So, I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted my blog intro to be about the virus, the state of the world, or our current experience of being "sheltered in place." And I have decided that right now we are inundated with virus info, opinions, strategies, news, theories, and stats. And so I would like to say thank you to all of our "essential" folks who are keeping this great country alive, literally and figuratively, but continue reading if you actually want to read about some amazing food you can make while in quarantine or after.



Today I made Indonesian Style Chicken Curry. I found this recipe in a Fine Cooking magazine, and if you are anything like me, the first question that comes to mind is, what is Indonesian style curry? Right? Well when I googled it, the description that came up is that it is what occurs when Indian Curry and Thai Curry have a baby. I love food sex so of course I had to try it!  Ok, super cute description, right? But what exactly does that mean? The best way I can describe Indonesian style curry is that it is a very flavorful curry full of strong flavors, however there is no curry in this recipe. It honestly reminded me more of a Mexican mole style sauce. However, any which way you describe it, this was honestly one of the best recipes I have made in a long time. And you can make it in a slow cooker!! Winning!!

The chicken falls apart, the flavors are robust, but not too spicy. The vegetables are well cooked and when you sever this over rice it is a completely different level of comfort food. I could honestly live on this chicken curry, during quarantine or just in regular times, and that is saying something as I never make the same thing twice.

I did learn a few interesting facts about the word curry that I thought you might find interesting...because well we all have a lot of time for random facts. Soooo....

1. The exact spices that are included in curry is based on national, regional and cultural traditions. It can also be based on family traditions. So, since I grew up in an Italian family, I equate curry to the way we all feel about marinara sauce. Sure, there is a ton of recipes, but we all believe the sauce that our family makes is the best.

2. The word and dish originated from the southern state of India, which was originally spiced with actual curry leaves from a curry tree. Yup curry grows on trees!!

3. The spices that are included in a curry can be whole or ground, cooked or raw. and they may be added during different times in the cooking process. Curry lends itself to a lot of flexibility.

4. The most common spices found in curry include coriander, cumin and turmeric, which this recipe did not include turmeric...but two out of three isn't bad.

5. Curries can be dry or wet. This recipe was a wet curry. Don't worry I didn't say it was a moist curry...we are still ok.

I don't know if I am the only one who has had trouble finding protein right now during this chaotic times, but for some reasons I have been able to consistently find chicken thighs. And thankfully that is exactly what this recipe wants!! I have also had a hard time finding...well toilet paper...aren't we all...but also garlic (WTH) and yeast. When I did a Google search for yeast all I got was Monistat results...not exactly what I wanted to bake my bread with...just sayin.

So here is a list of the ingredients:



5 dried pasilla or New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded **yup here in California dried peppers are still easy to find so go snatch them up**

• 1 small shallot, quartered

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• 2 Tbs. thinly sliced lemongrass **I like to use the tube of lemongrass. It's easier to find, use, and it often stays fresh longer**
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 2 Tbs. sweet smoked paprika
• 1 Tbs. minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. sambal oelek **this is a garlic pepper sauce that you can find at most grocery stores**
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1-1/2 tsp. dried coriander
• Kosher salt
• 6 Tbs. lower-salt chicken broth
• 8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3-1/4 lb.), skin removed **I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and since the bones were removed I used about 2 lbs and that worked perfectly**
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1/4 lb. waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3-1/2 cups)
• 1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2/3 cup thawed frozen peas