Basil Chicken in Coconut-Curry Sauce

I've started to get better about blogging on more of a regular basis (for the past week). And lately I've done a rant.....

I've done a blog on running (my Garmin)....

Now I think I'm due for a recipe, right?

(Hence the name of this blog)

So part of my New Year's Resolutions was to "Try a new recipe weekly".. I've done okay at sticking to this. Well, initially I started out by cooking a "step-by-step" legitamate recipe. But for the past few weeks it's been more of Abby's traditional "a little this", " a little that". "whalla!!"

However, this recipe I did a few weeks ago turned out delicious. It made our house smell like we were from India. It made me feel ethnic and cool.

I wish I had a different ethnicity, that I could cook foods of my culture. Being German is great. The beer is great. The sauerkraut is fabulous. Other than that? I'm not really crazy about German food. No Sauerbraten for me.

Anyways...so this was my 1st Indian recipe. And, holy cow, it was amazing and has me hooked on all curries. I could live off this food, I'm pretty sure. The funny part is after cooking this meal...our house smelled like Curry for 2 days. I would wake up in the middle of the night, take a deep breath, and say "Hm...curry."

Here it goes! I seriously recommend this one to any foodies out there!

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce:

• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• (I thew in some cayenne here too..but it's not in the recipe)
• 2-3 chicken breasts, sliced into chunks
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large red onion, cut into thin slices
• 2 fresh jalepeno chile peppers, seeded & finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (the low fat version worked well. I love this ingred.)
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp fresh snipped basil
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 3 cups hot cooked rice (I used jasmine rice)

1. In a bowl combine curry powder, black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, & chili powder. Cut chicken into 1-inch pices and add to spice mixture. Toss to coat. Cover & chill for 1-2 hours to allow spices to penetrate the meat.
2. Pour olive oil into a wok (or large skillet). Heat over med-heat. Add onion, jalapeno, & garlic. Cook for a few minutes until tender. Remove from wok and place in separte dish.
3.  Add 1/2 of the chicken to the wok. Cook for 4-6 minutes. Remove and place in separate dish. Repeat with remaining chicken.
4. Stir together coconut mlik, cornstarch, & 1/4 tsp salt until smooth in a separate bowl. Carefully add to the Wok. Cook & stir until thickened & bubbly.
5. Return chickn & onion/pepper mixture to the wok. Stir in basil & ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes. Serve over hot rice.