MOOMBAHTON CHICKEN CURRY POT PIE

Aside from the expected viewing of Food Network, I tend to find myself flipping through channels seeking random documentary-esque shows. Stereotypically attracted by seeing India in the title, I stumbled upon “HDNet’s Paul Merton in India.”

Paul Merton strikes me as the kind of the guy you see on those ads telling you that for just $5 dollars a month you can support the education of a whole village, or something of the sort, but something intrigued me about him. For this episode, Merton was visiting a prison in Hyderabad. Initially, I assumed it was to show the viewers what prison in a third world country was like. Instead, his purpose for visiting this particular prison was the food, rumored to be some of the best food in Hyderabad.

After a delicious meal of traditional Hyderabadi food, Merton was given a tour of the prison. During the tour, Merton was shown the prison’s salsa club. Why a salsa club in a prison, and that too a prison in India? The salsa instructor told Merton it was because in the moments that these prisoners are finding their rhythm and moving along the music, they forget their fate and are given the chance to escape their circumstances.

That’s what I believe music is all about. In fact, it’s what all art is about.  True artists create something in which the listener, or the viewer, and in the case of the food, the diner, lose themselves and are fully encompassed in the art. The beauty of music and food is, if done properly, is that you are in that moment and that moment only.

As an art, music has this remarkable ability to bring you comfort regardless of your mood. Easily the most comforting food to me is my mom’s cooking (as I’m sure this is the case with most). I hardly ever try to make Indian food, only because I know I will never be able to match the flavors and comfort that my mother brings. In an effort to achieve the comfort of my mom’s cooking, along with the unarguably comfort of a potpie, I came up with this coconut curry chicken potpie.

To pair with this East/West medley of flavors, I suggest some Moombahton. Moombahton is the salsa music of electronic music. There’s something about the beats of Dave Nada & Valentino Khan, much like that of Salsa that you can’t help but move to. These spicy beats add another level to the Indian flavors of this comforting potpie. So lose yourself in the music of Munchi and find comfort in the creamy curry potpie.

Beats:

Materials:

For 2 servings:

For Chicken:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

2 Tablespoons yogurt (greek or regular)

3 Tablespoon Chicken Tikka Masala Spices (can be found in any Indian grocery store)

For Potpie:

1 can coconut milk or 1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons chicken spices (same as above)

½ yellow onion (dice small)

1 small tomato (dice small)

Mixed vegetables (you can use any vegetables you want, I used potatoes & carrots in mine)

Methods:

1.     In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons yogurt with 3 tablespoons spices. Add in chicken and marinate for one hour.

2.     After chicken is done marinating, roast it in an oven at 400 for about 35 minutes, flip half way through.

3.     While chicken is in the oven, begin preparation for the potpie.

4.     In a medium saucepan, sauté whichever vegetables you want to use.

5.     Remove from pan and set aside.

6.     In same saucepan, sauté onion and tomato with butter until cooked, then add the 2 tablespoons of spices and sauté for 1 more minute.

7.     Add heavy cream or coconut milk to the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

8.     When chicken is done, cut in small bite sized pieces and add to simmering sauce along with cooked vegetables.

9.     Spoon chicken curry into oven proof bowls and top with puff pastry dough (cut slightly larger than the circumference of the bowl)

10.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.

Extra Bits:

-Puff Pastry dough is found the frozen section of grocery stores, usually near the desserts.

-If you don’t have oven proof bowls, simply bake the puff pastry dough on its own (cut the same size as the bowl) and put it on top of the chicken curry.

-Here’s a link to the clip of Paul Merton in Hyderabad at the prison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jufjZPYJeFc