Tandoorish Chicken

1/2 c Bulgarian yogurt (runny)
juice of half a lemon
1/4 c coconut cream
1 T honey
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 T prepared curry paste
1 t ground cumin
1 t hot paprika
1/2 t fresh grated nutmeg
1/8 t fresh grated cinnamon
1/2 t ground turmeric
pinch kosher salt

3-5 chicken leg quarters

Mix the ingredients together in a glass bowl. Leave it at room temperature for half an hour or so to let the flavors marry before tasting, then adjust seasoning as thou wilt.

Separate the chicken into legs and thighs. Skin them and trim off excess fat. What will you do with all that fat and skin, you ask? Oh my fucking god, I answer, make cracklins! These are seriously awesome. They're only about a zillion times better than popcorn as a munchie, and thirty gajillion times better than bacos for a salad or potato topping.

Stab the chicken thoroughly and make some shallow knife slits as well. Put it in a heavy-duty Ziploc, pour in the marinade, squeeze out as much of the air as you can, seal, and put in the fridge for at least 6 hours, but no longer than 24.

Real tandoori bakes in a clay oven at over 600F. If you happen to have a clay oven handy that'll get that hot, good for you. If not, you can use a covered charcoal grill with the grill rack at least 5 inches from the coals, or just broil at 475F for 20-30 minutes until the temperature in the center of the thighs reaches 170F.

Serve with Completely Inauthentic Indian Potatoes And Peas.

Candied Ginger Vegetable Curry

Inspired by a Bulgarian hangover breakfast.

1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium potato, 1/2 inch dice
splash olive oil
handful okra, chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 cup Bulgarian yogurt (runnier than normal Dannon, or just plain yogurt thinned out with a couple tablespoons of water or white wine)
1 T curry paste
1 t garlic powder
1 t sweet paprika
half dozen grape tomatoes or 1 small roma, chopped
half dozen pieces candied ginger
kosher salt

First: Candied ginger is absurdly easy to make. You can easily find plenty of recipes for it. I'll post mine later.

Put olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, potato, and a pinch of kosher salt, and saute, tossing occasionally, until the onion is translucent.

Reduce heat to low. Add the yogurt and curry paste and stir until well-combined. Mix in the okra, ginger, tomatoes, garlic powder, and paprika. Cover and simmer for half an hour until the potatoes are tender. Add the bell pepper, turn off the heat, and cover for 5 minutes.

Serve over brown rice or some other favored starch.

Poached Eggs In Miso

I had some shiro miso soup left over from a late snack last night, and I got a craaaaazy idea for breakfast.

I poached two eggs the Saint Alton way. I put about an inch of water in my nonstick skillet along with a small glug of white vinegar and brought it to a simmer. Then I gently decanted two whole eggs into the water and turned off the heat, covered and let sit for 7 minutes. Meanwhile I was reheating the soup.

It was actually darned good. The saltiness of the miso and the green onions really brought out the flavor of the eggs. Mind you I was using the dark miso paste that is more strongly flavored. The milder white miso might not have worked as well. I like the colors, too.

The presentation sort of reminds me of a Bulgarian hangover breakfast I was introduced to several years ago. It also involves poached eggs, but in this case sunk in a bowl of Bulgarian yogurt, which is much thinner in consistency than American yogurt, so the result is like a cold soup.