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Custom-designed meal for 3: Couscous, Tri-grain/black lentils, chicken tikka, raita, sweet kale coleslaw, beverages, apple pie



(GERD, PCOS/Prediabetes/Diabetes-friendly, portion control, novelty, spontaneity, budget, time, and other constraints, with an abundance of flavors, textures, temperatures)


Last week, I had the fortune and opportunity to share a meal (new) with some neighbors whom I have started getting to know, and I am so glad that I received some general positive acclaim and feedback for the part that I contributed, which included: "I would eat this in a hospital," "This is good," "This is good," and one of them got seconds and asked for the recipe! So, I thought I would share the recipe here online as well, in case it inspires anyone or provides some use and value, especially for those needing to consider dietary restrictions.


I kept in mind while preparing the meal in my kitchen the key foundational lessons I learned from master sushi chef Keiji Nakazawa on the Eater YouTube Channel in this masterpiece of an introductory video:

1) To have love in your heart when considering who you are serving,

2) Cleanliness,

and

3) Technique.

He also emphasizes getting to know the people you are serving, what their names are, developing a positive relationship over time, knowing their likes, dislikes; and more.


The meal was served like a mini-potluck style - thank you to the neighbors who provided ample funding, dessert, beverages, company and more! I myself enjoyed a nice glass of milk with my ample, generous servings of apple pie (frozen section, grocery store, Marie Callender's). As a side note, if you're ever looking for an excellent, diner-style pie place, my absolute favorite one I've ever dined at was The Apple Pan (address: 10801 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064). It was a classic 1940's American-style diner lunch -- what I loved is how the whole experience took you back to another time, and they've stayed consistent to their original recipes. The seating, the decor, everything inside the restaurant is carefully thought and planned out.


The parts of the meal that I made consisted of:

(Clicking on each component of the meal will take you to the section of the blog post on how I prepared it / recipe.)


Before starting, I made sure to have a clean work surface, my trusty apron from Anthropologie - it looks like it is no longer sold, but it is white and blue with gold embellishments, 100% cotton, Made in India, and things mise en place as much as possible.


My part of prep took around 3 hours' worth, at a moderate, leisurely pace, by myself in a home-style kitchen.


I started off with prepping the coleslaw first, since having the veg's steep in salad dressing in the fridge helps impart flavor. Then I set to work on the chicken tikka (to let the raw chicken marinate in yogurt and spices. Since one in the party had GERD, I made a conscientious decision to avoid spicing it too much). The next thing I decided to work on was the tri-grain mix, since I was most unfamiliar with the product, and wanted to give myself a buffer of time to experiment and work with it. When I felt satisfied with what I had there, I set to work on the couscous (it was my first time making couscous, so I wanted to make sure I followed the directions exact to a T). I saved the raita for last, as I've had raita in many different restaurants before and have made it a couple of times.


To prepare the sweet kale coleslaw,

Ingredients:


Directions:

  • Rinse the salad mix under cold water to freshen up the leaves - sometimes pre-packaged salad bits can get a bit stale and dry

  • Chop salad bits finely to into bits - I imitate KFC's style coleslaw, which is what I'm trying to go for when preparing this recipe

  • Add the poppyseed dressing, mix thoroughly to incorporate dressing into the leaves

  • Place in refrigerator, remove and serve when ready.


To prepare the chicken tikka,


Ingredients:

  • 5% FAGE Greek Yogurt

  • Highest quality chicken I had available to me - chicken breast, chicken leg meat, organic, cut into medium bite-sized pieces

  • Spices (the recipe I found online as a guideline: https://cafedelites.com/chicken-tikka-masala/), I used: Good & Gather's ground ginger, curry powder, turmeric, black pepper, some ground coriander powder. As a general rule of thumb, I like to buy spices in glass jars. It keeps the spices fresher for longer - I've noticed when dried pantry staples are stored in plastic over time, the plastic tends to melt, or get gross and crusty

  • Aromatics/alliums: garlic, ginger, onion (ideally red onion, which looks purple)

  • Ghee (I used 4th&Heart, it is my favorite brand of ghee so far, it's very clean)

  • Whole tomatoes

  • Cream / Half-n-Half (optional - for that more restaurant-y style taste)

  • Fresh coriander (I didn't have this available with me at the time, but fresh herbs will elevate your dish, especially tomato-dairy based ones, to the next level)


Directions:

  • Marinate chicken in blend of yogurt, and spices, set in fridge (one could also let sit on the countertop)

  • While marinating, move onto preparing the tikka sauce as described in the guideline, which I did in a large stainless-steel pan; I made my own fresh ginger-garlic paste in a food processor

  • In my Merten & Storck carbon steel pan, I seared the chicken pieces until the outsides had a slight, blackened crust, then removed once cooked and set aside on a plate

  • For the tikka sauce, I blended thoroughly in a blender for a smooth texture, then returned the sauce into a ceramic-bottomed pot to cook the acidity off the tomatoes, and added the chicken pieces. At this point, I let slow-cook on the lowest heat setting on the burner

  • Ideally, I'd add kasoori methi and cream to finish at the last step, right before serving.


To prepare the tri-grain/black lentils,


Ingredients:

Directions:

  • Empty out 2 packets into stainless steel pan

  • Add water to reconstitute

  • Drizzle in about 1 tbsp of olive oil to help lubricate and flavor the rice

  • Serve as desired


To prepare the couscous,


Ingredients:


Directions:

  • I prepared the couscous according to the package stovetop directions, using the oven timer for the parts that needed to keep track of time.

  • I microwaved the carrot cubes in water for about 1 min, then mixed them into the finished couscous.

  • If one would like to make it even more zesty, I recommend freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, or adding in bits of tomato, chickpeas, olives, cubes of feta-cheese, any mediterranean-inspired topping


To prepare the raita,


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of the FAGE Greek Yogurt

  • 1-2 tsp Lemon juice (freshly squeezed lemon is better)

  • Black pepper / peppercorn

  • Salt

  • A section of English cucumber


Directions:

  • Please note: This isn't the most "authentic" of raitas, and there are so many versions out there, I'm just putting down the version I made at the time

  • Slice the English cucumber into thin slices and then pieces - I prefer smaller bits of cucumber in my raita

  • Add lemon juice (and some water/vinegar to thin out the consistency)

  • Add sea salt and black peppercorn to taste

  • Optional add-ins: chopped mint leaves, coriander, any other spices as you wish/see fit






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