Chicken Mushroom Indian Vindaloo Recipe and Information

We love Indian food from the country of India (not the Indigenous peoples here in New Mexico.) The savory tastes of Indian food are both tasty and healthy.

However, many of the classical Indian recipes are too long and use ingredients that are not easily available in the USA. So, here is a recipe that I have cobbled together from several authentic recipes for Vindaloo, a friend who is from India, and a nod to making Vindaloo from healthy ingredients. It is delicious and easy to make.

Here is some information about the ingredients.

Chicken and Mushroom

Eating chicken is recommended by doctors over eating large amounts of other meat proteins. When you half the amount of chicken and use mushrooms in tandem with the chicken you add the further healthy food of mushrooms. Mushrooms also have a meaty texture

Mushrooms are touted as having anti cancer properties among other healthy properties. To quote Harvard trained Integrated Medicine Dr. Andrew Weil about mushrooms: “mushrooms, Prized for their tonic effects,…..Maitake are particularly valued in Asian cooking as they have anti-cancer, anti-viral, and immune-enhancing properties, they may also reduce blood pressure and blood sugar. Shitake……and oyster mushrooms may also have immune-boosting qualities….” Go to this web site to read more about mushrooms, http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP04229/10-Veggies-to-Have-on-Hand-Part-2.html

To summarize, you have removed the high cholesterol of certain proteins and replaced them with healthy chicken and mushrooms.

The mushrooms I used are commonly sold dehydrated at Cost Co and include Porcini, morels, Brazilian, ivory portabellos, shiitake and oyster mushrooms. So, they are easily found. Eight ounces of these mushrooms re-constitute to a lot of mushrooms!

Spices

Garam masala

Garam masala is both the same and different than curry powder. Let me explain. Garam masala and curry are names for a combination of piquant spices in different areas or states of India. So, the mixture of the various spices varies in each state in India but generally speaking, they are the same. Think of this as if you were eating a NY pizza, a Chicago pizza, or a California Thai pizza. You would recognize them all as pizza, just variations due the area of the country where they are created and eaten.

So, Garam masala is a pre-made mixture of several spices to include cardamom, cloves, mace, cinnamon, cumin, fennel, black peppercorns, and fenugreek. Spices are more than preservatives for food, they also aid in digestion and the body's processing of vitamins and minerals from foods.

Garam masala is easy to find at any International market or on-line. When using garam masala you do not need to use curry

Turmeric

Turmeric is celebrated as having health benefits to include anti-inflammatory properties and is viewed as promising in the treatment of cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and host of other problems. Here is a link if you want more information on the health benefits of turmeric: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03001/Three-Reasons-to-Eat-Turmeric.html

I also provided a link of how to use turmeric in other dishes such as enhancing healthy canned soups.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes have a host of health benefits. Tomatoes contain lycopene a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants fight against heart disease and possibly some types of cancer. Recent studies advise men to eat tomatoes for prostrate health.

So, the challenge is always to provide a good tasting healthy dish. This Vindaloo meets both challenges.

Vindaloo

Vindaloo is from the western states of India, specifically to the south of Bombay. There are Portuguese influences in the food of that area too due to the Portuguese explorers and merchants of the 1500's. The Portuguese went to India for the spices and other goods. Portuguese cooking merged with Indian cooking, and included the spices from India.

Vindaloo is a curry dish. It is savory and rich and an excellent palate pleaser.

The best Vindaloo Curry dish I have ever had was at a small Indian restaurant just a street off from Tottenham Court Road in London. The owner and cook positioned himself between his steam tables and cooking stove as he greeted you when you entered the restaurant. He suggested what was good that night and asked you how hot you wanted your curry! We asked for the mild Vindaloo Curry the first night. We went back there two more times and every time we asked it to step up the heat. The third time he did flame us out!

Rest assured that this recipe is on the mild side but you can step it up by adding more Garam masala.

It may also be made vegetarian by using all mushrooms and vegetable broth rather than a mixture of chicken and mushrooms.

Chicken Mushroom Vindaloo Recipe

Ingredients for Chicken Mushroom Vindaloo Recipe

2 T. canola oil

1 large onion

1C. garlic soup (or 2 cloves garlic)

1 T. fresh grated ginger

2 t. Garam masala

2 t. dry mustard

1 t. turmeric

2 T. brown sugar

1 quart of fresh garden tomatoes or 1 can tomatoes

1 cup of re-hydrated mushrooms

1 can of cooked chicken with can broth

1 t. pepper flakes

2-3 cups cooked brown rice

Preparation of Chicken Mushroom Vindaloo Recipe

Warm the oil in the Dutch oven

Sauté the sliced onion in the Dutch oven, add a shake or two of salt to caramelize of the onions. Add the spices and cook stirring for a few seconds

Add the brown sugar and stir another 30 seconds

Add the tomatoes with only about ½ the liquid or less Reserve the rest of the liquid

Add the mushrooms (do not add the water that the mushrooms were re-hydrating in)

Add the canned chicken with the water from the can

Add the pepper flakes

Taste for taste

Cook the rice while the Vindaloo simmers for 30 minutes to an hour.

Serve the Vindaloo over the rice.

At this point you may need to salt or pepper to taste.

I add a fresh sliced tomatoes on the side.