Saffron Chicken III

I stumbled across my own recipe on this blog today and I was possessed with an urge to see if the recipe was as good as I remembered it.

I made some modifications, which I'll list here, and it was quite spectacular. My nature is to fire it up with a multitude of heat, but Brigitte can't deal with that, so I have to make the heat separately with a raw jalapeño chutney. But in general, the recipe is sound.

Let's look at the original ingredients:
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Saffron Chicken

4 tablespoons ghee or peanut oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 large shallots, finely diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2 inch squares
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon chile powder
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 tsp. salt
1 teaspoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon saffron threads
Juice of half a lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
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I kept everything the same, except added some Thai spice paste that I'd made and frozen (you can substitute Thai Red Curry paste), added grated galangal, lemongrass and fresh turmeric, and fine-diced a quarter jalapeño into it. I also cut the 3/4 teaspoon salt. It's just not needed. I also added some bamboo shoots.

So now the ingredient list would look like this (changes in italics):
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Saffron Chicken III

4 tablespoons ghee or peanut oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 large shallots, finely diced
6 large cloves garlic, minced (upped by two cloves from the last one)
1/2 inch frozen galangal, microplaned (grated finely)
1 inch fresh turmeric, frozen, microplaned
1/2 large jalapeño, seeded, ribs removed, finely diced
1 can bamboo shoots
1 medium onion, cut in 1/2 inch squares
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon chile powder
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon palm sugar
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon saffron threads
Juice of half a lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
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The method I kept almost identical. Critical is brining the chicken. Trust me, it keeps it plump and moist even after several hours of cooking.

Just add the galangal/saffron/jalapeño with the chopped shallot mixture and the bamboo shoots towards the end. Garnish with fresh cilantro and accompany with chutney, pappadum and roti or naan.

Have several Bloody Caesars while cooking:
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Nick's Bloody Caesar



Method:

In chilled highball glass, dump several blocks of ice. Fill halfway with frozen vodka. Add tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ten drops Tabasco, liberal fresh-ground pepper and a half teaspoon of celery salt. Slice a lemon fairly thickly; squeeze lightly and drop into glass. Chop 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill and add to glass. Fill with Clamato "The Works" vegetable juice. Garnish with a celery stalk from the inside of the bunch, leaving on the leaves. Stir, enjoy; make another one.
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Et voilà.