Slices of Kiwi

One more week left till Ramadhaan! Yay, I am really look forward to the spiritual and physical cleansing that accompanies the beautiful month of fasting. For now things have been a bit crazy (as usual especially with the little one toddling all over the place and unpacking everything in sight. Suppers are sometimes very rushed so I am sharing one of my favourite recipes with you. Its butter chicken. Quick, easy and super yum.

I have experimented with a number of variations of butter chicken since I started cooking. And over the years I adapted, tweaked and tested to formulate a recipe of my own. I am not entirely sure if it’s the authentic version of the renowned dish but this version is very tasty and flavourful.

Butter Chicken:

1 kg chicken fillets cubed

1 tsp red chilles (I mix ½ tsp fine and ½ course chillies)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric

Freshly ground pepper

1 tsp garam masala (optional)

Fresh lemon juice

1 tbl thick Greek yoghurt

Make a paste with the spices, the yoghurt and the lemon juice.

Allow the chicken to marinate for a couple of hours.

In a pot heat a 1 dessertspoon of butter and a dash of sunflower oil

Add cumin seeds, 1 cinnamon stick and 2 elachi pods

When the spices are fragrant add the chicken and sauté gently until the chicken is cooked

Sauce:

1 cup fresh cream

1 cup Greek yoghurt

1 tbl tomatoe puree

1 tbl good quality tomatoe sauce

1 tsp flour

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and whisk well

Pour over the chicken and allow the meat to simmer in the creamy sauce until thickened

Scatter with fresh coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice and sambals.

Variations and notes:

For a healthier version replace the cream with reduced fat Ideal Milk or with a can of coconut milk

I add 1 cubed potatoe and 2 green chillies to the chicken for more flavour and heat

If you very busy you can marinate extra chicken and freeze. Defrost, sauté and add the sauce for a quick and easy meal

The addition of the flour is to ensure the cream doesn’t separate when added to the chicken

Garam masala is a combination of peppercorns, cardamom pods, aniseed, cinnamon sticks, cumin and coriander seeds and nutmeg. The spices are roasted and ground to a powder and used in curries.