The three day weekend last week was really nice not just because I got to sleep in, but something really exciting happened. One of the main festivals (Dashain) in Nepal celebrated by Hindus all over the world happened to fall that weekend. Knowing how many students are here from Nepal, the Nepalese Student Organization (NeSA) here at SDSU organized an event at the university church. The program was so good it definitely outdid my expectations. There was SO much food. Delicious food. 

For those of you who are not familiar with this festival, here’s a brief background: although there are many stories on how and why we started celebrating it, here’s what I have gathered. Some thousands of years ago, there was a powerful demon that was causing chaos on earth and killing humans. One of our many goddesses, ‘Durga,’ killed this demon over the course of ten days and ever since we have been celebrating her victory. It also happens to fall during the harvesting season, which means there is abundance of food. This of course is brief, but if you want to know more in detail, don’t hesitate to ask your friends or someone you know are from that part of the world. There are a lot more enchanting stories about different festivals. 

Since I am still not over my Dashain fever, I’ll share a simple curried chicken recipe.  It’s really basic and you can make it in under $10 within a half hour. Obliviously this will not be right out of the box but then isn’t it time you start eating outside the box? It’s a little extra work than a regular Mac and Cheese or ramen, but it will be totally worth it. 

 

Easier than Mac

 

 Add oil in hot pan on med-high heat and sauté onions until golden brown (caramel color). Then add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes until you smell toasted garlic. (substitute it w/ 1tbs garlic powder) 

Add the diced tomatoes and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Then add salt, cumin and curry powder and stir and cook another 2-3 minutes. 

Add cubed chicken breast and stir every 2 minutes and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add cup of water and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Top it with chopped cilantro and turn off the heat. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving. 

You can serve this best over white rice or brown rice. If you want to eat it differently, cook 2 packs of ramen without the seasoning. Add cooked ramen to your curried chicken and add one more cup of water. Cook for one minute, adjust salt and top with some extra cilantro if you have some left over. Enjoy! 

1.5 lbs chicken breast cut into approx. 1 inch cubes 

1 yellow onion chopped 

4 roma tomatoes diced 

2 tbsp. minced garlic 

. cup chopped cilantro 

1 . tbsp. curry powder 

1 tbsp. cumin powder 

3 table spoon cooking oil 

1 cup water 

1 tbsp. salt