African Chicken:Ingredient Creep :: Web Apps:Feature Creep

I hear so many designers talk about improving a product by taking away rather than adding features that it has almost begun to sound cliche to me.

At SXSW, every presentation on design I saw recommended removing features instead of adding clutter. Even at a fashion show I saw a few months ago, designer Scott French said, “I look at every garment when it is done and ask, ‘Is there anything else I can remove and still have it succeed as a design?’ If not, then I consider it complete.”

Since KISS principle works for the leaders of application, UI, and clothing designers, I decided to apply it to my cooking.

Years ago, my friend Hamim recommended cooking African style chicken like he used to eat in Zimbabwe and Uganda. Since we were both big fans of Sri-Lankan curries (especially those cooked by his wife, Fatima), which have all sorts of delicious, amazing spices, I was surprised when he recommended chicken cooked with just salt, pepper, and chili.

After eating chicken prepared African-style at one BBQ, I was sold. But, over the years, I kept trying to create better chicken dishes, making curries with cumin and coriander or adding basil and other extra stuff to my grilled chicken. I realized recently that all my cooking has been suffering from “Ingredient Creep.”

So, lately, I’ve been keeping it simple, stupid, when I cook. Tonight, the main course for dinner was 1 ingredient, organic chicken drumsticks from Whole Foods. I used 3 spices: salt, pepper, and olive oil. This recipe is so simple that I don’t even need to list quantities. Just season to taste. (Also, I’ll admin I coated the bottom of the stainless steal pan with a little extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking.) Received exception:Wrong content-type:

The results of practicing judicious seasoning have been delicious. Go get some organic chicken drumsticks or thighs, and give this a shot. I guarantee, you’ll (re-)discover that chicken actually has a lovely flavor of its own, a fact which you may have forgotten after too many years of boneless, skinless white meat chicken breasts.

For those of you who missed it,

African Style Chicken (KISS Recipe)

Organic chicken drumsticks Salt (kosher) Black pepper (fresh ground) Chili (extra hot from Indian spice store)

Remove as much skin from the drumsticks as you care to. Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and chili, patting to make sure the spices stick. Heat a stainless steal pan with a little bit of olive oil. Put the chicken in pan, and cook covered on medium heat until cooked through, about 15 minutes.