Butter Chicken or Murg Makhani

Literally translated, Murg means Chicken, and Makhani means Buttery. No other chicken dish compares to this silken smooth gravy. Butter chicken brings happy childhood memories...that's the chicken we ate every time we went out - no question about it! This dish is no good without any butter and cream. Try and be guilt free when you eat it :)

Now, there are a lot of Butter Chicken recipes out there - I personally like this one...

Ingredients

   

800 grams Chicken

1 Tbsp Lemon juice

1 Tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

Salt to taste

2 Tbsp Butter

FOR MARINADE

1 Cup Yogurt

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Garlic paste

1/2 tsp Garam masala powder

1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

2 Tbsp Ginger paste

2 Tbsp Lemon juice

2 Tbsp Mustard oil

FOR MAKHANI GRAVY

50 grams Butter

1 Tbsp Ginger paste

4-5 Green chillies, chopped

1 Tbsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)

1 Tbsp Whole garam masala

1 Tbsp Garlic paste

400 grams Tomato puree

1/2 tsp Garam masala powder

2 Tbsp Honey

1 Cup Cream

 

Method

 

1. Make incisions with a sharp knife on breast and leg pieces of the chicken.
   
2. Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and set aside for half an hour. 
   
3. Hang yogurt in a muslin cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes to remove extra water. Add red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala powder and mustard oil. 
   
4. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and refrigerate for three to four hours. 
   
5. Put the chicken onto a skewer and cook in a moderately hot tandoor or a preheated oven (200°C) for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done. Cook on grill if Tandoor is not available. 
   
6. Baste it with butter and cook for another two minutes. Remove and set aside. 
   
7. Heat butter in a pan. Add green cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon. Sauté for two minutes.
   
8. Add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chillies. Cook for two minutes. 
   
9. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and one cup of water. Bring to a boil. 
   
10. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes. Add sugar or honey and powdered kasoori methi. 
    
11. Add cooked tandoori chicken pieces. Simmer for five minutes and then add fresh cream. 
    
12. Serve hot with naan or parantha and basmati rice.
    

Bon Appetit!

Cashew-Coconut-Vegetable curry

What can I say - I'm using rich ingredients for this recipe... and items I normally have in my pantry. This puts me just a vegetable or two away from a flavorful pot of richly-colored curry. This recipe features a home made curry powder, roasted cashew nuts, a handful of green beans, 

two handfuls of tiny cauliflower florets, and a bit of paneer for good measure. I should mention that while I like this particular curry blend, other nights I might take the spices in a different 

direction entirely - for example, by using a Thai-inspired curry paste instead. One can decide what to include in a curry by thinking about a few things: a hearty, substantial curry when the weather is cold; a lighter, brothy one in warmer times. Root vegetables, potatoes, cabbage, chickpeas and the like when it is stormy. Fresh peas, asparagus and other farmers' market finds as spring comes around. Play around with what you've got locally, seasonally. It's hard to go wrong.

There are few things as satisfying as cooking with your own freshly ground curry powder. I've included a recipe for one of the curry powders I like to make at home from scratch. I love the warming spices accented with plenty of kick from the dried red chilies, and sometimes if I'm in the mood for more heat I'll add extra. The turmeric gives everything it touches a stunning golden hue while playing along with toasted cumin to deliver an earthy finish. That being said, feel free to experiment with or substitute your favorite curry powder here.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 cup whole coconut milk

1 - 2 tablespoons curry powder*

scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 large red onion, chopped

1 medium garlic clove, chopped

1/3 cup water

4 ounces firm Paneer, cut into small cubes (optional)

1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch segments

1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into tiny florets

1/3 cup cashews, roasted in 1 tbsp oil

a handful of cilantro, loosely chopped

1. Bring half of the coconut milk to a simmer in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. 
   
2. Whisk in the curry powder and salt, working out any clumps. 
   
3. Now stir in the chopped red onion and garlic and cook for a minute. 
   
4. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and the water, and then the paneer. 
   
5. Cook down the liquid for a couple minutes before adding the green beans and cauliflower. 
   
6. Cover and simmer for just about one minute, maybe two - or just until the cauliflower and beans lose their raw edge and cook through a bit. 
   
7. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cashews. 
   
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning (salt / curry powder) if needed. 
   
9. Serve with a bit of cilantro topping each bowl.
   

Curry powder, makes a scant 1/3 cup

Ingredients:

4 dried red chillies

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

Scant Tbsp turmeric

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a dry skillet over medium heat toast all the ingredients (other than turmeric and Cinnamon) for just a minute or two or until they are deeply fragrant. 
   
2. Now use a spice grinder to grind the chillies into a powder first, remove them, then grind the spices - it usually takes a couple minutes in the grinder for each. 
   
3. Place in a small bowl and stir in a scant tablespoon of ground turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. 
   
4. Sift through a medium-fine sieve to weed out any clumps and your curry powder is ready to use. 
   

Bon Appetit!

Tandoori Mushrooms

Mushrooms is one of those veggies, you either love it, or you hate it....well, after trying the Tandoori Mushroom, and the Kadai Mushroom (probably my next entry), you will fall into the former group!

Mushrooms are low in calories and are a valuable source of protein. The aroma of these velvety textured mushrooms is simply irresistible. Serve these tandoori mushrooms as starters to a main meal. If you're not brave enough to try this recipe with mushrooms, try using low fat paneer, or baby corn pieces instead. 

Preparation Time : 10 mins.

Cooking Time : 10 mins.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

300 grams mushrooms, cut into half

½ cup low fat milk

½ teaspoon cornflour

½ teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

1 teaspoon oil

salt to taste

To be ground into a paste

4 whole red chillies

4 large cloves garlic

25 mm. (1") piece ginger

2 teaspoons coriander-cumin seed (dhania-jeera) powder

Directions:

1. Wash the mushrooms thoroughly. Drain and keep aside.
   
2. Dissolve the cornflour in the milk and keep aside.
   
3. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, add the prepared chilli-garlic paste and kasuri methi and sauté for one minute.
   
4. Add the mushrooms, cornflour-milk mixture and salt and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes till the mixture coats the mushrooms.
   
5. Serve hot.
   

ENJOY! Bon Appetit!