Sos Pwa Rouj (Haitian red beans and rice)

I served my mission in New Jersey from 2001-2003.  My favorite time of my mission was spent in my third area of Irvington, where many of the people I met and interacted with had recently emigrated from Haiti.  My companion and I ate some memorable meals with these wonderful people, but my very favorite was called Sos Pwa and the Haitians ate it all the time.  I asked a number of them how to make it but never got any clear recipe from any of them, although I understood that the basics of it was cooking the beans with some spices until they were soft, then pureeing a portion of them to create a sort of "gravy" or sauce which was added back to the whole beans and then poured over plates of white rice.  It might not look like much, and it is certainly simple food being just rice and beans but it is delicious.  On special occasions they would serve it with conch meat, but I prefer it with grilled shrimp.  Sos Pwa can be made with any type of bean, really - black, red, pink, or white - but red and pink were my favorites. 

Sos Pwa Rouj

2 cups dried red kidney beans (or pink beans)
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 red or green bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 thyme sprig

Rinse beans then bring to a boil in a large pot with 8 cups of water.  There is no need to soak beans beforehand.  Turn down heat and simmer beans, covered, adding water as needed. 

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, then cook pepper, onion, cloves, shallot and tomato paste for about 5 minutes until onions soften.  Add to beans along with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until beans are tender. 

Drain and reserve the liquid from the beans.  You will need about 3 cups of liquid so if there is not enough left from cooking the beans then add some water.  Put 1/4 to 1/2 of the beans into a blender, along with the reserved liquid and blend until completely smooth to create a sort of sauce or "gravy" as my friends from Haiti called it.  Return the sauce and the remaining beans to the pot and stir to incorporate.  Serve over hot white rice.

Cheesy Chicken, Green Bean & Rice Casserole

 

Casseroles get a bad rap and it is too bad.  I mean, they are (at least theoretically) a balanced meal in one dish.  There are definitely some bad casseroles out there, but if you have ever had a really, really good casserole you will know how truly great they can be. 

Really this was originally chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole, but I substituted fresh French green beans in place of the broccoli and it was wonderful. So you could use broccoli if you prefer and it would be great.  When I was a growing up, I would ask for this casserole every year for my birthday dinner and it is still one of my favorite comfort foods. And Clara and Rose both love it too, which makes it a perfect meal to serve on a weeknight.

Cheesy Chicken, Green Bean & Rice Casserole

About 2 1/2 cups prepared Jasmine rice

1-2 cups chopped or shredded chicken breast (I like using leftover greek chicken but you can use a rotisserie chicken from Costco to make things easy)

1 1/2-2 cups green beans, chopped into bite size pieces and steamed just until tender but not overcooked

1 small can cream of chicken soup

1 cup plain greek yogurt

2-3 tablespoons curry powder, to taste

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

 

Cook rice, green beans and chicken ahead of time.

In a bowl, stir together the cream of chicken soup with the greek yogurt and curry powder. Add about 1 cup of the shredded cheese and stir to combine.

In a 9x13-inch casserole dish, layer rice first, then distribute chopped or shredded cooked chicken over it, followed by the green beans (or broccoli, if you prefer). Top with dollops of the chicken soup mixture and spread out to cover the casserole, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Cover casserole with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until everything is hot and cheese has melted.

Chicken Tikka Masala

 

One of my college roommates, Corey, introduced me to Chicken Tikka Masala at the Bombay House in Provo, Utah when I was a sophomore and I fell in love.  Paul and I lived just a block from the restaurant for the first couple of years of our marriage and we would often go there to share this dish when a recipe failed or when we were craving Indian food.  But after moving away I haven't been able to find any chicken tikka masala I like nearly as well as that served by Bombay House, and I've even tried it in Indian food meccas like Washington, D.C., London, New York and California.  After stumbling on some recipes that purported to be perfect Bombay House copycats (close, but they definitely weren't the same thing), I tweaked, combined, and worked out how to make my own version that - dare I say it? - rivals or even surpasses that of Bombay House.  For me, this is ultimate comfort food - rich, spicy (but not too spicy), and fresh.  And I like to double the batch so I have leftovers for Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza later in the week.

 

* As a note: I leave out the jalapeno altogether and use only 1 1/2 cups of the cream because I don't want my girls to balk at the spiciness. 

 

Chicken Tikka Masala (Bombay House Style)

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon garam masala

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

 

Sauce

 

1 tablespoon butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño, minced (optional)

2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups canned tomato sauce

1 1/2 to 2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

              

Combine all marinade ingredients in a glass container. Add chicken pieces, cover with a tightly sealed lid, and toss to coat. Allow chicken to marinade for 1 hour.
               

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add the jalapeno (if using), coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt and stir to combine. Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.

 

Meanwhile, thread the chicken onto soaked skewers. Discard remaining marinade. Grill the chicken on a hot grill for 5 minutes on each side until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken from the skewers and keep warm.

 

Transfer the chicken to the simmering sauce and stir in the cream. Allow to simmer another 10 minutes or so until sauce thickens slightly. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the cilantro. Serve with basmati rice and garlic naan.

Adapted from Mattawa Mum and I can't wait to try her Chicken Coconut Kurma!