Dayna & Amy Indian Butter chicken

 Averie Cooks

AMY's SUBSTITUIONS

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick + 1 stick), divided
•  1 large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
•  1.50 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
•  4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
•  2 tablespoons garam masala
•  1 tablespoon cumin
•  1 tablespoon turmeric
•  1 tablespoon ground ginger or 1+ tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
•  1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
•  1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
•  1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
•  1 cup heavy whipping cream (see Notes below) (COCONUT MILK, 1 T cream cheese, 1 T mayo)
•  one 8-ounce can tomato sauce (I used no-salt added; see Notes below) (SALSA)
•  basmati rice (or your favorite rice), for serving
•  1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, or to taste for garnishing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To a large skillet add 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), onion, and sauté over medium-high heat until the onions begins to soften and caramelize about 5 minutes; stir intermittently. It does not have to be fully caramelized before moving on.
2. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is done; flip and stir often to ensure even cooking.
3. Add the garlic, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir frequently.
4. Add the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, ginger, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (does not make it spicy but adds depth of flavor), and stir to combine.
5. Add the remaining 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and heat until it has melted; stir frequently to encourage melting.
6. Add the heavy cream, tomato sauce, stir to combine, and allow mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and reduced slightly. Taste and if desired, add additional salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, etc.
7. Add rice to the serving plates and top with chicken and as much sauce as desired.
8. Evenly garnish with cilantro and serve immediately. Dish is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

NOTES

• If you’re a sauce fan, this recipe produces an abundant amount of sauce as written. If you don’t want it as saucy, you can scale back on the amount of tomato sauce and/or cream.
• I used no-salt added tomato sauce and used nearly 2 teaspoons salt in total, but if you’re using salted tomato sauce 1 teaspoon salt will likely be enough.

Butter Chicken

Averie Cooks

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick + 1 stick), divided
 1 large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
 1.50 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
 2 tablespoons Curry powder
 1/2 tablespoon cumin
 2 tablespoon turmeric
 1 tablespoon ground ginger or 1+ tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 15oz coconut milk
 one 8-ounce salsa or tomato sauce
 basmati rice (or your favorite rice), for serving
Mayo and cream cheese
 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, or to taste for garnishing

Because I didn't have the heavy cream I substituted and added at the last 5 minutes of cooking- 1/4 c mayo and 4 oz of cream cheese

2/5/20 When I made this it was so bitter and nasty, I thought, "Ohhhh no, all these ingredients are gona go in the garbage, how can I save this???" Then I added the mayo and cream cheese, all was not lost, I just needed to add heaps of FAT!!! Then it was of course yummy!!!

1. Begin cooking the rice
2. To a large skillet add 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), onion, and sauté over medium-high heat until the onions begins to soften and caramelize about 5 minutes; stir intermittently. It does not have to be fully caramelized before moving on.
3. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is done; flip and stir often to ensure even cooking. Or pound the chicken thin and cook it without cutting it, sometimes if you cook a pounded flattened chicken, it is more tender than cutting it before you cook it.  Either way, whatever makes you happy.
4. Add the garlic, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir frequently.
5. Add the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, ginger, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (does not make it spicy but adds depth of flavor), and stir to combine.
6. Add the remaining 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and heat until it has melted; stir frequently to encourage melting.
7. Add the heavy cream, tomato sauce, stir to combine, and allow mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and reduced slightly. Taste and if desired, add additional salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, etc.
8. Add rice to the serving plates and top with chicken and as much sauce as desired.
9. Evenly garnish with cilantro and serve immediately. Dish is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Dayna one Skillet Curry

Chicken marinade-
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (i cubed mine)
1/2 t cumin
1 t paprika
1 t turmeric
1t garlic powder or 3 garlic cloves
1t ginger (she said 1 T)
3/4t salt and and dash pepper
1/4-1t cayenne (I omitted)
3/4c nonfat plain greek yogurt (I didnt have yogurt so I used mayo and tahini)
1 small lemon


Rice
1 T oil
1 can coconut milk
1/2t red pepper
1/2t turmeric
1/2t cumin
1/8t coriander
1/2t salt
pepper
1c uncooked rice
3/4c green peas
carrots, peppers, potatoes, zucchini

In a bowl add the chicken and marinade seasonings let sit for 1-5 hours.
In large skillet add oil, wait till hot, add chicken cook till browned 4-5minutes, then flip and cook 2 min. Remove from pan and put on a plate.

In same skillet add coconut milk and all rice ingredients , bring to simmer, then pour in rice. Add browned chicken on top of rice. Reduce heat to low and cover skillet, cook for 20-25 minutes.

10/10/19 I really loved it, the mayo and tahini worked well for the yogurt.  next time do 2 c of rice and increase rice seasonings and coconut milk

Crockpot Tikka Masala and Flatbread

Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken are super similar in the ingredients. Butter chicken is cut into small bite size pieces and tossed in the seasonings and marinaded over night. Tikka is raw chicken with the bone put in the crockpot.

1 – 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast or thighs (boneless, skinless)
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp coconut oil
3–4 cloves garlic, minced (I put 5)
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp fresh turmeric (or about 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp garam masala (I added curry powder b/c I didn't have garam)
1 tsp dried coriander
1 tsp cumin 
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chili flakes (didnt have)
1/2 tsp salt
pinch cloves
2–3 Tbsp tomato paste (didnt have)
1 (14oz) can coconut milk (I prefer full-fat)
1 cup broth or water
1/4–1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
OPTIONAL: IF YOU LIKE A THICKER SAUCE:
2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or 1 Tbsp cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the chicken in the crock of your slow cooker.
To make the sauce, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5-7 minutes, or until translucent.
Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin, chili powder, chili flakes, cloves and salt. Cook 1-2 minutes more, or until very fragrant.
Stir in tomato paste, coconut milk, and broth (or water) and stir to combine.
Pour sauce over the chicken.
Cook on HIGH about 3 hours or on low 5-6 hours.
(If you like a thicker sauce, mix arrowroot OR cornstarch with about 1 Tbsp water. Add to slow cooker in the last 3-5 minutes before serving.  Stir in cilantro right before serving.

8/28/19 Next time make a double batch of this sauce and freeze it for a future dinner. 

Simple Naan (no yeast or rising)  

The Kitchen Paper

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp oil (I used olive, you could use anything relatively mild)
1/2 cup* milk
butter + herbs for seasoning

Combine all dry ingredients, and whisk together.
Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the oil and milk. Mix everything together until it forms a ball. Turn out on the counter and knead until very smooth and elastic — at least 5 minutes — adding more flour as necessary.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 8-10 equal pieces.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Roll one piece of dough until very thin (less than 1/8″). If the skillet isn’t non-stick, melt some butter before each piece. One at a time, cook the naan for about 90 seconds, or until parts are blackening, on each side. When they are done, you can brush them with butter and add seasonings (cilantro, garlic, etc.), if you want.

Lentil curry

1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons curry paste
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 14-ounce can tomato puree or chopped tomatoes

2 c water

3 sliced carrots

lemon or lime (juice and pour on right before its served)

Optional- can add coconut milk, but I didnt have any

1.  Cook the lentils according to directions. Drain and set aside.
2.  Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes until fragrant and golden. Add all the spices (curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, sugar, garlic, ginger) and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato puree; stir and simmer until smooth.
3. Add the lentils and the water or cream. Stir to combine and simmer for another 15-20 minutes (the longer, the better)! Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

I served with rice on the side and a Dad salad (1 washed whole romaine lettuce leaf for each person).

It actually was even better the next day, so delicious to me! The kids didn't love it.

Mediterranean Rice and Chicken

Rice

1 chopped onion
1/2t garlic powder or garlic clove
1t oregano
1t basil
salt and pepper or seasoned salt or chicken boullion
1t turmeric
1/2t paprika
chopped almonds or cashews or sunflower seeds
1/2c lentils or black beans
2 c leftover cooked rice


Saute onion till soft, add all seasonings and saute and stir. Add chopped almonds till get toasted. Add the lentils and rice. I like to cook the rice on high, so the rice gets a little crusty on the bottom of the pan. To allow the rice to get crusty you need to allow the rice to cook for about 5 minutes before you stir it. Then stir the rice  and repeat that pattern 3 more times.

Its  delicious

I served with a salad, chicken, and a roll.


Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts of equal size
2 tbsp minced garlic or garlic paste
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano, divided
 olive oil
1 large lemon, juice of
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cup small-diced tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green olives (didnt have)
Handful of fresh parsley, stems removed, chopped
Crumbled feta cheese, optional

(I didnt have white wine)

Pat the chicken breasts dry. On each side of the chicken breasts make three slits through.
Spread the garlic on both sides; insert some garlic into the slits you made. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper and 1/2 of the dried oregano.
In a large cast iron skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high. Brown the chicken on both sides. Add the white wine and let reduce by 1/2 then add the lemon juice and chicken broth. Sprinkle the remaining oregano on top. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover with a lid or tightly with foil. Cook for 10-15 mins turning the chicken over once (chicken’s internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F.)
Uncover and top with the chopped onions, tomatoes and olives. Cover again and cook for only 3 minutes. Finally add the parsley and feta cheese. Serve with a light pasta, rice or couscous. Enjoy

We loved it!!

ISLAND COCONUT CHICKEN AND RICE

Doctor Yum

serves 4 people, double

8ppl     4ppl

2          1 tablespoon olive oil

2          1 onion , diced

2          1 teaspoon ginger , grated (fresh)

8          4 cloves garlic , minced

2          1 tablespoon curry powder

2          1 teaspoon turmeric

4          2 pounds chicken thighs (bone-in)

1          ½ teaspoon salt

1/2       ¼ teaspoon black pepper

2cans   13.5 ounce can coconut milk (regular or light)

1           ½ cup water

2          1½ cups jasmine rice (brown rice, preferably)

4           2 tablespoons cilantro , chopped (save and chop stems)

2          1 lime , half juiced, the other half cut into wedges

METHOD

Place the Instant Pot on "Saute" mode and heat oil. Add onion, ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add spices, chicken, salt and pepper and cook on each side for a minute to lightly brown. Add coconut milk and water (1/4 cup for white rice and 1/2 cup for brown rice). Place lid on and cook on "Manual" high pressure for 13 minutes with a Quick Release. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave liquid in the pot. Shred the chicken away from the bone and discard any bones and skin. Add rice, cilantro stems, and cook on "Manual" high pressure for 4 minutes for white rice (22 minutes for brown rice). Allow a Natural Release for 10 minutes then release the remainder of the pressure. Stir in lime juice and shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

12/1/18 I made this is my stove top pressure cooker and the rice burned at the bottom, but it was still amazingly delicious
12/29/18 I made it again. I seasoned the chicken and browned both sides on the stove top first. Then added chicken to a greased 8x8 pan, milk, water, rice to a  to cook in the oven, still definitely delicious, 350 degrees 

3/18/19
350 degree oven
I seasoned the chicken and browned both sides on the stove top first. Spray 9x13 pan, arrange chicken and the rest of ingredients in pan and cook. I did  2 cups of rice b/c my 9x13 pan wouldnt be able to fit 3 c rice and chicken thighs.

4/7/20
did all things as 3/18/19 and used 2 c of sushi rice.  Cooked for 35 min, then 15 more min. Turned out perfect. So cook next time for 55 min in oven.

Butternut Chili

  

INGREDIENTS    Doctor Yum

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or other cooking fat)

2 onions, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ pint mushrooms, diced

32 ounces broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

1¼ pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I'm going to try an actual pumpkin)

2 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon flax meal

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound turkey, lean ground (can sub other ground meat or 16 ounces grated tempeh)

2- 15 ounce cans beans (favorite kind)

2 cups spinach, chopped

METHOD

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large soup pot, and cook onions until soft about 1-2 minutes, add carrots, then garlic and mushrooms and cook until veggies are softened. Add chicken broth and diced tomato with juices. Cut largest butternut squash pieces smaller, making it faster to cook through. Add butternut squash, spices, flax meal, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes. While chili is simmering, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet on medium. Cook turkey until almost brown and cooked though. Turn off heat and set aside. When butternut squash is softened use the back of a spoon in the chili to mash the cubes until broken apart. At this point squash should be dissolved and incorporated into the broth. Add turkey and simmer 5 minutes. Add beans and spinach and cook until beans heated through, about 3-5 minutes.

12/8/18 I'm going to roast a pumpkin instead of a squash. Cut open the pumpkin, cut off the skin and scoop out the seeds. Chop the pumpkin into 1 inch chunks, then coat with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Roast 20-30min

LENTILS WITH SPINACH OVER RICE

Doctor Yum

INGREDIENTS

2 cups brown rice, cooked according to packaging (I actually prefer it on a sweet potato, not rice)

1 tablespoon coconut oil (substitute olive oil)

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

½ tomato, diced (large)

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon chili powder (less for baby food option) (I didn't add)

1 cup lentils (red), rinsed with cold water (I only had brown)

2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped (finer chop for baby food) (I didn't add)

⅔ cup culinary coconut milk (not coconut milk beverage) (I didn't add, but I did add water)

½ teaspoon salt

dash black pepper

chicken 1/4-1/2t boullion

sweet potato

METHOD

I sauteed onions, then added lentils, tomatoes, turmeric, curry, 1/2c water, boullion, salt and pepper cooked for 10 mintutes.  I ate the lentil mixture on top of a sweet potato, it was so delicious!!!

Cook rice while preparing lentils. Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Cook onions until soft, about 3-4 minutes, add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add tomato and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add curry powder, turmeric and chili powder and mix. Add lentils and enough water to cover lentils by ½ inch. Cook for 5-8 minutes until lentils are soft. Add spinach and coconut milk and simmer another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper and add more to taste. Serve over brown rice.

BABYFOOD OPTION:

When I was a child, I spent many summers in my parents' native country of Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. I have watched my cousins and family friends feeding babies and noticed that people generally do not buy baby food in Sri Lanka. Instead, babies are offered an array foods like nutritious meat and vegetable curries, spiced mildly, with rice (which is usually started at about one year of life). One common early finger food is rice mixed with lentils or other meats and vegetables and shaped into small sticky balls. These little rice balls can be easily fed to babies by hand or given to babies to feed themselves. (see picture and recipe below for “Rice Balls with Lentils”). Take about a cup of cooked brown rice. Add a teaspoon of the lentil spinach mixture and mix with your hand. Add more lentils by the teaspoon and keep mashing until you can form the mixture into ¾ inch balls. This can make a great school lunch for slightly older kids, too!

Best Bites Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori, Turmeric rice and Flatbread

IT's from Lauren Hedin's our best bites cook book.

2 c plain/greek yogurt
3 T lemon juice (or a juice from 1 lemon)
1t garlic powder
1 chopped onion
1/2c oil
3 t salt
1/2t black pepper
2T paprika
1T cumin and ginger
1T turmeric
1t red pepper or splash of cayenne
Chicken drumsticks and/or thighs

This can be assembled a few days b4 and let the raw chicken sit in the liquid mixture to marinade.
I did make extra of the sauce and froze it so I could have it for dinner a couple weeks down the road.

Can grill the chicken or bake in oven 350 for 20 min, then slather more marinade on, bake 10 more min slather more marinade, 10 more min bake and spray with oil, increase oven to 450 bake 10 more min until you get some nice charred spots.

Serve with Turmeric Rice

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup Jasmine rice
kosher salt

Heat medium-sized pot with lid on stove top.  Add oil and onion and cook until onion is tender, about 3 minutes.  Add turmeric and curry powder and stir to heat and distribute for 15-30 seconds.  Add broth and bring to a boil, add rice.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover pot and cook for 20 minutes, covered the entire time.  Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and add salt to taste before serving.  

Pulau

From Jen Coon

Oil
mustard, cumin, anise seeds
chopped onion
garlic
ginger
almonds or cashews
1/2c corn, peas, and/or carrots
cadamom pods
curry leaves
turmeric
chili powder
garam masala
salt

This is delicious flavored rice. It works well in a pressure cooker if you have one, reduces the cooking time quite a bit. For this recipe, I’ll describe the amounts as if you were making three cups dry rice)

• Heat a small amount of oil in a large saucepan on med heat (5-6). Add a little bit of mustard seed, cumin seed, and one or two anise seeds. Fry until seeds begin to pop.
• Add one small finely chopped onion, several crushed cloves of garlic, and two tsp. fine...ly grated ginger.
• Add a small handful of whole nuts, almonds and/or cashews are best. Add around a half cup mixture of corn/peas/carrots.
• Add 2-3 cardamom pods (crush slightly), 2-3 curry leaves, ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp chili powder or more, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 ½ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp salt.
• Rinse the rice and add it to the mixture. Stir until the rice is mixed in and hot.
• Add water. For regular cooking, double the amount of water for the amount of rice. In a pressure cooker you need slightly less water, maybe one and a half times.
• Cook as you would plain rice. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Cook 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is soft. Remove from heat, let sit a few minutes, then stir. In a pressure cooker, once full pressure has been reached, it only needs 5-7 min.
• Taste, add salt as needed.
• To serve, garnish with chopped cilantro (fresh coriander).

Tangy Shredded Cabbage Salad

Tangy Shredded Cabbage Salad

Adapted from Ruta Kahate via SFGate.com, 6/8/07
Revisiting this in March 2013 minus the chile (3 year-old accommodation) we were reminded of how much we adore those toasted mustard seeds. When they pop, they smell and taste like popcorn. It’s incredible, and it was so lovely to have a salad component to an Indian meal.
Serves 4
2 cups tightly packed, shredded green cabbage (use the large holes of a grater)
1 small serrano chile, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more as needed
1/4 to 1/2 to 1 teaspoon table salt (adjusted from 1 tsp. as a few commenters found it too salty)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
Instructions: In a medium bowl, toss together the cabbage, chile, lemon juice, salt and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You are looking for a well-balanced, sweet and sour taste.
Heat the oil in a small skillet or butter warmer over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid or splatter screen. When seeds top popping, immediately pour the oil over the cabbage salad and toss well. Let the salad sit for at least 15 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to blossom.
Serve cold or at room temperature.

Goes well with Everyday Yellow Dal

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/06/and-then-i-moved-into-the-refrigerator/

1 cup yellow split peas, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
1 large tomato (about 8 ounces), cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, finely ground
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I used 1/4, thought it was plenty, although I may be a wuss.)
1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves (I abhor cilantro, and always replace it with flat-leaf parsley.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions: Drain the dal (split peas) and place in a large saucepan. Add the tomato and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until peas are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Pick out any tomato skins and whisk dal to emulsify it. Keep warm over very low heat.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the cumin seeds, covering the pan with a lid or splatter screen. After the seeds have stopped sputtering, add the onion and saute over medium heat. About 3 minutes later, add the garlic and saute until most of the onion has turned dark brown, about 5 minutes altogether. Add the coriander, turmeric and cayenne, stir and pour mixture over the dal. Add the cilantro, butter and salt to the dal and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.