Freezing Rain, Vascular Surgery,

If you wondered where I got to on Tuesday, I totally forgot. Sunday night I slept very badly with the result that Monday I was so tired I could hardly see straight. We still bowled on Monday afternoon quite well in fact, and when we got home I prepared supper then stretched out on my lounger for a bit. Didn't sleep but did kind of doze which allowed me to cope for the rest of the evening although, as I said, I completely forgot to blog.

It's now Tuesday morning and I can't figure out whether the freezing rain, which was forecast, happened or not. The big muddy area beneath our windows looks like a sheet of ice but it could also just be a large puddle. I was supposed to go see my doctor this morning but they changed the appointment to this afternoon by which time I am hoping the roads will be fine even if they are icy, which I can't tell from here.

Tuesday afternoon I had an appointment with my family doctor to review the results of my ultra sound a couple of weeks ago. I had to walk through fairly heavy rain to get there, I was wet and cold. Anyway, it turns out that, as I thought, my legs are not getting sufficient blood into them. Part of my femoral artery, is totally occluded (damn, can't remember which leg now) plus there are lots of other areas which are pretty bad apparently. The upshot of this of course, is another vascular operation sometime in the future.


Having been to an Indian restaurant the other day my thoughts have turned to Indian food.

Fried Tandoori Chicken

For extra-juicy--and flavorful--fried chicken, chef Rupam Bhagat of Dum in San Francisco marinates his meat using the traditional two-step tandoori process: He first lets the chicken sit in a blend of aromatic spices for 12 hours and then folds in yogurt that helps tenderize the meat and caramelize the

crust when it's fried.

6 garlic cloves, chopped
One 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs ground coriander
1 1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs ground turmeric
2 tsp cayenne
2 Tbs vegetable oil, plus more for frying
Kosher salt
Pepper
6 small chicken thighs
6 small chicken drumsticks
1 1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
Chaat masala, for sprinkling
Small cilantro sprigs and lime wedges, for garnish

1. How to make this recipe

2. In a food processor, puree the garlic with the ginger, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, the 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper until smooth. Scrape the marinade into a large bowl, add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.

3. Stir the yogurt into the marinade, re-cover the bowl and refrigerate for 12 more hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 250° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a shallow bowl, mix the chickpea flour with 1 teaspoon of salt. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet.

5. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 325°. Set a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Working in batches, fry the chicken until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece registers 160°, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the rack, season with salt and keep warm in the oven while you fry the remaining chicken.

6. Sprinkle the chicken with chaat masala and transfer to a platter. Garnish with cilantro leaves and lime wedges; serve.

Servings: 4

Source: Food & Wine


Have a great day