Kefir Tiki Masala For The Crockpot

There is a restaurant in Westminster, Colorado that I just can't seem to find a comparison to here in Austin. My sweet in-laws are lucky enough to live quite close to the Jewel of India. Once in a while they'll post on Face book that they dined there which sends my lip into the pouting stance. I sit at the computer yearning for the delectable spices and authentic foods as I jealously post a comment about their dining experience.

A few weeks back I was in a large food rut, I was just getting ready to succumb to another monotonous dinner choice when my sister-in-law, Danette posted they had been to Jewel of India. I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to try to replicate the Tiki Masala the best I could. I was craving that delicious, savory, melt in your mouth sauce.

I rummaged through my fridge and pantry grabbing at what I had and I thought, " Chandra, you've thrown together some doozies before, if this one fails at least you can blame it on the inexperience of cooking a foreign dish and just chalk it up to a learning adventure." That is a big deal for me because if I put effort into any dish and it turns out bad I get a bit perturbed at the wasted time and food. I've got two particular eaters in the house and if they don't like it they won't eat it.

So, instead of scrolling through countless recipes on the Internet or in my cookbooks and since this was a big experiment and the chance it was going in the dogs bowl or worse, the trash, I just winged it.
No measuring utensils needed I just plopped and poured and guessed at it all. Boy was I elated that this flotsam and jetsam concoction turned out so darn good that we ate every last bit; dragging the naan through the sauce on the plate in back and forth patterns to sop every last drop up. I sat there with a very pleased look on my face as I saw three plates of food being eaten with relish. I made everyone happy in the house and did it with a foreign dish that in my judgment is pretty darn hard to replicate. So I have to share the recipe for those fellow Indian food lovers who can't get to Jewel of India.

Photo by: Michael Whays

CHANDRA'S CROCK POT TIKI MASALA
Place 4-6 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs in the crock pot. Salt chicken. (this cut of chicken is necessary as it makes the best broth that blends with the below sauce). Set crock pot to low.

Sauce:
1 16oz. Can of diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
1/4 cup Helios kefir with kos (this kefir tastes like sour cream)
1 Tablespoons of Patak's Madras Curry Paste

Put in a food processor and blend till sauce consistency. Pour over chicken in crock pot cover with lid and let cook all day. Just before serving take out chicken, let cool, de-bone and de-skin and place back in sauce to reheat.

Serve with side of brown or white rice and warmed butter naan. (H-E-B brand naan is the best)

Serves 3-4 people.

Maybe we have been so deprived of the excellent tastes of the Jewel of India and have settled with this version to get us by, but it sure turned out great and will be a standby till we can make it back to our favorite Indian restaurant.

Let me know what you think?

Now I just have to get Saag down!

Kefir Taste Test

I am excited to finally get to this post. I have been wanting to talk about kefir for a few weeks but have been waylayed by beautiful flowers, girl scout activities, preparing for Holidays and a healthy load of staging work.

Kefir is one of the products that has hit a market trend recently but has been around for centuries. It is on a health food comeback and I hope it sticks around for good. My good friend Nancy turned our family on to this beneficial product.

When I first took a taste I wondered if my daughter, who is the pickiest of our brood would even try it. It is a bit tart. I am happy to say she is our biggest consumer. She has a small glass for breakfast and takes it to school for lunch, she also asks for it as a treat at night time. It is one of those YES, YES, YES foods, please eat this food, have as much as you want foods.

Kefir Taste Test

Brand 1 : Lifeway

The Raspberry and Strawberry banana Kefir by Lifeway passes the taste test and is our favorite. The sugar content is high and we only have this as a treat. We do like that they make the ProBug pouches that can go in lunches.

I was saddened that my local grocery store started off with a strong start with this brand and product and carried the FAT, PLAIN kefir (a lot less sugar) but as time went by, eliminated it. Most  likely due to the NO FAT, not sweet enough lie that is epidemic in our food culture.

We love putting this in smoothies, on top of fruit in the morning or drinking straight from the glass.




Brand 2: Helios with Kos

This particular brand tastes more along the lines of sour cream. The sugar content was low and the Fat factor was there but the taste was too strong for drinking straight even with a teaspoon of honey. I wasn't about to let this nutrient rich bottle go to waste. I used it in an amazing Indian food recipe and it was what made the recipe! (recipe to follow in a future post) This brand is great for cooking with.

Brand 3: Redwood Farms Goat Kefir

Redwood Hills Farm Goat Kefir is without a doubt my favorite of the store bought varieties. It was also the most expensive. The thick, creamy rich taste with a dollop of honey was delicious. It had all the FAT and low sugar. It also was not as tart as the cow versions. A winner if the budget allows.

Brand 4: Beyond Organic Amasai

All photo and Trademark properties belong to
 Beyond Organic Foods.

OK, folks the buck stops here. This product gets the top rating and blows the competition out of the water. I saved the best for last. Green fed cultured Amasai deserves top honors because one doesn't have to wonder if the product meets organic standards. In fact, it supersedes them. Beyond organic has taken the high road and taken extra measures from soil, to grass, to cow, to production in making sure you receive the healthiest most nutrient dense product.  Not only do you get ALL that was intended from a cultured dairy product; the taste is truly refreshing and perfectly balanced. With flavors like Milk and Honey, Plain and Raspberry you can't wrong in satisfying varied palettes.

The low temperature pasteurization process leaves proteins in their whole undenatured form and keeps enzymes intact along with the good bacteria (probiotics). Amasai is stock full of vitamin A,D,K, and E and is truly satisfying. Drinking (16 ounce bottle) half a bottle sustained me for the entire morning.

Founder of Beyond Organic, Jordan Rubin can attest to the magnificent healing power of drinking cultured beverages and has dedicated his life to bringing the same opportunity of dynamic health to those that truly want to take responsibility for their own well-being.

I didn't mean to get away from the taste test results but when you find someone doing it right when it is so easy to do what the rest of the industry is doing you have to give credit where it is due. If you are interested in obtaining a sample of your own Amasai, contact my friend Nancy by clicking on her name. She is a fully accredited nutritional distributor of Jordan's top of the line products.

I challenge you to do your own taste test and get back to me with your results.

Bon Apetit!