Childhood and curry.

Last night I made my mother's recipe for "Chicken Devan". First, it must be stated that I don't know what this dish is really called. When I was studying abroad my British roommate made it and called it Chicken de Vian (or something like that), and it seems more likely that this could be the original name. However, I belive JofC refers to it as "Devan", so that is what I will call it, as did my mother before me.

The JofC recipe lacked several important things: 1. simplicity - nothing makes a recipe simple like two cans of cream soup, and a pile of cheddar. 2. mayo - lots of it. 3. curry - this is the true secret. The JofC recipe involves making a Mornay sauce (a white sauce with cheese added), which is a lot of trouble. Why spend so much time stirring and reaching appropriate heat levels when you can combine one can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of cream of chicken soup, 3/4 cup of mayo, juice of 1/2 a lemon, and 1 tsp curry powder to create a sauce that tastes one hundred times more delicious?!



i used frozen broccoli and cooked the chicken in lots of olive oil beforehand. My mother used Minute rice, but even I have limits. top it with some shredded cheddar (sharp) and put it in the oven at 350 for around a half hour, making sure to check it periodically so the top doesn't burn. Serve atop non-Minute rice.

(note, in this blog JofC will refer to Joy of Cooking. I have the 2006 or 2007 edition..the one that tells you to put a tablespoon of salt in your pancakes. wrong.)