Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken) and Naan Bread

A couple weeks ago I decided that Aaron and I should have an "ethnic" day where we eat a traditional meal from another country and share facts about that country. I left the information part to my exceptionally-smart husband, and I took care of the food.
If any of you have eaten at an Indian restaurant you have had Naan bread. Oh what a beautiful thing it is. I have made it before and it was so-so. This recipe, however, is phenomenal. PLEASE make the bread ASAP. You will be so happy you did :) Aaron liked it so much that he asked that I make a large batch so he could eat it for lunch everyday for the next week.

A couple notes on the recipes:
After reading many comments and suggestions from authentic Indian cooks I found that Indian food has lots of spices, the most common are a cumin/coriander mixture, a fresh ginger/garlic mixture, and it also has a spice called fenugreek. I have never used fenugreek, but I am going to try and find some to use next time. Another tip is to use ground cashews as a thickening agent. If you don't have cashews you can use cornstarch, but the cashews give the sauce a wonderful nutty flavor that marries well with the other flavors. A lot of dishes call for half-and-half or cream. I replaced the dairy with a full-fat coconut milk that tasted great with the flavors of the dish.

Chicken Makhani
Aaron rating: ********** (8 out of 10)

1 tablespoon oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter or ghee
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh, grated ginger
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup ground cashews (or 1 tbsp cornstarch)
1/4 cup water (don't add all at once!)

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute shallot and onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in half-and-half and yogurt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and cayenne. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced, and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cooked chicken and ground cashews into sauce. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.



Naan Bread
Aaron Rating: "Delicious"

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

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Baked Brown Rice and Chicken

My co-worker, Joe, invited Aaron and I to have lunch at his house on Saturday. His sister was visiting this weekend and just happens to be a photographer. She gave me some helpful tips and we had a great time talking! I'm still taking pictures of EVERYTHING, just for practice. I think it's driving Aaron crazy, but he is a good sport :) Sometimes I wish I had a baby as a subject instead of chicken broth though...

Chicken and rice is one of those comfort food dishes that makes me feel so warm and happy inside. Ah :) I found a really yummy recipe for brown rice pilaf, and since we had some extra chicken I decided to add it. I've seen a lot of chicken and rice recipes, but this is one that we both enjoy and I'm going to stick with it. Also, if you haven't tried this chicken broth from Costco, you must try it. It tastes great and it's pretty cheap compared to other broths out there. 

Basic Baked Brown Rice with Chicken
Adapted from Simple Bites
To help brown rice cook quickly and more evenly, I soak the rice in water along with 1 Tbsp of vinegar per cup of rice for 6-8 hours before cooking. I've found that my brown rice turns out much better this way.

1 Tablespoon butter or ghee
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon spices of your choice (I used 1/2 paprika, 1/4 cumin and 1/4 turmeric)
Chicken (the amount and cut of chicken totally depends on your taste!)
1 bay leaf
2 cups long grain brown rice
3-1/2 cups chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Rinse rice in a fine-meshed sieve and drain well.
3. In the bottom of a French Oven, melt butter and oil together over medium heat.
4. Add onion and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add salt, spices and bay leaf to the onion and cook for an additional minute.
6. Add Chicken and cook through.
7. Add rice, stir well to combine, and toast together for 2 minutes.
8. Add the water, and bring to a boil. Stir the rice once, then cover and place in the middle of the oven.
9. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove from oven, and let sit, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.
10. Fluff rice with a fork and serve

Spice mixtures:
1/2 paprika, 1/4 cumin and 1/4 turmeric (my favorite)
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala with 1/4 cup chopped apricots.
1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, 1 cup chopped celery.
1 teaspoon cumin, 1 cup canned black beans (instead of chicken)

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Meatless Monday: Lentil Sloppy Joes

*This post has been revised; Aaron pointed out that the original post inferred that we are meat-banning extremists... oops. Hopefully the revision makes more sense :)

Lately, Aaron and I have been trying to eat vegetarian dishes as much as possible, mainly because of the increase in meat prices and because it's healthier. Overall, it is cheaper and healthier to moderate the amount of meat in out diet. Now I must be clear by explaining that I grew up on a farm where my family raised animals and so we knew exactly what they ate and how they were butchered. So after leaving home it has been a personal struggle for me to eat commercialized meat, but I'm getting there, slowly but surely.

I've been looking for ways to substitute grains and legumes for meat, and here is one such creation. I thought that maybe lentils would be a good substitute for sloppy joes since they are a similar size and texture to ground beef. Turns out that I was right! I also created the sauce from a few different recipes on www.allrecipes.com and it is delicious!

Fill up on Folate and Fiber

Lentils are packed full of folate (commonly known as folic acid)– just one cup of cooked lentils provides you with almost 90% of your daily recommended intake! And why is folate so important? You’ve probably heard about this vital vitamin in regards to pregnancy, as it is critical in the prevention of birth defects. Folate also functions to support red blood cell production and help prevent anemia. 

Besides folic acid, lentils also have a TON of fiber (Aaron will attest to this fact). That same cup of lentils has 63% of your daily recommended amount of fiber. Crazy! 

Packed with Protein

That same one cup of lentils also supplies... Drum roll, please... 18 grams of protein! Making it the third-highest level of protein, by weight, of any legume or nut.

Plus, unlike meat, lentils are virtually fat-free! 

If that weren't enough, lentils supply you with more than one-third of your daily recommended amount of iron. For women this is epic; finding foods that supply that much iron is nearly impossible. Believe me, I have done my research.

The color/variety of lentil you use should depend on how you will be using them.

Green and brown lentils retain their shape after cooking; so if you are substituting lentils for ground beef a green or brown lentil would be the best choice. 

How to Cook Lentils:

The bonus of using lentils is that they don't have to soak before cooking, yay! This makes cooking lentils as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Rinse and drain lentils.
2. Place in pot and cover with water or broth.
3. Boil for 2-3 minutes, and then reduce the heat and simmer until tender (this could take anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour depending on the variety, age, and desired texture).

Lentil Sloppy Joes
Aaron Rating ********** (7 out of 10)

1 cup of lentils (green or brown)*

4 cups of water or broth (I used organic beef broth)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt

Pepper, to taste

1. Rinse lentils, place in pan, and cover with water or broth. Boil for 2-3 minutes and then let simmer until tender (mine took about 25 minutes).
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat; add green pepper and onion, cook until soft. 
3. Add rest of ingredients. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 
4. When lentils are done cooking, drain and add to sauce. Cover and let the juices soak into the lentils for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve on bread or buns.

*If you are not ready to venture into the meatless world alone you can make a mixture of lentils and ground beef, or use 100% meat. Either way it is delicious :)

Sources:

World's Healthiest Foods

My New Roots

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