Dinner for Sultans

Ever since I experienced Ali Baba's Mediterranean restaurant in Dallas, I have been trying to recreate meals from there as simply as I could. Last night's dinner was quite a fair because I finally have it down! Most people are turned off by curry because of the smell but I love it. I don't use a lot of it in this dish and despite popular belief, it doesn't make your whole house smell like curry. There is too much of the other ingredients to let that happen. I served it with some whole wheat flat bread that I heated in the oven for a bit and some store bought hummus. I love Sabra plain hummus and then I drizzle a bit of olive oil over it before I serve it. I also made a light and crisp "salad" to go with it. Eat your heart out Aladdin!

Chickpea Salad

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1/2 of a cucumber diced
• 2 sm tomatoes diced
• 1/4 c of chopped red onion
• 3 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley

Dressing:

• 1/2 tbsp of Singapore seasoning (turmeric, coriander, fennel & cumin)
• the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Whisk all dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Toss together and chill for at least 30 min.

Curried Chicken

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1/2 an onion chopped
• 1/2 flour for dredging
• 1 tsp of yellow curry
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 c chicken stock
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 c plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt because I like the texture)

Saute garlic and onion in oil until tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the curry and the cinnamon to the onion mixture. If you think you need more curry flavor add it here. Dredge chicken in flour and add to pan. Cook until no longer pink. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper. As the chicken cooks, slowly add the chicken broth to add moisture and deglaze the pan. You don't want to create too much of a sauce here so let the chicken absorb the stock. Once the chicken is cooked through, take the pan off the heat and add the yogurt. I always serve it over Basmati rice. You can find it in the rice section ready to be steamed in the bag. It's very legit that way! :) Sprinkle with some parsley or cilantro and enjoy!