Cooking corner: curry in a hurry

By RACHEL OWEN

I’ve never been much of a baker. This is partially because baking takes so much time (checking on cookies every eight minutes really interferes with my busy Facebooking schedule), but it is mostly due to the fact that I am completely unable to follow a recipe, which is essential when it comes to baking.

Tweaking an ingredient here or there has become such a compulsion that I can guarantee you I have not followed a single recipe to the letter in years. If you are anything like me, you will love this recipe.

It is one of the easiest things to make and is completely adaptable to whatever you happen to have in your fridge.

You can make it vegetarian, you can use only vegetables that start with “B,” you can adjust quantities of anything, whatever.

I love it because I am too lazy to actually go to the store and buy the proper ingredients for a meal and this is good with whatever I happen to have in the fridge.

The only non-negotiable ingredient here is coconut milk.

For this recipe, I simplified the spices used to better reflect what might be in most people’s pantries, but if you happen to have more authentic spices, by all means, use those instead.

If you want to get fancy, this is also really good served with a chutney of finely diced mango and fresh mint on the side.

Ingredients:
2 tsp grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp dried ginger
2 tsp minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 onion, chopped
2 small zucchini, sliced thin
1 bell pepper, seeded, de-veined and diced
1 hot pepper, jalapeño or whatever you have on hand
1 chicken breast, sliced or whatever protein you prefer
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp red pepper
2 tbsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1/2 can coconut milk (I like to freeze leftover coconut milk for later)
1 cup chicken/vegetable broth
salt

Directions:
Saute onion, zucchini, bell pepper, hot pepper, garlic and ginger in a small amount of olive oil until soft.

Add the sliced chicken and cook, stirring often, until mostly done.

Add curry powder, red pepper, cumin and salt. Stir. Add the coconut milk and broth, stir, and allow to simmer for approximately five to 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste, if necessary.

Serve over rice or with naan, an Indian flat bread.