Papaya Chicken

This is an easy Indian dish that I saw Bal Arneson making on her show. It was so easy and quick and it looked so delicious, I knew I wanted to try it. I love adding fruit to savory spicy dishes, so this one was right up my alley. ok, now, I'm sure some people may be a little reluctant to try an Indian dish because they're worried it might be too spicy, but it's not spicy HOT, it's just spicy FLAVORFUL! And the yogurt and papaya balance everything out so it's just nice and warm and comforting. YUM! I made this dish a while back when Chris and Claire were coming over for Sunday dinners, and they LOVED it! We kind of pushed our weekly dinners to the back burner for the holidays, but I think it's time to get back to them! They're always up for it whenever I want to try a new Indian dish. You should try it too!

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons grated fresh garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup papaya chunks, either fresh or jarred


 Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, fenugreek seeds, and paprika and toast for 10 seconds and then add the chicken pieces and cook until it is nearly done, about 8 minutes. Add the yogurt and finish cooking the chicken, about 2 more minutes and then stir in the papaya chunks. Serve the chicken with rice or rotis.

Tips:
 You don't have to use grapeseed oil. Any vegetable oil is fine.
I added kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste, just 'cause.
The key spice, in my humble opinion, is the cumin seeds. It seems to me you could substitute ground cumin if that's what you have on hand.
You can find fenugreek seeds in Indian or Asian markets, or you can order them online. Even if you can't find them, I think the dish is still worth making without them.
If your papaya is green and hard, just place it in a paper bag at room temperature for a few days. When it's ripe enough, the color will have changed slightly and it will give a little when pressed with your finger.
Oh, btw, just fyi, roti is Indian flatbread, in case you were wondering.