Butter Chicken Recipe – Again!


Rudaba Aunty has come up with a new recipe for butter chicken. The last butter chicken recipe was easy, but a lot of things needed to be done. This one on the other hand, barely any ingredients are needed, and the cooking time is so much faster! I think I took 5 minutes to marinate the chicken last night. And today evening, when I cooked it, it was done in less than half hour. In the same time, the rice got done in rice cooker. Butter chicken, and hot steamed rice, what more do you want from life? :D

Ingredients:

for marinade:
Shan Tikka Masala BBQ mix (less than half of the packet)
chicken boneless, chopped in pieces,
yogurt about couple tbsp for marinade,
ginger garlic past 2 tsp

for sauce:
oil for cooking, few tbsp
1 can tomato sauce,
1 can diced tomato,
1 tsp ginger garlic paste,
1 inch cinnamon stick, 2-3 cloves
1 handful crushed fried onion,
salt, black pepper for seasoning, if needed
1 tbsp fenugreek (kasturi methi) leaves (dried)
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp sour cream or 3-4 oz whipping cream
1 onion, diced

Method:

Marinate the chicken at least overnight, so the chicken will get tender (the more time you marinate it, the more soft and tender the chicken pieces will cook). In one pan, heat some oil, add the cinnamon stick and cloves, then fry the chopped onion golden, and then add the marinated chicken. Stir-fry till all the water evaporates, and its semi-done.

In the other pan (medium high heat), heat some oil, then add the cumin, to it. After it crackles, add the tomato diced, and tomato sauce to it. Cook, covered till oil separates out. Then add the ginger garlic paste, and a couple tsp of Shan Tikka masala. Again fry for sometime.Then add the fried chicken to this. Mix well, add a couple tbsp of the sour cream, kasturi methi, and the sugar. Get it to a boil, add some water, and cover and let it simmer, till the chicken is all done.

We like this best with simple, steamed rice.

Notes: R Aunty uses salt, black pepper, but I did not need any. So, taste and see if you need some.



Tandoori chicken recipe – Using Shan Masalas – Indian Recipe


I know, I know I have way too many tandoori recipes, but I cant help it, all my friends follow different recipes, and I have to have them :D Its just my quest for the perfect/fool proof recipes, that gets me in trouble.

Well, this is from Sumaiya, my dear friend, whose son is always dressed up (and he is not even a year old!). I am going to miss them all as they are moving back to India in a few days.

She had made this recipe, and I thought she had ordered it from the Indian restaurant. It was that good!

Ingredients:

Shan Tikka masala,
garam masala,
vinegar/lemon juice,
ginger garlic paste,
1 tbsp yogurt,
oil/butter
salt,
oops and chicken!

Method:

Marinate the chicken with the above ingredients for at least overnight. Then just bake it in the oven. Thats it!



Paneer in tomato gravy – Indian Cheese – Kashmiri Recipe


Paneer is my favorite (fuudie here, of course I am allowed to have many favorites, aren’t I?). Well, this is equivalent of chicken for vegetarian people! It is that good!

But, this recipe which I got from my friend Sumaiya’s Mother in law, is just A-Awesome! Just like her. :)
This is not how typically we in India make a paneer dish. And I have not tried it as yet, but the recipe seems very simple, with minimum number of ingredients.

Well, why don’t you try it, and let me know. If I dont make it before you do. :D

Ingredients:

1/2 kg or 1 lb paneer, cut in 1/2 inch thick pieces,
2 cups water,
turmeric, (haldi)
fennel seeds powder, (saunf)
cloves (laung)
salt,
3 big tomatoes,
1/2 big onion (or 2 small), thin sliced
spices: red chilli powder, 2 cloves, 2 brown cardamoms (badi elaichi), 1 green cardamom (choti elaichi)
oil for cooking/frying
Method:

First fry paneer pieces in oil. On the other stove top, boil the water, turmeric, fennel seeds powder, cloves, and salt. The fried paneer pieces should directly be added to the boiling water with spices (be careful dropping the pieces in the pot).

In another pan, fry the onions till golden brown, then add the blended tomatoes. Cook this till oil separates out (very important). Add the spice mixture (#2) to this. When its all ready (the surface is shiny, oily), then add that to the paneer.

Let everything simmer for a few minutes. Then serve it with hot steamed rice.



Hunkar – Turkish Restaurant in New Jersey


I just remembered the Turkish restaurant we were taken to by our dear Turkish friends in NJ. The name of the restaurant is Hunkar, it has Turkish and Mediterranean food. It was very very good. I had Chicken Adana kebabs. And we ordered an appetizer sampler plate, which was a variety of dips (baba ganoush, hummus, eggplant salad, etc) along with hot fresh out of the oven breads.

All in all, a neat place to get good Turkish food with over 50 dishes on their menu. A must-go!
Address:
319 Hackensack Street,
Carlstadt, NJ 07072
Tel: 201-507-0606



Abra-ca-dabra!


I did a disappearing act again! Well, lots of things have happened in the past few weeks, my neice and sister in law came to visit us, then we went to Texas, met some of Yasir’s friends, then went to Detroit to bid farewell to some dear friends.
We ate out in amazing places while traveling, forgot the names of some restaurants. But I can recommend some awesome places to get good good food, especially if you are a foodie like moi!
In Dallas (Texas) we ate chicken wraps (I thought that was very unique). It was lettuce, and chutney spread with boneless tandoori bits wrapped up in a really fresh out of the oven naans (hmmm…yumm!)
Then ate Indian chinese food in another restaurant.

Then we went to Austin. One night we were treated to Italian food, I think the restaurant name was ‘Vespaio’ (Its located on Congress avenue) a couple miles from Downtown Austin. Since I didnt have much choices, I settled for a flat pasta topped with cheese and pesto sauce. It was very delicious! A huge plate, very satisfying. Only if they had some vegetables or anything on the side, cos it was just pasta, pasta and some more pasta.
Then the next day, after I had researched every restaurant in Austin, we decided to go to Clay Pit, it is an Indian restaurant, which was bought over by its head chef Mr. Singh about 9 months back. Me and Yasir are very picky and critical when it comes to Food. But we have only good things to say about this restaurant, not only was the food the best Indian food I have eaten in United States, also they serve halal goat meat. And the recipes are very unique. If I could rate this restaurant, I would put 5 stars! If ever you are in Austin, I highly recommend that you have at least one meal here. They have a restaurant in Dallas too.

Websites and addresses of restaurants I visited:

Clay Pit
1601 Guadalupe St
Austin, TX 78701
ph: 512.322.5131

4460 Belt Line Rd.
Addison, TX 75001
ph : 972.233.0111
Vespaio

1610 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
ph: 512.441.6100

Chaat Cafe

18101 Preston Rd, Suite 202,
Dallas Tx 75252