Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

3 whole chicken breasts, poached and cubed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 TBS butter
2 - 3 TBS curry powder*
1/3 cup chicken stock
2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
1 cup yogurt (drained 3 hours) or mayonnaise

Condiments: Toasted coconut, chopped cashews, crumbled crisp bacon, chopped bananas, raisins and chutney.

Heat butter in medium sized skillet and add onion. Cook over low heat until soft. Add curry powder and chicken stock, keeping heat on low. When ingredients reach consistency of a thin paste, remove from heat and cool. Combine chicken, curry powder mixture and yogurt and mix lightly. Serve with condiments.

*Curry Powder from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, Simon and Schuster, 1990.

Ingredients:

2 tsp cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
3/4 tsp cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/4 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 TBS paprika
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground cloves
Red pepper flakes to taste

In small frying pan, on medium-low heat, toast cumin, whole cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, fenugreek and coriander for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Grind with a mortar and pestle until fine. Add remaining ingredients. Store in refrigerator.