Playful Poke Bowl

This is one of those super satisfying, extreme flavour meals, especially if you are a sushi lover. "Hey! Let's make a poke bowl!" is always a good idea!! I could eat this every day...no kidding. 

Use a high grade salmon or tuna, but you can make this dish with shrimp or really any protein you may like.

The key to a really yummy bowl is the freshness of the ingredients.  It's all about creating the flavours and textures that will be layered on a bed of seasoned rice, and making enough of everything for "seconds". Rice, protein, vegg and seasoning.

The Rice- sushi rice is probably the best but we usually make this dish with basmati. Once cooked, you can season the rice with a bit of rice wine vinegar and a drop or 2 of sesame oil. 

Vegg components, really anything goes as long as it is finely chopped, diced or sliced. Some favourites are:
shredded carrots

sliced cabbage

Avocado!

sliced snow peas

cucumber

scallions

radishes

Buy the bright green seaweed salad from the grocery store. Seriously, adds a great punch to this poke bowl.

The diced salmon or tuna needs a nice quick bath in a simple marinade, and this, just a few minutes before serving so it doesn't cure.  Combine a few drops of sesame oil, a bit of grated ginger, rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, lime juice and sesame seeds. Pour this over the fish as a seasoning.

That's about it! Now layer your Poke Bowl bow, rice first, and the alternate fish and vegg as you wish.

For the finishing touch, a yummy sauce- combine mayo, (add a bit of Greek yogourt if you like) and your favorite Asian hot sauce. We love Sriracha and Sambal Oelek.

A spritz of lime, some fresh coriander or basil is a nice garnish too.

This treat is healthy, fresh, so easy to make for an ultimately satisfying bite.

ENJOY!!

 

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"Vij's" Comfort Family Chicken Curry

 Thanks to Canadian Indian Chef Vikram Vij for all of his delectable treats loved by our family and many. This cozy chicken curry dish has graced our table over a hundred times. And, it never tastes exactly the same, so it's magical and open to moods and variations.

No exaggeration here...that cinnamon and onion sauté that fills our home with such a fabulous aroma is a sure sign of the ultimate comfort food dinner, and hopefully lots of leftovers. The kind of thing that inspires happiness and excitement the minute you walk in the door.

Here is my take on Vij's recipe, serves about 6 people (just great for leftovers) 

The key is to prepare everything in advance as follows. "La mise en place" makes this dish so easy to put together.

The spices...in a small bowl, combine: 
3/4 tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 heaping tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander 

1 tbsp garam masala (you can make your own...)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

** level tablespoons are good here. Teaspoons can be heaping. 

1 stick of cinnamon

Dice or slice 2 large onions

Rough chop about 1.5 cups of fresh tomato or about a cup of canned diced tomato

Grate or finely chop 2 large cloves of garlic

Grate about 2" fresh ginger, makes about 2 tbsp (freeze your ginger and thaw a bit before grating)

Set aside 1 cup of either: sour cream or thick Greek yogourt, or half of each. Any variation is great.

2 cups of liquid- 1 cup water and 1 cup chicken broth

You will need about 6 to 8 de-boned chicken thighs. I usually cut them up into chunks so easy to serve. In case you are curious, yes, I have doubled this recipe for a crowd as it works well. You just need a really big pot!

Now assemble in a large, heavy bottom pot- a Creuset if you have one:

In canola oil, sauté the onions and cinnamon until golden, about 10 min or so on medium heat. The aroma is heavenly...

Lower the heat and add ginger and garlic, stirring so it doesn't burn.

Stir in the spices to bloom, brings out their flavour

Add the tomatoes and stir until the mixture seems to separate a bit. Takes a couple of minutes.

Add all of the chicken to the pot, and cover for 10 minutes. I turn the pieces after about 5-6 minutes.

Once the chicken has cooked for a while, add the sour cream/yogourt to the pot and combine well. Then add the liquid.

Turn down the heat quite low and let this all simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. I usually put the top of the pot over a wooden spoon to an open tilt. Stir every few minutes. 

Make a slurry- a tbsp of cornstarch and a bit of warm water. Add this to the pot as it is simmering, and the sauce will thicken just enough.

Prepare basmati rice and some frozen small sweet peas. Garnish each bowl with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. (peas are a must with this dish!) Also, a nice dollop of yogourt is always fabulous. 

Warm naan bread is a great scooper-upper for all of this luscious sauce.

I promise that your family and friends will be begging you for this dish forever!!

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