Garlic-mustard Chicken

Wasabi and Mustard. Feeling the welcome sting at the back of your head? 

Thats's the selling point of today's recipe. You know, I love mustard. In the United states, I feel however, that the sharp quality of mustard is somewhat compromised. Initially I thought it was just me being used to a sharper quality of mustard in India. But then I vistited Corsica a couple of years back I noticed they use the same sharp mustard I was so used to in India. Infact the mustard that I had on my trip was not even gourmet. Just satches that come with your burgers. It was incredible.

So when I returned I kept using mustard that I could buy from Asian groceries. Till of course I figured out a way of making my own version of it, using regular store bought ingredients. Wasabi. Mixing a bit of wasabi with yellow or brown mustard makes all the difference.

This recipe is one which illustrates the fantasticness of that combination. It is simple to make. And gives off an exotic flavor but touching taste points we associate with the comfort of sour cream and mustard-- in a healthy way :)

So here we go. Garlic-mustard chicken-- one with a sharf edge :)

Ingredients:

2 lb of chicken. You can also use turkey. I would perefr to have bone in, skinless. But do whatever you  find. Or for vegetarian option you can use Tofu cubes, fried or grilled.

2 tbsf mustard seed. This will complement the mustard that we are going to put in the marinade. But feel free to opt out of it.

1 bay leaf.

1/2 a cup of cilantro for garnish. Optional. Tip: you can also use the stems. Has tons of flavor. And looks cute too

For the marinade

1/2 a cup of yoghurt. For more density,you can use sour cream too. 

6-7 cloves of garlic crushed. Go low on the garlic if you feel this is overwhelming

3-4 tbsf of mustard. Yellow or brown.

1/2 tbsf of wasabi paste. Opt out of it, if you don't like sharp quality in your mustard.

A pinch of turmeric for color. optional

Instead of using a combination of wasabi and yellow mustard, you can use mustard powder from the spice aisle (slightly more expensive) or from an Indian grocery. The latter two have the sharp quality I am talking about.

1/2 to 3/4 cup of hot water.

Salt and pepper for seasoning

2 tbsf oil.Any is good.

All you do is marinade and cook!

Well, really all there is to it is marinading. Mix all ingredients of marinade. Marinate your chicken/tofu very well in the marinade and let sit for at least 10 mins. Longer the better. In a deep skillet, heat oil and pop the bayleaf and mustard seeds. Wait for a few seconds for the aroma. Carefully add the chicken peices, spread them all over the skillet and let them be. Be careful about any oil squirts, something you can expect because of water in the marinade hitting the hot oil. Wait for a couple of minutes to allow nice caramelization of the chicken on one side. After you see the caramelization, start moving the pieces to cook evenly on all surfaces. ~ 5-7 minutes. Mix in some hot water into the container where you marinaded te chicken. Whisk together the water with left over marinade and slowly pour that down in the skilet. Deglaze with the liquid. Season with salt and water. Cover and cook stirring intermittently for 20 minutes on low heat. Add extra water if you see things sticking to the bottom.  When chicken is done,take it off the stove and garnish with cilantro. 

Serve with some jasmine rice or good quality Pita bread. Some lettuce on the side is good too :)

Comfort food with some sharpness and an exotic twist--- in a tbsf oil :) or a couple in this case 

Happy eating and healthy living!