Chicken Peanut Curry with Banana

If you think this dish sounds a little strange, imagine eating just the curry sauce and bananas as a soup, which is what the original recipe from Mollie Katzen's The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest called for.  I ate only half of a bowl of the soup before feeling completely overwhelmed by the intensity of the flavors and the thickness of the broth.  The flavors were so amazing, but it just didn't feel like soup.  Disappointed, I put the leftovers in the refrigerator and went to bed.

The next day I had an idea to try to salvage my strange soup by cooking up some chicken and serving the soup as a curry sauce over it.  The results were absolutely delicious!


If crunched for time, this recipe could be simplified by omitting the bananas, but if you have some time they add a great sweetness that compliments the spices really nicely and adds a pleasant surprise.

Chicken Peanut Curry with Bananas
Inspired by Mollie Katzen's Curried Peanut Soup in the New Enchanted Broccoli Forest

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup good quality smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups boiling water
1-2 tablespoons peanut or olive oil
2 cups minced onions
10 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons salt
2-3 tablespoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin
up to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1-2 cups buttermilk, room temperature (or milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar added for every cup)
3 fairly green bananas
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons canola or peanut oil
a few pinches of cinnamon
1 pound chicken, cut into very thin strips

Place the peanut butter and honey in a medium sized bowl.  Add about 2 cups of the boiling water and mash with a spoon until it becomes a smooth paste.  Whisk in the remaining hot water and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot.  Add the onion, garlic, salt, and ginger.  Saute for about 10 minutes over medium heat, then add all the spices.  Continue to cook for a few minutes more.

Stir in the peanut butter mixture and cover.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat way down and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the room temperature buttermilk until desired thickness is reached.

Meanwhile, prepare the bananas.  Peel the bananas and slice them at a sliced diagonal at 1/4 inch intervals.  Place the slices in a glass pie pan and drizzle with lemon juice.  Allow to stand for about 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a medium sized heavy skillet.  Add the bananas and their lemon juice and saute, stirring, for a few minutes.  Dust with cinnamon, stir gently, and add the bananas to the curry mixture.

Heat a little more oil in the skillet and add the chicken strips.  Saute, stirring, until strips are almost completely cooked.  Pour the curry mixture over the chicken and let simmer covered for 5-7 minutes.

Serve over white rice.
Serves 4-6

Advanced preparation: make the peanut curry a day or two ahead for best flavor.  Then saute the chicken and let it simmer in the curry just before serving.