GREEN CABBAGE, PEAS AND CHICKEN CURRY ON BROWN BASMATI RICE

GREEN CABBAGE, PEAS AND CHICKEN CURRY ON BROWN BASMATI RICE image

Categories Chicken

Yield 4 Servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

1/3 cup cooking oil (canola, grapeseed, olive, etc.)
3 medium, juicy tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsps salt
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
1 pound (500 g) boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut in small strips
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped in cube-like pieces
1 350-g bag frozen peas (thawed)

Steps:

For brown rice: Follow the directions on the bag for either the brown Basmati rice or the long grain brown rice. Normally, it's 1 cup brown rice to 2 cups water, but I always use 21/2 cups water and keep the pot covered for 5 minutes after turning off the burner. Don't forget to add some salt to the rice. As for tomatoes, they're drying up by this time of year. You can use the equivalent of 1 cup chopped, canned tomatoes if you can't find any fresh, juicy tomatoes. Wash and chop the cabbage and set aside. Heat oil for 30 seconds on medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed, shallow pan. Gently stir in tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, salt and any of the optional spices you choose to add. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. When the oil separates from the tomatoes, you will know that the spices are cooked. Add the chicken strips and onion and stir well. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, depending on the size of your strips. When they are just about cooked through, uncover and add the cabbage. Stir well and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. It's best to taste the cabbage at this stage, because the heat on stoves varies. If it's just slightly crunchy, then add the thawed peas and stir well. If not, cook for a few more minutes before stirring in the peas. Turn off heat.