Curry Your Kids Will Crave!

We love food from many different cultures. But nothing quite beats the sweet-savory of a yellow curry. I've refined this one, with the help of my husband and kids over the last couple of years and I really like what it's become. It's probably not all that traditional, but it's very kid-friendly, flavorful and healthy!

You can serve it family style as in this photo, or bring individual dishes to the table to save on what you're washing. The beauty in this one is the simplicity of it! The most difficult thing is creating the curry spice blend, after that it's just a bit of stove-top cooking.

It's easy enough that your kids could even help with the cooking. Whether it's in mixing the spice blend, cooking the chicken, or chopping veggies, they'll love that they were able to contribute.

The whole meal takes less than an hour from start to finish, including prep and cook time.

First the spice blend; this recipe will give you extra, so you can have it ready for the next curry night. Grind the whole spices, and mix them together. Label and store it in an airtight container.

Gail's Curry Spice Blend:

• 2 Tbs coriander seeds
• 1 Tbs cumin seeds
• 2 tsp cardamom
• 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 tsp ground red chili

Curried chicken is our favorite, so that's what is in this tasty kid-friendly recipe. But you can curry any number of different meats, pork would do fine as would a firm-fleshed fish.  I like to chop the veggies and meat to about 1/2-3/4" in size, it makes things cook more evenly and is easier to eat. If the size of the pieces isn't listed, assume 1/2-3/4" chunks - but it's a preference more than anything.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 Tbs cooking oil
• 2 tsp curry spice blend
• 1 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 medium zucchini (not the gargantuan one out of your garden, you'll have to use less of that one)
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 12oz can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup cream (omit if you don't eat dairy)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Get cooking!

Cook the chicken and set it aside, and in the same skillet you can do the rest. I use a 12" cast iron skillet for this meal.

Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat, add the spice blend and heat until it is sizzling. Add the onion and ginger, cook for a minute or two, then add the other vegetables (save cilantro for the end). Stir them for a couple of minutes, then add the coconut milk. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the veggies are tender, then add the chicken, cream and cilantro. Stir and simmer long enough to blend the flavors together, and serve over your favorite rice. You could also pick up (or find a recipe) for naan bread. Naan is possibly my favorite bread for this.