This dish was inspired by my Indian roots! Yeah, I had been watching a ton of cooking shows on YouTube (one of my favorite pastimes), and there was this one family that fed the villages in India. The way they worked together to cook a meal, then serve the people… you already know I was in love!
Anyhow, I noticed they used the same spices in EVERY dish! No matter what they were preparing, they used the same spice mix. And it got me thinking… every culture has its own spice mix! But because my DNA places me and my ancestors on all four corners of the earth, I have to connect with my Indigenous roots.. somewhere inside of me are those lessons, those survival techniques, those healing rituals. So I went within and I decided to create my own dish, inspired by my Indian roots and beyond. I call it: Curried Fried Chicken Southside – East meets West!
The inspiration came from my heart’s desire to reconcile our people. We are so separated by titles, by “races”, by geographical locations…. but if we really search our roots, we will find that we are more similar than different. This dish is proof of how amazingly well our spices play together!
Ok, let’s get to cooking!
By the way, this was my FIRST time recording a cooking video… how did I do? Be kind 🙂 My favorite part of the video was the tasting! LOL when I tell you food is my love… I just love to cook and create new dishes that make my toes curl 🙂 And ladies, you KNOW that the toe-curling thing is an experience worth waiting for 🙂 Food speaks to me… as a healer, I can tell if I’m off balanced by my dishes. I can tell if I’m at war within by my handwriting. I am deeply in tuned with my energy simply by paying attention to how my body responds to everything, and in this case: FOOD.
You can deep fry ANYTHING and I will want it 🙂 I’m a lover of deep frying because of the crispiness on the outside, but the yummy juiciness and flavor that awaits me on the other side of that crispy skin. Chicken, fish, potatoes, onions, any vegetable at all, well… the only thing I haven’t deep fried was steak. To me, it’s all about texture, and steak is best soaking in long baths of smothered spices (peppered steak, smothered steak, grilled steak). I haven’t tried it, but now, I’m curious 🙂 Have you tried deep friend steak? And chicken fried steak don’t count my friend 🙂
Okay, I said earlier let’s cook. As you can tell, I’m not editing NOTHING! I’m moving by my spirit guide and writing straight from the hip (or heart in my case). So for real, let’s get to cooking.
My Dry Spice Blend:
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- chicken powder (local Ghanaian spice cube)
- mixed spices powder (local Ghanaian spice cube)
- pepper powder (local Ghanaian hot pepper powder)
- chili powder
- cumin
- coriander
- turmeric
My Wet Marinade:
- Jamaican jerk sauce or marinade
- barbecue sauce
- onions
- red hot peppers
- ginger
- fresh garlic
Here’s a fun fact: the spices I am using carry tons of healing properties! Turmeric, for example, has been used in Indian medicine practices for years! It’s scientifically proven to reduce depression, treat menstrual cramps (ladies), fight inflammation, treat viral infections, and so much more. When combined with garlic, ginger, black pepper… you got a 1-2-3 hitter!!! So now you can rest with ease and know that while you’re enjoying this dish, you’re putting good things in your body. Healing with food.
The marinade was just the first step of the cooking process. I believe I let this marinade covered in the refrigerator for at least two hours. While that was doing its thing, I was doing some work on my computer 🙂 I love creating exciting new things whether it is a book cover, or website, or ebooks, or journals… it’s all healing as long as I am true to myself and the amazing gifts flowing through me. (By the way, it took 40 years to get to this place of acceptance of who I am and the value I bring to this earth).
Okay, so it’s been two hours (let’s pretend)… it’s time to heat that oil! In Ghana, especially in my apartment, the fire doesn’t get as hot as a regular stove back in the West. I think it has something to do with the gas tank that I’m using, but hey, I’m no expert in gas or stoves… all I know is, the sucker doesn’t get hot enough for deep frying in large pans. So I couldn’t use my favorite cast iron pot.
Hold on…
Now every Black woman knows that our cast iron pots are everything! The cast iron cooks food perfectly with the same level of heat throughout the entire pan. It cooks the food evenly and it gives the food a flavorful taste that is quite different than when cooking in a different kind of pot (such as stainless steel, or nonstick pots or pans).
Anyhow, because of the low heat issue, I had to improvise and use a deep pot. I filled it halfway with cooking oil. Try using sunflower, or coconut oil… and if you got the change because it can get expensive, peanut oil! The best friend chicken ever is deep friend in peanut oil! And while you’re heating the oil, go the extra mile and drop a couple of onions and garlic in the oil. When you put the chicken in the pan, you can remove the onion and garlic.. they will float to the top anyways when it’s time to remove them.
If you listen, the food together with your five senses will guide you 🙂 Once the onions and garlic are slightly brown (don’t burn them) and float to the top of the hot oil, it’s time to start frying! I don’t have any more pictures at this point… everything else was recorded on my iPhone 🙂 So, I guess it’s time to introduce… East Meets West with Afrikana Stories!
Watch With Me
Wow, for this to be my first time making this dish, I was like, “wow”! Did you see the juice fall from that drumstick as I bit down into it? And what about that crunch?? OMG it was exactly what the doctor ordered.
#Storytime #HealingwithFood As you can tell from the video, I was in my nightgown. It had been a day because I was in the middle of my cycle, plus I’ve started peri-menopause! Hot flashes, forgetfulness, severe mood swings, bloating, cramping, nerve pain… I was SICK of my body!! If only I had taken better care of my body in my youth, but that’s another story for another day.
So I decided to do what makes me feel better: cooking. Cooking and dancing are my go-to, but because my body was in physical pain, dancing was out of the question! So I cooked. I lit candles, I closed the blinds, I put on my favorite tv show (which at the time of this post is The Jeffersons), and I designed beautiful ebooks while cooking. I did all of that to keep my mind and spirit focused elsewhere as my body healed itself. (If I thought about my pain, the pain deepened). And it worked! After I turned the camera off, I fixed another plate. Sat in my reclining chair with a cold coke sitting on the side table… and I ate to my heart’s content and belly full 🙂 Healing comes when you call it.
#afrikanastories #blackseeds #healingwithfood
