Butter Chicken

Now this one has been lying in my drafts for over four months now.., And it would have still been there for another year if I hadn't taken pity on it.., :D Seriously.., I hardly get the time to blog nowadays., I'm always preoccupied with so many things that blogging has taken a backseat.., Hmm.., about the recipe., this is one of my husband's favorite recipes.. He is a hardcore non vegetarian and it is a challenge for me to whip up different NV dishes for him.., But Butter chicken as I told you.., is a favorite of his and I've made it sooo many times that its almost a childs play for me.., Happy reading..,

Butter Chicken:

Serves: 6

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 1 kg, skinned, boned and diced
• Curd - 150 ml
• Almonds - 50 gms, crushed
• Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp, crushed
• Cloves - 1/4 tsp, crushed
• Bay leaves - 1/4 tsp, crushed
• Green cardamom - 4
• Ginger pulp - 1 tsp
• Garlic pulp - 1 tsp
• Tomato - 400 gms, chopped
• Onion - 2, chopped
• Fresh coriander - 2 tbsp, chopped
• Fresh cream - 4 tbsp
• Chilli powder - 2 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Food color- A pinch
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Butter - 75 gms
• Salt as per taste

Method:

To the curds, add all the dry spices, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, ground almonds, food color and salt and half of the chilly powder. Blend well.., Marinate the chicken pieces properly with this curd mixture and let it it stand for 10 minutes. In a pan, heat butter and olive oil. Add chopped onions and fry till pink. Add the chicken mixture and saute for about 10-12 minutes. Add the remaining chilly powder and stir properly. Add half the coriander leaves and blend well.., Add in the cream and simmer. Give it a proper stir and let it cook on low heat till the chicken is done.. Check for salt. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with paranthas., or chapathis.. :D :D :D

Chicken 65

This is my first non-vegetarian post. I've been trying to put this up for quite some time now.., and I have about 8 posts in my drafts that have yet to see the day light.., Yeah I'm turning into quite a bum!! And just FYI I have again started to hit gym.., Only this time around, its not to gain weight., but vice versa. The personal trainer also advised me to go on a liquid diet for a week.. Contemplating.., Lets see.., So todays recipe is that of the Chicken 65. The hardcore non-vegetarian husband of mine loves this dish. I initially used to have a lot of trouble preparing this dish as it involves a whole lot of yogurt and marination and stuff.., But after say about the 5th time., I almost perfected the dish.And I tried using buttermilk (which smells as bad as the yogurt but is definitely better) instead of yogurt which sort of worked.. :) The pieces shown in the snap are a bit bigger., Raj likes them that way., but one can surely cut down on size. So here goes the recipe.., happy reading!! :)

Chicken 65

Serves - 2

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Marination Time - 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a kg boneless chicken breast
• 1 tsp Chilly Powder
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 Egg whites
• 2 tbsps Corn flour
• 2 tbsps Refined Wheat Flour/Maida
• 1 cup Butter milk / Yogurt / Curd
• 1 tbsp Ginger Paste
• 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
• 1/4 teaspoon orange food coloring
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice
• Oil for deep frying
• 4-5 Green Chillies, finely slit
• 5-6 Garlic flakes, finely chopped
• Some Curry leaves for tempering.

Method:

Cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Add chilly powder, black pepper and salt to taste. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice. Cover and marinate for about 1 hour. In a bowl take these marinated Chicken pieces. Add corn flour, egg whites and the Maida. Mix properly. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Fry the Chicken pieces until they are golden brown and crispy. Do this in small batches, over medium-high heat to ensure that the chicken is cooked through. Remove from oil and set aside.

Heat two tbsps of oil in a wide frying pan and when oil is hot, add the green chillies, curry leaves and garlic pieces. Fry them a little. Later , add the garlic and ginger pastes and fry until it turns brown. Lower the heat to medium-low and add butter milk (make sure that it doesn't curdle), food coloring, and salt to taste. After two or three minutes raise the heat to medium and cook until the butter milk mixture comes to a boil. Now add the chicken pieces and stir. Raise heat to high and cook, while stirring periodically, until the liquid is fully absorbed and the meat looks dry. Transfer the contents into a serving plate and add lemon juice. Give it a quick stir. Serve as a starter :)