It was amazing and the combination of spices was soooooo good, I would never have thought to combine that list of spices, but it works.....like crazy! I asked my friend at work today to lead me to my next Indian recipe. She laughed because she is trying to learn to cook more "American" dishes and here I am asking her to steer me toward flavorful Indian dishes! All I can say is that if you like layers of flavor and have not tried Indian food, it's amazing! Linda

My Murgh Makhani is adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's recipe in her Indian Cookery book. It starts with freshly made tandoori chicken, which I kind of cheat when making, starting with a ready-made masala I buy at my local Indian grocer. Tandoori Chicken: Combine 2 tbsp tandoori masala with 2 tbsp plain (really plain - no gelatins or other weird ingredients) yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 2 tbsp veg oil and marinate 1 kg skinless chicken parts for at least 6-8 hours. Cut gashes into the chicken flest and rub in the marinate for maximum infused flavour. Grill over hot coals until done OR bake on a rack in a 450F oven for about 30 minutes. Murgh Makhani: 1 recipe freshly made tandoori chicken 4 tbsp tomato paste + enough water make 1 c. 1 cubic inch of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated 1 1/4 c. 10% cream 1 tsp garam masala 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sugar 1 fresh hot green chili, finely chopped 1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste 1 tbsp chopped cilantro 4 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds Combine these ingredients and mix well. This can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until needed. When chicken is ready, heat 1/2 c unsalted butter in a saute pan. Once melted, add the combined liquid ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook on med heat for a minute or so, whisking in the butter. Add the still-warm chicken pieces, and serve as soon as everything is heated through.

You can find lots of variations on this red kidney bean curry online at Indian cooking sites, etc. This is the only recipe I can vouch for. Mixing up just the right balance for a curry I'm finding is very difficult. Also, for some reason I am just much more in love with the flavors of the Mediterranean. Here's another recipe I make in the crockpot. It is a soup, but pretty thick. Black Bean Soup with Red Paprika Sauce 1 lb. dried black beans, soaked overnight and drained. 8 cups water or broth (I always use mild veggie broth) 2 chopped med. onions 2 ribs celery 2 cups chopped tomatoes 2 TBLSP paprika 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 bay leaves 1/2 cup cilantro 1 cup corn Simmer beans and veggies until beans are soft. Then add tomatoes and spices and cook a couple hours more. Add the red paprika "sofrito" after the soup is done, just before serving. Do not add peppers to the dish while it's slow cooking, because peppers get bitter made in a slow cooker. I basically throw in everything except the tomato into the crockpot, add the tomatoes towards the end, and then when it's finished I stir in the Red Paprika Sauce. Yummo! Part of the charm of this soup comes from having good paprika on hand. If you miss a smokey taste in your black bean soup you can throw in some chorizo or ham or something. Being vegetarian, I sometimes add a tiny dash of fake bacon bits. Or fake sausage. But this soup I like plain. Red Paprika Sauce 2 TBLSP olive oil 1 large red pepper, diced 3 scallions, minced 2 tsp. paprika, or less, to taste 2 tsp. salt 2 TBLSP lime juice Sautee the peppers and onions in the olive oil and add the paprika, salt and lime juice at the end. Stir into the black bean soup. That's what gives this soup its yumminess, the addition of this fresh herb sofrito at the end. Here's another one that is easy and hearty, but I don't make it because it takes me so long to eat it up. Bean Cornbread Crockpot Casserole from vegetarian.about.com Serves 6 1 med. onion, chopped 1 med. green pepper, chopped (add at the end to the crockpot) 2 cloves garlic or 1/4 tsp. minced garlic powder 1 16 oz. can of kidney beans 1 16 oz. can of pinto beans (I'm not a pinto bean fan so I probably would use black beans) 1 16 oz. can chopped tomatoes 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard 1/8 tsp. hot sauce or chopped jalepeno to taste Cornbread topping to be added at the last 1.5 hours of cooking. 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 TBLSP sugar 1 1/2 cups milk 2 eggs 3 TBLSP veg. oil 1 can cream style corn (8 oz. can) Lightly grease crockpot. Add bean chili ingredients except peppers. Cook 8 hours on low. Add peppers and cornbread topping for the last 1.5 hours. Cook on high for the last 1.5 hours. (Directons sound kind of confusing but I think this is one of those "throw it in the crockpot and go to work and have dinner ready when you get home" recipes. So basically cook the bean chili all day on low in the crockpot, and when you get home make the cornbread topping and add the peppers. I'd sautee the peppers.) But I don't cook at all on the weekdays, so I made this on the weekend and adjusted the times accordingly. I cook the chili for 5-6 hours on low, then add the cornbread crust and the sauteed peppers, finish it off, and have it for Sunday dinner. And Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday. Which is why I don't make this often!

This is not tried and true, so if you decide to prepare it, please don't get mad at me if it's not so great! I don't know where I copied this recipe from, sorry that I didn't save the source (I hate it when I do that!) Anyway, here it is and I have to say that the recipe still sounds good to me. CHICKEN TIKKI MASALA 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into cubes (I used thighs) Marinade: 1 cup plain yogurt 2 TB lemon juice 2 t. ground cumin 2 t. ground pepper 2 t. ground red pepper or less 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. salt 1 piece (1-inch long) ginger, minced Sauce: 1 TB unsalted butter 2 cloves garlic minced 2 t. ground coriander 1 t. ground cumin 1 t. paprika 1 t. garam masala 1/2 t. salt 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce 1 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Mix marinade, pour over chicken cubes and let marinate for an hour or so. Cook chicken cubes on skewers on the grill outdoors or a Foreman grill indoors. For sauce, melt butter on medium heat, add garlic, cook one minute. Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Stir in tomato sauce. Let simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cream and simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add in the cooked chicken cubes and sprinkle in cilantro. Serve over rice.