I really wanted to make a curry and butter chicken fit the bill.  Though butter is an important ingredient in butter chicken, the dish gets its distinct flavor from fenugreek, which is a slightly sweet and nutty herb that tastes a little like maple and celery.  Chances are, you won’t find fenugreek at your local supermarket but you will find it at your local Indian grocery.  Fenugreek also pairs really well with other meats.  So if you pick some up, don’t forget to sprinkle a little over your favorite pork or lamb dish.  I suggest not adding more than a teaspoon at a time, too much fenugreek will make a dish bitter.

The butter chicken was a success and we both finished up our bowls rather quickly.  When I’ve made butter chicken in the past, I’ve always added heavy whipping cream at the very end, but I’ve found that it weighs down the dish.  This time around, I used half and half (for non-’Murrikans, that’s equal parts heavy cream and whole milk) and thought that was much better.  If you find your curry sauce to be too runny, mix a little cornstarch with equal parts warm water and stir that into the curry.  Traditionally, cashew paste would be used as a thickener, but just use whatever is more easily available to you.  Also, peas aren’t typically added to the dish, but I added them anyway.  Why not?  Peas are adorable!

Butter Chicken
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Marinade
1 cup whole yogurt (preferably strained or Greek yogurt)
2″ piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons curry powder
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon ghee or butter, melted
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt & pepper, to taste

Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped
1-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2″ piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek (methi) leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 cup heavy cream, half & half, or whole milk
1/2 cup peas (optional)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
flat bread and/or rice, for serving

Rinse and pat dry chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken, cut into small pieces, and set aside. Mix together yogurt, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, garam masala, lemon juice, and ghee or butter in a roasting pan. Toss in the chicken pieces, cover with plastic wrap, and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven. Separate the chicken from the marinade. Keep the chicken on a plate and leave the marinade in the roasting pan.

Meanwhile, heat butter to a large non-stick stockpot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add peppers and ginger and cook for a couple minutes more, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and cook for another couple minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes to the stockpot and adjust the heat to low. Now, add all the spices – fenugreek, cumin, garam masala, cinnamon, and clove. Continue cooking until the tomatoes begin to break apart, about 10 or so minutes. Stir in the marinade to the stockpot.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse into you have a silky, smooth curry. Return the curry back to the stockpot and bring to a very gentle boil. Add the chicken and cook until heated through, about 7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste. In the last few minutes of cooking, stir in the freshly chopped cilantro and peas, if using. Just before serving, stir in the cream or half and half. Serve with flat bread and/or rice.

Serves 4-6

Try the recipe index for more ideas.

Related posts:

1. chicken saag paneer
2. spicy chicken stew
3. spicy chicken curry in red sauce

Chicken Tikka Masala
(Adapted from Mangio da Sola)
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3-5 chicken breasts
salt
1/3-1/2 cup plain yogurt
ghee, butter and oil, or oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 T butter, oil, or ghee
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 2″ piece of fresh ginger
3 tablespoons garam masala (store bought is fine, but if you’d prefer to make your own check out this very basic recipe from AllRecipes and this more interesting blend from Epicurious)
1 28-oz can of tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
cayenne pepper or red chili flakes, to taste
1/2-1 cup heavy cream
fresh cilantro, for serving

Season the chicken breasts with salt, coriander and cumin. Coat the chicken breasts with plain yogurt and place about 10-12″ inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side until slightly charred around the edges. Remove from oven and set aside. Alternatively, grill or pan fry the chicken.

Heat oil, butter, or ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot/melted, add onions and cook until slightly browned. Add garlic, ginger, and salt and cook for another minute or so. Stir in garam masala, cayenne, and sugar and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, lower the heat, and simmer for about 10-15. Stir in the heavy cream.

The chicken should be cool enough to handle by now. Dice the chicken into bite sized pieces and add them to the sauce. Stir in a little fresh cilantro and save a little for garnishing. Season the sauce to taste, adding more salt if needed. Serve with rice and naan.

Serves 4

Not quite what you had in mind? Try the recipe index.

Related posts:

1. butter chicken
2. cardamom and yogurt chicken
3. chicken saag paneer

Basic Red Curry Sauce
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The Base
- oil, butter and oil, or ghee
- garlic, however many cloves you desire
- 1 onion, sliced
- fresh chili pepper of some sort (optional, remember to de-seed)
- ginger, about the same amount of garlic you use (optional)

The Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- salt & pepper, to taste
- some cinnamon (optional)
- some ground clove (optional)
- cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
OR
- 2 teaspoons curry powder

The Tomato Goop
- 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
OR
- 1 28 oz can of tomato puree
OR
- 2.5 lb fresh tomatoes, diced

Extras
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas (optional)
- 1 c cashew pieces, unsalted (optional)
- fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

For serving
- rice
- flat bread

Step One:
Start with the base of onions, garlic, and possibly the ginger and chili. Cut these up (they need not be too fine), put some oil, oil and butter, or ghee in a pan or skillet, heat a little, then start with the onion. Let that cook for a few minutes, then add in the others. Reduce the heat to low, and let these cook for about 10-20 minutes.

Also at this stage, if you’re using fresh tomatoes add them now. Cook for a bit more, until some of the juice cooks off.

Step Two:
Add in the spices and cook for a further five minutes. Be careful in this stage, because burnt spices are BLECH bitter. Sprinkle some water in if you’re worried. If you’re using tomato puree or diced tomatoes, add them now and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Step Three:
Remove from heat and let cool for a bit. Blend until nice and smooth.

Step Four:
Return the now smooth sauce to the pan and continue to cook over a low heat. If you want to get all of the remaining sauce out of the blender container, add in some water, swirl it around, then empty it into the pan. At this stage, you’re just cooking off the liquid. Simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes. If you’re going to use chickpeas and cashews, add them and let them cook with the curry sauce for another 10-15 minutes, to help blend the dish together. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Serves 3-4

Not quite what you had in mind? Try the recipe index.

Related posts:

1. spicy chicken curry in red sauce
2. beef curry with potatoes and chickpeas
3. green bean curry

Also, according to Google Analytics – I’ve had visitors from 90 countries this month alone. So for those who native languages is not English, I’ve added a widget on the left column that will translate my blog into several different languages. Food is, of course, a universal language.

Beef Curry with Potatoes and Chickpeas
(adapted from So I Married a Meat-a-holic)
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oil, butter, or ghee
1 lb beef cubes for stew
1 red onion, sliced
2″ piece ginger, finely chopped
4-7 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Thai chilis, slit
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
1 tsp ground coriander
1 t turmeric
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground cardamom
2 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 c coconut milk
handful of chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Heat butter, oil, or ghee in a large stockpot. When hot, add onions and cook on high heat until the onions begin to brown. Add ginger, garlic, and chilis and stir until fragrant, or about a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt & pepper, and spices. cook until the tomatoes begin to fall apart.

Now, add the beef and to the pot and pour just enough water into the saucepan to cover the meat. Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. Add the potatoes to the pot and simmer for another half hour, or until the potatoes are done.

Add the coconut milk and chickpeas to the pot. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, to help blend the dish together. In the last few minutes of cooking, stir in the chopped cilantro. Season to taste. Serve with rice and/or flat bread Garnish with more cilantro.

Serves 4

Not quite what you had in mind? Try the recipe index.

Related posts:

1. beef and okra stew with chickpeas
2. beef tagine with prunes and raisins
3. chicken tagine with chickpeas and apricots

Chicken Saag Paneer
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- 2 bunches of spinach, chopped
- 1 bunch mustard leaves, chopped
- 1/4 c fresh fenugreek (if you can find it fresh, great! If not, substitute with a teaspoon or so of ground fenugreek)
- a generous handful of cilantro, chopped
- butter and oil, or ghee
- 1 large onion, grated or finely chopped
- 1 c chicken breast, cut into 1″ pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely or mashed into a paste
- 1-3 chilis, seeded and chopped
- thumb size of fresh ginger, chopped finely or mashed into a paste
- 1 T garam masala
- 1 1/2 c cooked cubed paneer
- corn flour or cornstarch (optional)
- lemon or lime juice (optional)
- salt, to taste

- Thoroughly wash, chop, and steam the greens. I steamed the greens in three batches and only for about 3-5 minutes at a time, so as to not lose the vibrant green color. Add the greens to a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat butter and oil or ghee in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until beginning to brown, add chicken and cook on all sides until no longer pink. Stir in garlic, ginger, chilis, and garam masala for about 30 seconds.
- Add the greens mixture and let the curry simmer for about 15-20 minutes. If the mixture is too thin, add a little corn flour or corn starch. In the last few minutes of cooking, stir in the paneer until it’s fully incorporated into the curry and hot. Add a couple squirts of fresh lemon or lime juice, if you’d like and salt to taste.

Serves 4

Serve with basmati rice and bread (roti, naan, pita, etc.)

Related posts:

1. butter chicken
2. chicken tikka masala
3. spicy chicken curry in red sauce