That's Heavy

Brace yourself for a shocker, Gentle Reader.

Ready? Got a good grip on something?

Okay, I'm layin' it on ya.

I used heavy cream in a curry recipe.

Okay, don't gasp so loud, Gentle Reader. Do, though, let me know if you feel faint. I'll happily whip up some smelling salts for ya.

Yes, it's shocking and true. I bought and used heavy cream in a curry recipe last Sunday. I had to hit HEB to pick up a new container of sour cream, which I'd initially planned to use in the recipe, but when I moseyed over to the section of the dairy cooler where the whipping creams are kept, I picked up a carton on a larf to check the nutritional info. Lo and behold, heavy cream only has 5 grams of fat. Five grams! That's as much as the butter I used recently for something or other--which I actually ate.

Perhaps, Gentle Reader, this information is not such a surprise to you as it was for me. I could have sworn that at one point in the recent past, I'd picked up a carton of heavy cream and found it contained twice or thrice as much fat as what I saw listed on the side of the HEB-branded carton. Had I grabbed some high-end Euro-style cream? Had my addled brain confused the fat content in heavy cream with the fat content in many butters I've inspected? I can't say. Nevertheless, the 5 grams was a revelation to me.

So I went on to buy that carton of heavy cream, replete with its 5 grams of fat, because, hey, I'd never used it when it was needed in a curry recipe, and I was curious just how big a difference it would make in the final outcome. Plus I had my concerns that the presence of whole cloves in the curry recipe selected from Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries might just be a little too overwhelming for me. After that first awful microwave carrot halwa incident, I'm still quite sensitive to cloves.

Garam Masala Murghi
or
Chicken Curry With Whole Spices, Cream and Tomatoes2 T canola oil
1/2 t whole cloves
4 green or white cardamom pods
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks (each 3" long)
4 medium-size garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 lengthwise slices fresh ginger (each 2" long, 1" wide and 1/4" thick), finely chopped
1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped
2 t Punjabi garam masala
1 t coarse kosher or sea salt
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 C low-sodium canned chicken broth or water
1/4 C heavy cream
2 T finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.
   
2. Sprinkle in the cloves, cardamom pods, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, then cook until they sizzle, crackle and smell aromatic (10-15 sec.). Add the garlic and ginger, then stir fry until they are light brown (1-2 min.).
   
3. Quickly add the tomato to the skillet (this stops the ginger and garlic from browning further), then sprinkle in the garam masala and salt. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato softens a bit but is still firm-looking (3-5 min.).
   
4. Stir in the chicken and pour in the broth. Bring the curry to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink inside and the juices run clear (10-15 min.).
   
5. Fold in the cream and allow it to warm, uncovered, stirring occasionally (2-4 min.).
   
6. Remove the cardamom pods, bay leaves, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks. Sprinkle the cilantro over the curry and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Unfortunately, Iyer doesn't include nutritional info in his book. Buy you know already that the heavy cream has 5 grams of fat per serving, don't you, Gentle Reader!

The Faudie's Futzings
I must be getting soft--or competent--because I didn't futz a whole lot with this one. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and three Roma tomatoes instead of one large run-of-the-mill tomato. I had three--two already diced--on hand after showing and teaching the husband some of the mad knife skills I picked up that Saturday evening, including how to core a tomato without making a mess. (One of these days, I'll get some videos up showing you, Gentle Reader, how to make with the mad knife skills yourself.)

One note about the Punjabi garam masala called for in the recipe: I didn't use it. I have a little baggie of garam masala I bought at Central Market, and while I used to remember what was in it, I don't now. If you want to make your own Punjabi garam masala, here's the recipe.

Punjabi Garam Masala1 T coriander seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1 t whole cloves
1/2 t black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds from black pods
3 cinnamon sticks (each 3" long), broken into smaller pieces
3 fresh or dried bay leaves

1. Preheat a small skillet over medium-high heat.
   
2. Add all the spices and the bay leaves then toast, shaking the skillet every few seconds, until the coriander and cumin seeds turn reddish brown; the cloves, peppercorns and cardamom turn ash black; the cinnamon and bay leaves appear brittle and crinkly; and the mixture is highly fragrant (1-2 min.).
   
3. Immediately transfer the nutty-smelling spices to a plate to cool.
   
4. Once they are cool tot he touch, place them in a spice or coffee grinder, then grind them until the texture resembles that of finely ground black pepper. The ground blend will be reddish brown, and the aroma will be sweet and complex, very different from that of the pretoasted and post-toasted whole spices.
   
5. Store the garam masala in a tightly sealed container, away from excess light, heat and humidity, for up to 2 months. Avoid refrigeration since it can adversely affect its flavor.

Heavy Cream, Light Difference
Perhaps my taste buds and food sensibilities aren't as refined as they could be, but I honestly didn't find that the heavy cream made that much of a difference in the flavor or texture of the curry. I really think I could have pour a quarter-cup of skim milk from the jug in the 'fridge into it, and the curry would have tasted the same. Then again, maybe not. The only way to find out would be to make it again and use some other dairy product in place of the heavy cream.

But don't mistake my disappointment over the inclusion of the heavy cream as disappointment with the recipe. In fact, the curry was pretty tasty. Even the boy--from whose dish we kept the cilantro because he is a hater of the cilantro--asked for more. Then again, maybe he was just that hungry....