Amateur Indian Food. I love how sharing a meal truly brings people together. Different foods conjure up unique stories and memories in each of us: comfort food our mothers made us... recipes that remind us of friends... food and smells that remind us of different events in our lives. Growing up, Indian food was not something we ate often, or ever. However, recently, I've discovered that I really enjoy the bold and unique spices of Indian food (yes, mom, I even like the smell and taste of curry). Nate and I love this little restaurant on Knox Street called "Roti Grill". It's a modern and fresh Indian food restaurant. We even took April there last time she was in town to share in her maiden Indian food voyage.

I'm always trying to be more creative in making meals and cooking (sometimes more than I think Nate would like), and this week I decided to roll up my sleeves and attempt to create an Indian meal. Because I've never made anything like this, I went for the simple... the easy... the "pre-made" as you might call it, and this is why I call it amateur Indian food. Nate and I found a "vindaloo curry paste" in the Indian food section of Kroger, and we decided to start with that:

This paste is the base for the sauce; it's delicious and surprisingly fresh tasting! Vindaloo is the hot paste, but they also have all different heat levels (mild, medium, and hot). Here's the recipe I came up with:

Ingredients (All of these ingredients can be altered depending on the number of people):

1/4 onion, finely chopped
1-2 new potatoes, cubed
2-3 carrots, sliced
2 chicken breasts, cubed
4 tbs curry paste
1/3 c. water
heavy whipping cream and flour, add as desired to thicken

Directions:

1. Saute onions, potatoes, carrots, and chicken in oil. Cook with lid on until meat is not pink and vegetables are tender.

2. Add curry paste and water. Bring to a boil and stir.

3. Add whipping cream and take off heat to thicken. (If desired, add more whipping cream and flour to make sauce thicker).

I also added a little parsley, cilantro, and lime juice to bring out the freshness. Serve over basmalti rice with shaved carrots on top. ENJOY!

Do any of you have any other Indian food recipes that we should try?