Papadums

Last night I got to eat out with some of my most favourite people at one of my most favourite restaurants in Ottawa: the Coconut Lagoon. If you've never been, go.  It's freakin' delicious and I once saw Adrian Harwood eating dinner there with his wife (local newscaster ... he's big time here!). The Coconut Lagoon serves papadums as yummy pre-dinner appetizers. Papadums are those giant, round, bubbly, deep-fried crackery things that you get at Indian restaurants ... usually served up with some kind of delicious chutney. They are made from lentils and come in a variety of different flavours. It turns out that you can actually make these guys at home with a minimal amount of effort. You will feel like a super star - that is if you`re able to escape without searing your forearms in hot, burning oil. Warning: your first papadum will most probably fail. Don`t worry - you`ll get the hang of it! I should warn you as well that this is not a recipe for making papadums from scratch (I`m not that awesome) - check out your local T&T or 'international' aisle at the grocery store for a box of em'. Finally, you'll need a pair of tongs and quick reflexes -- these cook quickly. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
One package of papadums
Oil
Mango Chutney

Directions:
Read the instructions on the package. We make ours up by heating up an inch or two of oil in a frying pan. To see if the oil is ready, crack off a small piece of papadum and drop it in the oil. If it fries up quickly it is ready to go. Do not put your papdums in the oil until it is good and ready and hot. Serve up with some nice mango chutney. Enjoy!

Tandoori Chicken

This dish was tonight's dinner and oh boy was it ever good. And when I mean good, I mean G O O D.  I don't think that I've had such a good dinner in a long time (that's quite a claim, I know!). Jeremy and I really enjoy Indian food but have never made our own tandoori chicken. This dish is a little scary because you`re cooking your chicken at an insanely high temperature but that is to replicate working in a `tandoor` (a giant, unglazed clay oven). Sadly I didn't have one of those, so my oven had to do the trick. The nice thing about this particular dish is that, for those of us who are trying to keep our food clean and healthy, you use skinless chicken, your yogurt can be low-fat and everything is baked. The nice thing as well about this recipe is that it doesn`t call for any crazy ingredients. Turmeric may be the only spice missing from your cupboard but you shouldn`t have any trouble finding it at the grocery store - it's a beautiful golden yellow colour (ie. almost electric!). As a warning from experience though: be very careful not to get it on your clothing!   This is definitely a recipe that we will be making again. I highly recommend that you give it a try! Bon appétit!

Instructions:
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 bone-in, skinless chicken breast halves (10 to 12 ounces each)


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 cup yogurt, garlic, turmeric, ginger, 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken; turn to coat.

2. Transfer chicken to a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) registers 160 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes.

If you`re interested, here`s a picture of a tandoor:

Ooooo. Doesn`t that naan look good?