments and now make this on a regular basis. It freezes well too, so I divide it into single portions with some rice and veggies for busy days.

What you need (approx. 8 servings):
1kg grated tayerroot, thawed (frozen, sold at exotic grocery stores)
400g chicken breast in strips
0,5 jar piccalilly
1 small can tomato puree
1 tomato, cut in cubes
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 stalks of celery
juice of 2 oranges, or 1 glass of orange juice
1 glass of water
1 chicken stock cube
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp allspice
salt, pepper
sambal oelek (chili paste) to taste
oil + knob of butter



Heat the oil and butter, and fry the chicken until golden brown. Add onion, garlic and sambal oelek, and sautée until the onion is translucent. Add orange juice, water, allspice, tomato, puree, stock cube and celery and let simmer for approx. 25mins.
Pre-heat the oven at 200C.
In a bowl, mix the sugar and piccalilli with the grated tayerroot. Take the chicken out of the sauce and mix the sauce gradually with the tayer mixture.
Grease a casserole dish and pour in half the tayer mixture. Spread the chicken evenly over the tayer mixture and cover with the rest of the tayer mixture.
Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake for at least 1 hour. Take off the foil and bake for at least another half hour until the top is brown and set.

Serve with rice and stir-fried green beans (yardlong beans or 'kouseband') or on a white roll (‘broodje pom’)

Chicken and Bok Choi stir fry

What you need (2 servings):
1 Bok Choi, leaves and stalks cut into strips and rinsed
1 onion in half rings
200g chicken breast in strips
250g button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove of garlic, pressed
sambal oelek (chili paste) to taste
1 tbsp oil
15 ml sesame seed oil
2 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
1 tbsp cream sherry

Heat half of the the oil in a wok and sauté the onion, garlic, sambal oelek and mushrooms. In a separate pan, fry the chicken strips in the rest of the oil until golden brown. Add the bok choi and stir fry for approx 30secs on high heat. Add soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil and stir fry for a few mins. Add the chicken strips and serve with rice or noodles.

Try this:
- use sliced leeks, bamboo strips (canned and drained), mini corn cobs (canned and drained) etc.
- use tofu or faux chicken pieces for a vegan dish.

Mushroom risotto

What you need ( 2 servings)

90g risotto rice (e.g. Arborio)
1 tbsp (olive)oil
200g chicken breast in cubes
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 onion, finely diced
250g sliced button mushrooms
2 tbsp grated Parmezan cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
500ml hot chicken stock

Sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms in the oil. Add the chicken cubes and fry until golden brown. Add the rice and stir until coated with oil. Add approx. 300ml stock and bring to the boil. Let simmer for approx. 25 mins, stirring often. Add more stock is necessary, the risotto should be moist. Stir in the cheese and parsley before serving.

Try this: leave out the chicken and use vegetable stock for a vegetarian dish.

Leftovers? Try this for a lunchbox treat:
Spread the leftover risotto on a plate to cool completely and store in the fridge overnight (covered). In the morning, shape little burgers from the risotto with wet hands (so it won't stick to your hands too much), lightly dust them with flour and pan fry them in a bit of oil. When browned and crispy, take out of the pan, let cool completely and pack in a lunchbox.

Chicken curry

This isn't a traditional Indian curry, but rather a westernized, roux-based curry. Very tasty, nonetheless! My mom used to make a big pan for my dad's work colleagues every once in a while, until one time, it tipped over in the car...
You might want to just enjoy this one at home :)

What you need (serves 6):
750g chicken breast
1kg onion, diced
500g button mushrooms, sliced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
4 chicken stock cubes
250g flour
250g butter
1 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste)
25g curry powder
ground paprika to taste
oil

Boil the chicken in 1,5l water with the stock cubes. Take the chicken out and let it cool. Pull apart the meat in small bits. Sauté the onion and garlic in some oil. Add the mushrooms, sambal oelek, ground paprika, curry powder and chicken and fry for a few mins.
Add some ground paprika to the stock and reheat. In a separate pan, melt the butter (do NOT let it brown). Stir in the flour until all of it is absorbed by the butter. Stir in the stock little bits at a time until the roux is the desired consistency. Fold in the chicken mixture and serve with rice and a boiled egg.

Leftovers? Try this:
Cut a small baguette of ciabatta roll in half, spread the curry on both halves, sprinkle with cheese and place under the grill for a few minutes for a tasty snack.