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Join us for this week’s encore presentation of the Secret Ingredient as Todd Coleman, Food Editor for Saveur magazine, shares his secret for making authentic Indian-style Chicken Curry at home. Discover how frying whole spices in ghee (called “tarka” or “tadka”) releases and intensifies their flavor and find out how prepared curry powders differ from one another and why Muchi Curry stands out from the rest. Get ready to toss your take-out menu, because one taste of Todd’s Chicken Curry and we’re pretty sure you won’t need it anymore!
Get the Recipe: Indian-style Chicken Curry with Muchi Curry Powder
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RECIPE EDITORS: I know that you are all 24 yo and wear your bikinis around without a problem BUT if for no other reason than health-why endorse a recipe that FRIES CHICKEN IN GHEE? Don’t you know that GHEE is an ingredient that causes major heart problems? Try not to come out with a Whole Foods Market recipe for “roll your own Marlboros” or “take a cup of mayonaise” style baking recipes………Too Much!Makes me wonder about buying the prepared foods sold in store?!
February 10th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Thank you for watching the Secret Ingredient and for sending us your comments regarding the Indian-style Chicken Curry with Muchi Curry Powder episode.
We understand your concern about featuring healthy, great-tasting recipes on our cooking show and website. As with all of our recipes, we strive to provide a variety of options that appeal to different tastes. Our goal is to encourage moderation and variety, and to invite customers to make informed decisions and choices appropriate for their diets.
Regarding your concern about the nutritional value of ghee, in this chicken curry recipe 4 tablespoons are called for and the recipe serves 8. This contributes half a tablespoon of ghee and 7 grams of fat per serving. In moderation, this can fit into a healthy eating plan. Ghee is made by slowly melting butter to separate the milk solids from the butterfat and to remove all of the moisture. Ghee has been used in Indian cooking for centuries due to its shelf stability and high smoke point, meaning it can be heated to very high temperatures before smoking and burning. Its rich flavor also means that less can be used when compared to vegetable oils, butter and margarine. Many professional cooks recommend using ghee 1:4 in place of other oils such as butter, vegetable oil or margarine. And while it is high in saturated fat, it is free of trans fats.
Thanks again for your comment. We’re glad our customers are as passionate about eating high-quality, great-tasting foods as we are!
February 16th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I would like to buy some curry powder from Whole Foods that isn’t so spicy hot. I find that most of them have too much black pepper or hot pepper for my taste. I don’t mind the other ingredients. It’s just the pepper content that I can’t take. I’ve tried getting help in the store, but no one seemed to know enough to help. I’ve heard that there are different varieties for the different regions of India. The best I’ve ever found was something I bought years ago (kept in my freezer) and am almost out of. It almost has a sweet smell. I bought it from Harry’s Farmer’s Market in Atlanta before it was bought out by Whole Foods. Thanks for your help!
March 13th, 2009 at 8:40 pm