Nightshade-Free Chicken Curry

Living in Malaysia has taught me many things: how to manage without hot water at the kitchen sink, remembering to wear closed shoes at the market, being organized about laundry during monsoon season. But the best thing about Malaysia is the food. Hands down. These people can cook.

When I came to Malaysia, I was not on any kind of dietary restrictions, so I tried everything. I even went to a cooking class, where I learned how to make traditional Malay curry. It was an amazing recipe, with a gorgeous warm earthiness from the spices and coconut milk.

Now that I'm on the autoimmune protocol, traditional curry - with its seed spices and nightshades - is off the menu. So I decided to take another look at that recipe I learned years ago and leave out the seed spices and nightshades. You know, just to see what happens. Turns out, you can make a pretty awesome curry without those things. What I did still include was the berry/fruit spices, since they are only on the "be cautious" list. They add a lot of flavor to the curry, so if you can tolerate them, I recommend leaving them in.

I also cut up and added about 2 cups of a local gourd to my pot. Feel free to add chunks of carrot, pumpkin, potato (if tolerated), or cassava. These are all traditionally used in local cooking, so the flavors will blend nicely.

Ingredients

½ cup high-temperature cooking oil

5 cardamom seeds

5 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks (3" in length)

2 medium shallots (mine were 2" in diameter)

4 cloves garlic

100g ginger (1/3 cup)

15g turmeric root (2 Tbsp)

4 chicken drumsticks or thighs

1½ cups coconut milk

½ cup water

½ - 1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Put on your apron. Peel your turmeric root, ginger, garlic, and shallots. Put them into a blender or small food processor with a little water, and puree until fairly smooth. (I used the mini blender that came with my food processor set.)

2. In a large cooking pot, heat the cooking oil, and fry the spices for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat, and add the shallot, garlic, ginger, and turmeric pastes.

3. Cook on low heat until aromatic, being careful not to burn the mixture.

4. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Add vegetables, if using.

5. Pour in the coconut milk and water.

6. Simmer until chicken is tender, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Sprinkle in salt and stir well.

8. Serve hot.

Chicken Vegetable Saute with Pumpkin Sauce

Yeah, I know it sounds weird. I was honestly a little worried putting it together. "Will my husband eat this? Meh, probably. Will my kids eat it? Wellll...." Yep, it was like that. The whole time I was cooking.

In the end, they all ate it. My five-year-old even said it was nice. Win.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp basil
1 tsp ginger
1-2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (omit for strict AIP)
1/2 head cauliflower (about 2 cups), stems removed and florets cut into bite-sized pieces
3-4 chicken breasts, also cut into bite-sized pieces (I have two small children. Everything gets cut into bite-sized pieces.)
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

Directions
1. In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil and add the onion and carrots, as well as your seasonings. Saute covered for about 6 minutes.
2. Add your cauliflower and chicken and stir well. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cauliflower is softening. 
3. Add your garlic and pumpkin puree. Mix well and simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
4. Dish it up and dig in!

Note: The pumpkin adds a natural sweetness, so just be aware of that, in case you don't like your main course too sweet. You can always add more ginger or pepper if you find that it's too sweet for your liking.

AIP Ginger Beef Stir Fry

So, I started this blog ages ago, but obviously I never really posted much. In fact, I forgot I even had it. Today I rediscovered it, and so I'm going to start posting things. Food things. What else would I post about??

Here's my first recipe. I adapted it to my current dietary restrictions, so if you're not on the AIP (Autoimmune Protocol), feel free to add soy sauce or pepper or chilies or whatever else you fancy. I found that the marinade and sauce made this stir fry plenty flavorful and that it didn't need the usual addition of soy sauce.

  

Ingredients
The marinade

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp garlic powder

The sauce

¼ cup broth

2 Tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp tapioca powder

Everything else

2-3 Tbsp coconut oil

300-400g beef, cut across the grain into ¼ inch slices

1 head fresh broccoli, cut into florets

1 carrot, sliced thinly

1 small onion, roughly chopped

A handful of sweet peas

Directions

1. Prepare the marinade in a bowl.

2. Add the beef and let it marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. Prepare the sauce and cut the vegetables. Set them aside.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

5. Cook the beef in a single layer for 1-2 minutes or until mostly browned.

6. Remove the meat and set it aside. If the pan is dry, add another tablespoon of coconut oil.

7. Add the vegetables and cook them for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

8. Add 2 tablespoons of water and cover the pan for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are tender to your liking.

9. Return the beef to the pan, add the sauce, and mix well.

10. Serve and enjoy!