We have had a very busy weekend, yesterday we were at the Hever Castle Dog Show, we had a fabulous day out and really enjoyed the event, even though Pup’s did not win a rosette this time, but, and I am not just saying this as we lost, but there was some fairly odd judging going on in all of the classes, not just the couple we entered, but hey there are other shows and other rosettes to be won, but look at just how cute he looked on his day out…
Today was suppose to be a rest day, lots of relaxing, a little knitting and a little work on the blog, but life never seems to go to plan and rest never ever seems to be on the agenda for me as today we decided to clean out the large shed and turn it into a work shop for me to refurbish furniture in. I love up-cycling old pieces of furniture and giving them a new lease of life. For now I am working on pieces for our home, but who knows, when I have run out of room I may just start selling them. With a few sewing classes and some Annie Sloan painting classes on the horizon the house will soon be over flowing with homemade goodies.
My workshop is a work in process, but I would like to thank my very supportive Hubby and thank him for all his help today making this possible.
So now back to the recipe and this Butter Chicken… I made this last week and we all fell in love with it, it may not win any beauty contests, but please do not judge a book by its cover, this is out of this world, absolutely amazing, so much so that we have all been craving it and we are having it again for dinner tonight. It is one of those recipes that you feel the urge to tell everyone about and share with them, I know my friend Fiona would love this one and I can not wait to make this for Jonny as I think it is right up his street !
Funny how some recipes are like that, they just make you think of certain friends or family and you know you just want them to try it.
Butter chicken is fairly light on the spices, so great for those who do not like or can not handle spicy food, perfect for Children and even my brood didn’t moan about it, it is of course buttery, but also smooth, creamy, rich and vibrant, it is just absolutely delicious, I can not emphasise to you enough just how good this dish is.
It is so good, that I wouldn’t usually serve curry at a dinner party, but as this curry is so special I would serve it for casual dining with friends and dress the whole evening up with gorgeous raita’s, naan’s, poppadoms, chutneys and of course a good Indian lager. What is great about it is, you can prepare the whole thing in advance, just leaving the part where you add the chicken to the sauce mix, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes until your guests have arrived and you are ready to eat, just perfect, giving you more time to socialise and not be stuck in the kitchen and missing out on all of the fun.
So as I type up this post, the smell of this dish is wafting through from the kitchen and my stomach is rumbling and my taste buds are tingling, I am not sure that I can wait until dinner time to eat it !!!
Buon appetito
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon garam masala seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8 tablespoons butter (I used 115/120 grams)
1 carton tomato sauce (eg passata, about 450/500g)
4 teaspoons ginger (found in Sainsburys or an Indian Market)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 can diced tomatoes in juice (400g)
1 large onion, chopped
80ml / 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
450g chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
240ml plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lime juice (about half a lime)
Salt and pepper
Cooked basmati rice
Cut up chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, and marinate with the plain yogurt, lime juice, salt, and pepper for at least 30 minutes (this will help tenderize the chicken).
Cook the basmati rice as instructed on the packet.
Stir spice ingredients together in a small bowl, and set aside.
For the sauce, melt butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently, you only want to soften the onions, not brown them. Add the garlic/ginger paste, tomato puree, and spice blend, then cook for 1 minute (stir to prevent burning).
Stir in the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Add the whipping cream, bring to a boil, and then simmer gently.
Cook the chicken in a separate pan with a little cooking oil, for about 10 to 15 minutes, just really until your chicken is nearly cooked through.
Drain the juices, add the chicken to the sauce mix, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve sauce and chicken over rice.
Comments (0)