Journey to India Part I - Butter Chicken

This is the first post of 4 I will be making. I feel each dish I made deserves its own post not only because they are equally fantastic dishes but for future reference its easier to find them as I will be using them again.


Firstly I suggest that if you decide to tackle all these dishes (and make your own naan bread to go with them),t hat you plan to have lots of time OR do some of the work in advance.


Lets start our magical journey into the east with Butter Chicken

This version is lower in fat then the original. There is no butter and the cream is replaced with yoghurt and cornflour. I did move away slightly from the original low fat version slightly by adding cashew nuts.


The best thing about this dish is that there is no problem in making it veggie friendly. Trade the chicken for paneer, which if you ask really nicely your local Indian restaurant may supply with enough notice, or instead using haloumi (rinse well and soak in some fresh water for a bit to draw out the saltiness) 


What you need:

1 large onion, sliced finely
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
500 g chicken breast fillet or boneless thighs (cut into large chunks)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon tumeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoons tandoori masala
2 tins tomatoes
½ cup low fat plain yoghurt mixed with 2 tablespoons of cornflour and water to 500 mls
¼ cup crushed cashew (crushed with a pestle and mortar)
Corainder leaves to garnish


What to do:

In a large wok, fry onions until golden.
Add ginger and garlic and fry for a few minutes.
Add chicken pieces and fry for 10 minutes until firm.
Add salt, cumin, red chilli, tumeric, tandoori masala and garam masala, cashew nuts, and fry for a further 5 mins.
Add tomatoes and cook for 5 mins.
Add yoghurt mixture, stir well, and leave to simmer for 10 mins.


Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, and serve hot with rice and/or naan.


The Shopping List



Part II - Palak Paneer