I have a thing for spicy foods. It’s no wonder Indian and Thai are two of my favorite cuisines. They’re just as crazy as me when it comes to chili. I would probably go into shock and would get catatonic if you strip chili off my weekly diet.
This dish is what I call my weekend quick fix. It has everything in my book as far as kitchen quick-fixes go: easy to prepare, takes care of my weekly dose of spicy food and great to go with rice when I feel like eating some. I usually cook it with either turkey or veal, but if I had to choose between the two, I would say “Turkey, please.”
Ingredients:
- 500 grams turkey meat
- 2-3 medium carrots
- 1 chili sliced in half (optional)
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 cube chicken or vegetable bouillon
- 2-3 tbsp garam masala
- salt
- oil for sauteing onion and meat
Preparation takes about 15 minutes, cooking time about 1 hour. Serves 4.
1. Heat oil in a wok. Saute onions until they turn pale. If you want it spicy, stir in the chili with the onions. If you want it just a little bit spicy, add the chili later.
Add turkey and saute till meat turns whitish.
2. Pour boiling water just enough to cover the meat. Add the bouillon cube. Cover and let simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes. This is when you also add the chili if you want your dish less spicy.
3. On medium heat, add the vegetables and salt depending to your taste. Cover for 5 minutes. Stir in garam masala and cover again until vegetables are cooked. (Leave wok uncovered if you want your vegetables half-cooked.)
4. Lunch is ready! This dish is best served with basmati rice. Enjoy!
PS: It’s lunchtime here in Prague on Labor Day. Since I don’t work on Fridays it means today is the start of a long weekend for me. More time to experiment in the kitchen or with my sewing machine. I wonder if this weekend would turn out productive or one or those days when I would just berate myself for being a couch potato wrapped in a very guilty bow.
“Uvidíme,” like the Czechs love to say.
Marielle Does 