As you can see from my lack of updating recently, I am (still) quite busy. There is a lot of work to do – running experiments, teaching piano and statistics lessons, reading articles, and writing my thesis – and besides that, I spend my little spare time at my piano and with friends.
The more things I have on my schedule, the more I realize the importance of eating well to feel balanced not only physically but also mentally. I tend to be quite sensitive towards food, so good nutrition is essential to keep me going. At the same time, I cannot afford too much time for preparing food. This, coupled with my preference for simplicity, makes me a great fan of simple but nourishing food.
One dish I have cooked a lot lately, for the reasons that it is (1) easy and quick to make, (2) yummy, (3) warming and comforting, and (4) rather inexpensive, is chicken in spicy tomato sauce.
This dish is ready in less than 10 minutes and never disappoints. Moreover, it allows for a lot of variations – the chicken can be exchanged for seafood or legumes, for example, and the herbs and spices can be switched up – I made this with basil, dill, chives, thyme, or tarragon for seasoning, and fish, mussels, squid, adzuki beans, or brown rice as a main ingredient so far, and it was always good.
Usually, I eat it just like it is, but it is also great as a sauce with rice or pasta. I recently cooked this dish for friends of mine, and they loved it as well.
CHICKEN IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE
1 serving
Ingredients
butter or oil
2 red onions, peeled and cut into slices
150 g (5 oz) chicken breast fillet, cut into pieces
400 g (14 oz) chopped (fresh or canned) tomatoes
salt to taste
1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch of cardamom
1 handful of fresh cilantro (or other herbs)
Directions
In a pot or a pan, heat some fat and sauté the onion slices. Add the chicken and roast it until browned from all sides, then add the tomatoes. Season with salt, chili, cinnamon, and cardamom, then cover and stew everything for about 5 minutes until everything is done. Remove the lid and cook openly until the sauce is reduced to the wished degree. In the end, throw in some cilantro, then serve and enjoy.
Which dish gives you comfort?
