Honest confession! I never thought adding chocolate to a entree could make it so flavorful. Cocoa powder to me had always been associated with desserts and beverages until I actually tried making the popular "Chicken Mole" and literally "wowed" at the flavor. The dish is really quick and easy and I decided to present it as an appetizer for our Valentine's Day Menu. - Mona

Servings: 8 pastries

Ingredients:

Core Spices and Flavorings-
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder or to taste
1 tbs chopped cilantro

Secondary Spices and Flavorings-
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

Other ingredients-
Puffed pastry shells (8 pieces)
2 tbs oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
2-3 chopped scallions
3 mini peppers 
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets ( about half a pound)
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/ 2 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)

Directions:

Bake the pastries as per the instructions on the box and set aside to cool.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic on medium heat until the onions begin to sweat.

Add the scallions, pepper and chicken and cook on medium heat until the chicken is cooked.

Throw in the tomatoes mix well and add the rest of the ingredients(all the spices and cilantro) and continue to mix well until all the spices mix with the chicken and the vegetables and a rich brown colored chicken mole is ready.

Scoop the chicken mole filling into the puffed pastry shells, garnish with chopped pepper or cilantro and serve hot.

Tip: The left over chicken mole can be enjoyed with rice or tortilla and even by itself.

This is one of the popular Indo-Chinese dishes and I can never get enough. My childhood memories include frequent trips to Calcutta's Chinatown, known as Tangra and helping myself to tons of Chilli chicken. As the name indicates, there is some heat to this dish and it wouldn't taste the same without it.  If you don't like chicken, you can make this same dish using potatoes - tastes just as good. Enjoy!! - Shalini

Ingredients:

Core Spices and Flavorings -
1/2 tbs minced ginger or ginger paste
1/2 tbs minced garlic or garlic paste

Other Ingredients -
1 lb chicken, boneless/skinless and cut into inch squares
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs white vinegar
1 tsp ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 tbs corn flour/corn starch

Directions:

1. Mix the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup and salt in a bowl.  

2. Add the chicken pieces and mix well.  

3. Marinate this chicken mix for at least 3 hours in a refrigerator.

4. Heat the oil in a medium pan in medium heat along with the black pepper for about 30 seconds.

5. Add the onion and jalapeno and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions and jalapenos are soft.

6. Now add in the chicken along with the marinade and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is done.

7. Add in the cornflour and mix it in well for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken.

8. Serve with rice or Hakka Noodles.

Christmas had come and gone and I still had leftover turkey. Every year Thanksgiving and Christmas would be followed by turkey sandwiches but this year I was definitely craving spicy so I decided to try out a simple turkey chili. This gave me the option of adding jalapenos and cheese two of my favorite ingredients to the mix. It served as a perfect lunch on a cool day. I made it even spicier with the addition of some Tabasco sauce. It was hot and filling and certainly hit the spot. We both enjoyed it!- Mona

Ingredients:

Core Ingredients and Flavorings-
1 tbs garlic paste or chopped fine
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Other Ingredients-
2 cups shredded roasted or boiled turkey (white or dark meat)
1 tsp smoked paprika (or paprika in case you don't have smoked paprika)
2 tbs oil
1/2 chopped onion (small)
1 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
2 jalapenos chopped fine (deseeded if you don't eat spicy)
1 tsp salt
2 cups boiled or canned kidney beans
3 cups water or stock (chicken or vegetarian)
2 tbs shredded cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium size pot and add onion and garlic paste. Stir until the onions begin to sweat.

Add the tomatoes and all the spices, salt and pepper.

Mix well adding water until the tomatoes are soft.

Throw in the kidney beans and water and stir continuosly over medium heat for around 5 minutes.

Add the shredded turkey and stir for 2 minutes and then cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached.

Garnish with cheese and serve hot.

The holiday meal is never complete without a nice juicy turkey ,ham or cornish hen. I have decided to embellish my holiday meal with my own version of the cornish game hen - the tandoori version. The word "tandoori" is very popular all over the world and simply means a dish marinated in yogurt and spices. The tandoori spices are typically ginger, garlic, garam masala and cayenne pepper. The chicken turns out to be extremely scrumptious and cooks evenly in the time suggested. Hopefully there will be many more tables besides mine out there preparing and presenting this delicious dish this weekend. - Mona

Ingredients: 

Core Ingredients and Flavorings-
1 tbs garlic paste
1 tbs ginger paste
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tbs chopped cilantro
1 tsp garam masala

Other Ingredients-
1 cornish hen (about 25 ounces)
2 tbs lemon juice
3 tbs greek yogurt
2 tbs mayonnaise
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 boiled and sliced eggs for decoration

Directions:

Clean the cornish hen, remove the skin and make slits all over with a sharp knife.

Rub lemon juice all over the bird.

Mix together all the remaining ingredients in a big bowl and apply this tandoori mixture/marinate all over the bird. 

Cover and marinate overnight or for 4-5 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and cook the marinated cornish hen for an hour and 15 minutes.

Garnish with sliced boiled eggs and serve with bread and chutney.

This was my lunch today. It took me 15 minutes to make these and 5 minutes to eat. They are very easy to make, healthy and delicious. And the best part is that you can save the chicken stock for some delicious soup and the shredded chicken itself can be refrigerated for a couple of days. - Shalini

Ingredients:

Core Spices and Flavorings -
1/4 tsp Turmeric

Secondary Spices and Flavorings -
1/2 tsp Chaat Masala (optional)

Other Ingredients -
1 cup chicken breast, boiled and shredded
1/4 cup cooked spinach (should be squeezed so that any moisture is removed)
About 4 slices of bread (I used the 12 grain kind)
2 to 3 tbs Mayo (light or regular)
Pinch of Salt and Pepper
1 tsp Hot Sauce (Optional)

Directions:

Add the Chicken, Spinach, Mayo, Salt, Pepper, Turmeric, Chaat Masala and Hot Sauce to a bowl and mix all ingredients until well blended.

Prepare sandwiches by heaping the mix on to slices of bread. 

Serve as is or with soup or salad.

This dish has been adapted from the dish Lazy Cabbage rolls which is very popular in Croatia, Ukraine, Russia and Sweden. To quote Wikipedia-" The Russian version of cabbage rolls usually consists of cooked meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves. However, in order to save time there is another variation of that dish called "lenivye golubtsy" (lazy cabbage rolls). In that case, the cabbage is chopped and put inside the meat so there is no need to wrap every meatball in a cabbage leaf."

I first tried this delicacy at my dear friend Jelena's home. She actually made it even tastier by making small patties out of this mixture and sauteing it and to add even more flavor to these patties she steamed them in her home made tomato sauce. Yummy!!! I simply had to have her share this recipe with me so that I could share it on Curry Intermix. Majority of the recipe is hers except the tomato sauce which I tweaked with some Indian spices. You can cook the sauce per your taste and to your liking but in the end the patties are to die for. So healthy and simple and yet so flavorful and fulfilling.-Mona 

Servings: 8-10 kotletys or patties

Ingredients:

Core Ingredients and Flavorings -
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 sp garlic paste
1/2 tsp cumin powder

Other Ingredients-
1 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup parboiled rice
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 tsp dill seeds
1 cup bread crumbs
3 tbs mayonnaise
3 tbs oil
1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbs tomato paste
2 cups warm water
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chopped parsley (fresh or dry)

Directions:

Mix together in a big bowl the ground chicken, cabbage, onions, rice, 1 tsp salt,1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic paste, dill seeds, mayonnaise and bread crumbs.

Form a thick dough and divide it into 8-10 equal sizes (depending on how big you want the patties to be) and form smooth round patties.

Heat oil in a large flat bottomed non stick pan and then add the patties in this and saute on both sides on medium heat until they are a golden brown. Take these out and set aside.

Take out any cabbage or chicken pieces from the remaining oil in the pan and add 1 tsp garlic paste to this.

Stir quickly on medium heat and add the tomato paste continuing to stir. 

Pour in the water, remaining salt, black and red cayenne peppers, onion powder, cumin powder and the parsley and stir until they all mix and the mixture is bubbling.

Lay the patties in the prepared tomato sauce, cover and cook on medium heat for 6 minutes. Uncover and flip the patties and steam for another couple minutes.

Remove the patties from the sauce and continue to cook the sauce until it becomes thick and then drizzle the sauce over the patties, garnish with parsley and serve.

Like I said to die for! The best way to find out is to try it out. It's definitely worth a try with or without the sauce.