Chicken Curry with Moringa, Carrots and Potatoes

Now that my garden is beginning to flourish I was eager to begin harvesting some of my Moringa leaves. I had read several recipes to use it in such as smoothies, and salads but since we had a rain storm yesterday I was thinking about a more comforting dish. I decided to make a chicken curry. I found a recipe on Food 52, a blog I follow and modified it to make it more personal to me and my guests. The recipe turned out delicious and it got rave reviews. Here it is....enjoy!

Chicken Curry with Moringa, Carrots and Potatoes Serves 6-8

1 large sweet onion, halved lengthwise and cut into thin slices

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

2 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 chicken, broken down into parts, cutting the breasts in half, resulting in 10 pieces

1 tablespoon curry powder, or yellow curry paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1-2 teaspoons salt

ground black pepper to taste

2, 14 ounce cans of coconut milk

1 1/2 cups of potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup of carrots sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1- 2 cups of chicken broth

1 Thai Bird chile cut into thin strips

2 cups fresh moringa leaves which have been blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drained and rinsed with cold water

cayenne pepper to taste

1. In a heavy pot with lid, heat the coconut oil. Sauté the chicken pieces on medium/high heat for about 7 minutes per side, taking care to turn only once halfway through. This will help the chicken to brown more evenly. Remove the chicken to a platter and continue.

2. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger for about 3 minutes

3. Add the curry powder and cook for a minute, then add the fish sauce, salt and pepper

4. Add the coconut milk, the carrots and the potatoes, then add the chicken pieces back to the pot. If you find that the coconut milk does not cover the mixture, add enough chicken broth to cover. Add the Thai Bird Chile. Cook the curry covered, on a low simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through and tender.

5 Add cayenne pepper to taste and serve with Coconut Rice

Here is the recipe for Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice Serves 8

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

3 cups coconut water

2 teaspoons coconut sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups long grain brown rice

1. In a heavy 4 qt saucepan with a lid heat the coconut milk and coconut water to a boil.

2. Add the salt, sugar and brown rice.

3. Bring the mixture back to a boil, cover and turn the heat down to low.

4. Steam the rice for 40-45 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve.