Chicken Curry

On June 13, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India, Recipes8 Comments

Indian food is something that can be found in countries throughout the world. It is interesting that we can find curry powder in stores, but true curry dishes are based upon a variety of spices, of which the proportions can be adjusted to change the flavor profile. This was our own personal creation and it is a little spicy, but quite delicious. We enjoyed eating a variety of dishes when we were in India and one of our favorite memories is of visiting a friend who lived in Chennai and eating fish curry at her home. Typically, this would be served with white rice or bread, but we decided to pair it with long grain rice instead.

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Chicken Breasts – cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup Flour
2 tbsp Medium-Hot Chili Powder
2 tbsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Turmeric
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/4 cup Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash the cubed chicken and keep moist. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, the paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp turmeric. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and add to the oil, cooking until the chicken is a nice golden brown, approximate 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Add the chicken broth and whipping cream to the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in. Add the remaining chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and turmeric and bring the liquid to a low simmer. Add the chicken back to the skillet and heat together until the liquid becomes creamy. Cook rice according to the package directions and serve the chicken curry over the rice.

Traveling Can Make You Appreciate Your Life

On April 24, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India, Photo Challenge, Romania, South America4 Comments

There are times, when you travel to certain locations, when you realize how lucky you really are. Sure, on some trips you go to places with palaces and temples of gold that can make you dream of a pampered life. Like most people, we feel that we work hard and can often feel stressed and overwhelmed. Then, we go to a part of the world that doesn’t have all of the modern conveniences and see people truly toiling to make a living for themselves and their families. Seeing those people who work so hard and make so little for their efforts remind us that we are truly lucky. We do work long hours, often getting up before the sun comes up and working late in the day, but we aren’t going to fool ourselves into believing that work is as hard as some of the people we have seen in struggling countries. To do the kind of physical labor that they do with antiquated equipment in weather conditions that would drive most of us indoors is truly impressive. So, the next time that we complain about how tired we are or what a difficult day we’ve had, we will remind ourselves that if it weren’t for the luck of where we were born, we might be enduring difficult conditions just to eek out an existence for ourselves.

Train Station Attendant in the Cold of Romania

Sensory Overload in Chennai, India

On April 19, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India, Photo Challenge2 Comments

It is hard to describe to people the overall sensation of what it was like when we arrived in Chennai during our visit to India several years ago. With that many people living in one place, around 8.5 million people, the city is a always in constant motion with cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, trucks, and people seemingly going everywhere. It is also a city filled with colorful buildings and ornate temples, making it visually stunning to see. There is no escaping the constant noise of the city, most specifically the constant honking that can be heard 24 hours a day. Drivers in Chennai don’t honk out of frustration or anger with other drivers, but it is a form of communication to let other drivers know that they are passing, turning, or moving over. Since they don’t stay in the lanes of the roads, it is a hectic dance where they beep horns and swerve in and out of lanes as they make their way through the intense traffic. Another thing that hits you immediately as you exit the airport is the intense confluence of smells that fills the air. With all of the strong spices used in the cooking of Indian food, the combination of animals and people roaming the streets, and the lack of sanitation, it is an overwhelming experience.

It is definitely something that truly can’t be described unless you have been exposed to someplace similar yourself. It took us two full days before the constant din, motion, aromas, and sense of truly being a outsider in a strange place reached a sense of normalcy. In many ways, it is amazing the way the mind is able to adapt itself under what would seem to be extreme changes in surroundings. We have been to many large cities around the world, but there is nothing that compares to the time that we spent in Chennai. To be clear, it is still one of our favorite places that we have visited, partially because it was so different than any place else. It is hard to imagine what it must be like for the citizens that live in that environment with such a prolific sensory experience on a daily basis and not just for a few short weeks.