The Delicious Element of Surprise

I've been inspired by Indian cuisine for some years now. Learning to prepare it under the tutelage of a special friend introduced me to the alchemy of cooking, It stimulated my curiosity about recipes, unusual ingredients, and intriguing tastes and aromas that one could concoct.

I love basic American comfort food, but it now lacks for me the surprise; the unusual flavor that sneaks up on you. Good ole' American Green beans and onions with a little bacon or some bacon grease can bring fond memories. Now with my Indian cuisine inspiration I take those beans and onions to another level with a can of diced tomatoes and a little Garam Masala (a dry Indian spice mixture) - a Comfort food/Indian fusion! Chicken salad with celery and onions for crunchiness, pickles for tang and Best Foods Mayonnaise, of course, is a fond memory for most. You cannot imagine how that same chicken salad can be taken to another level using left over tandoori chicken and tossing in some pecans and dried cranberries - Yum City!

Recently I came across an unusual chicken salad recipe with that "surprise" dimension. I had to try it, I did, and it was a keeper. Everyone who tried it loved it. It caught my eye because it used some ingredients with which I've become more familiar, chutney and curry powder. (Interestingly, though, many of the Indian recipes I make do not include curry powder.) I keep Trader Joe's Mango Chutney in the larder at all times now. It's a perfect dipping sauce for pot stickers and pork or shrimp balls (available frozen from Trader Joe's). It's a perfect replacement for that mint jelly on lamb. (See the link to the food blog below on creative ways to use Chutney) This interesting chicken salad recipe also caught my eye because it would be easy to keep all the ingredients on hand for a quick hors d oeuvres or lunch. I made it the first time exactly as described and used canned chicken. Left over chicken, cranberries instead of cherries and cashews or pecans rather than peanuts would work.

Not Our Mother's Chicken Salad

2 cups shredded cooked chicken or1-12 oz can chicken meat *

1/3-cup mayonnaise
6 ½ oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
¼ cup mango chutney *
1 cup dried cherries *
Curry powder to taste (I ended up using about 1 teaspoon for a light curry taste )
¼ cup chopped peanuts, if desired *

·Available at Trader Joe’s

 Mix the mayonnaise, pineapple, and chutney. Season with a little curry I started with ½ teaspoon. Add chicken, cherries and peanuts and more curry if desired (I used canned chicken and it was great).

I could see using dried cranberries and cashews or pecans in the place of the cherries and peanuts.

Here is a link to some other great ideas for using chutney
http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/2005/03/all-about-chutney.html