Easy Sweet Potato & Chicken Curry

The bad news first: I was in the middle of photographing some oatmeal banana chocolate chip cookies when my camera took a field trip… off the kitchen counter, to the floor. It took the hit hard. So, without a way to take pictures for a little while, I’ll be posting less for the next few weeks. I have a enough recipes in my backlog that I’ll be posting one recipe a week for the next few weeks instead of my usual two. My new camera is on backorder, so I’m crossing my fingers it gets here ASAP! 

The good news: I have curry to drown my sorrows in.

This sweet potato & chicken curry is one actually an oldie from the blog – something I originally published over two years ago! It needed a bit of a face lift, and I was more than happy to accommodate... This sweet and savory curry is welcome in my house anytime, but especially when we have a foot of snow outside (which we do right now!). It offers a ying and yang of spicy and creamy; of hot and cool; of sweet and savory. Few other dishes are quite so satisfying. 

Easy Sweet Potato & Chicken Curry

Published February 20, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil 
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (whole)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Optional: dash of cayenne pepper, for extra heat
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced (or 1 large)
• 2 14-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes (diced works too, will just be a chunkier curry)
• 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• For serving: minced cilantro, roasted cashews, and your choice of rice/cauliflower rice/quinoa/etc

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil glisten, add diced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Sauté until onions are transparent.
2. Add the cubed chicken to the pan, browning on each side for about 3 minutes, and then turning to cook the other side. Add the minced serrano chile, spices, and salt, and stir.
3. Add the diced sweet potato, along with the canned tomatoes, and coconut milk. Stir to incorporate everything.
4. Bring to a simmer and place lid on pan, cooking until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Prick potatoes with a fork to ensure they are soft all the way through.
5. Serve curry hot, sprinkled with cilantro and toasted cashews, along with a side of rice/cauliflower rice/quinoa/etc.

Ecuadorian Garlic-Chile Dipping Oil

La Casa de la Abuela is a restaurant with weathered wood tables and a big covered patio. It sits on the main road of La Union, a small town that doesn't even leave a mark on the Google Map of Ecuador. There, in that little town, I experienced the best meal I ate in Ecuador, despite the road noise.

One of the first things that was brought to the table was sliced fresh tomatoes with basil and a drizzle of garlicky, herby oil. There was something about that oil that made those tomatoes shine! Next arrival to the table was a big bowl of seemed muscles and clams, without a doubt freshly caught that morning. We drizzled the same garlic oil over each clam shell in delight. Was it the clams that were stellar or just the oil? Or both? 

We took turns guessing how they made the oil, until finally the owner and chef came to the table, bearing a jar full of the stuff, and the list of the ingredients. 

Just garlic, parsley, and red chiles in olive oil will give you a taste of that night in Ecuador. Drizzle it freely over seafood, dress a caprese salad, use it to make a salad dressing, or drip your favorite bread into it. 🤤

Ecuadorian Garlic-Chile Dipping Oil

Published August 8, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yields: 1 cup   |    Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fresno chile (in Ecuador, they would use a small red chile called Pico de Pájaro, but I am unable to find that locally)
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mince garlic, fresno chile and parsley and place in jar.
2. Add salt and oil, to jar. Allow to sit covered, in fridge, for 24 hours so that the flavors seep into the oil.
3. Use as a drizzle or dipping oil.

Humarsúpa - An Icelandic-Style Soup

1/12/2019 Update: I love this recipe. It’s been on the blog for years, and my photography has come a long way, so I gave it a face lift — same recipe as always, though!

I've been waiting for the right moment to make this soup. A day when everything outside just feels chilled and frosted over and the wind is whipping at the windows.

When we visited Reykjavik this summer, there was a full-blown wind storm gusting us from little shop to little shop. It forced us to accept every offer of free coffee, and left us chilled to the bone. By noon, we were begging for soup. We wandered down to the pier and found a boater’s hut serving Humarsúpa. There were plenty of tables outside, but all were vacant as all the customers huddle inside to evade the wind.

We ordered and found a seat at an old wooden cafeteria-style table, fishing nets and other sailing equipment (which I maybe could’ve named, if I new better), hung from the ceiling and the walls as decoration.

So…

What’s humarsúpa?

It’s a creamy soup made with langoustine (langoustine is a type of prawn similar to lobster, known as the “Norway Lobster”) and potatoes and a touch of curry powder. It’s a bit like lobster bisque, though langoustines are lighter in flavor.

And if you’re thinking, But where can I find langoustine? You’re in luck! I buy it in the frozen foods aisle at Trader Joe’s — imagine that! It’s already shelled which makes putting this soup together a breeze!

This soup is lighter than most chowders, with a broth base and a cup of cream. (You can use coconut milk for dairy-free). I don’t use a roux to thicken it, it doesn’t need it — but if you are looking for a much thicker soup consistency, you might want to add a roux to the beginning.

The curry powder makes each bowl a bright yellow color, a little splash of sun on the greyest day.

On that most windy day, sitting on the edge of Reykjavik’s coast, that soup was exactly what we needed — there could not have been a better thing to eat.

Every time I make humarsúpa I’m immediately taken back to the grey views in Iceland. Nostalgia in a bowl!

Humarsupa

Published November 28, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 10 cups   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 yellow onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 russet potatoes, diced (2 if they are small, about 2 cups diced)

2 carrots, diced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/16 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 cups chicken or fish broth

1 cup heavy cream or 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk for dairy-free

1 pound frozen, peeled and precooked langoustine tails (Available at Trader Joes)

3 tablespoons fresh chives, minced

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of a soup pot on medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and stir, sautéing until onion is just starting to turn translucent.
2. Add potatoes and diced carrots. Add curry powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, and broth. Place lid on pot, and simmer soup for 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add frozen langoustine tails and cream. Stir, place lid on pot, and gently simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Stir soup, and turn off heat. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with fresh chives. Serve hot.