Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken

Mmmm, butter chicken.

I originally found this recipe on www.365daysofcrockpot.com. Next time I'll let it slow cook longer, or may be cut up the pieces of chicken smaller (bite-sized should work well). The chicken wasn't too flavorful inside, but once I broke it apart with some naan and let the delicious sauce work its way in, dinner was gooood :)

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
adapted from www.365daysofcrockpot.com
Ingredients
1.5 lbs chicken tenderloins, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
One medium diced onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp tandoori masala
One tsp garam masala spice mix
One Tbsp curry paste
6 ounces pureed tomatoes 
15 green cardamom pods
13.5 oz  coconut milk
7 oz yogurt
Salt to taste
Cilantro (optional)


Directions
1. Combine the butter and vegetable oil together in a large frying pan or wok and heat until the butter has melted. 
2. Add the chicken, onion, and garlic, and cook on medium heat for around ten to twelve minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the curry powder, curry paste, tandoori masala, garam masala, and tomatoes and stir to combine.
Pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
4. Lightly crack the cardamom pods with the back of a knife or a light pinch between the fingers. To make their removal easier, you can add them into the slow cooker in a cheesecloth bundle. 
5. Add coconut milk, yogurt, and salt to taste, along with the cardamom pods. 
6. Cook on the low setting for 5-6 hours. Remove cardamom pods and garnish with cilantro before serving.


Delicious served with naan and yogurt! 

Chicken Seekh Kebabs

I've finally resigned myself to the fact that my entire family prefers Pakistani/Indian cooking over all else. Resigned, because ever since I got interested in cooking, that's the one cuisine I never really bothered with - I always watched my mom cook, and she never followed recipes (I NEED a recipe), and part of me also believed (believes) that I'll always compare my dishes to hers and find mine lacking! My husband has always wanted me to try Pakistani dishes, but I've always resisted, until recently - maybe it's because of Pinterest, but I know feel ready to conquer all things! I had actually found this recipe about a year ago, and tucked it away for future use. Huge. Hit. I made it last Wednesday, and my husband asked if I could make a double batch asap! My 2-year-old loved it too, so I'm sold. My picky preschooler ended up eating naan and yogurt, surprise surprise . . .

All in all, with a food processor on hand, this was a fairly easy dish to put together. The kebabs turned out very tender and flavorful!:

Chicken Seekh Kebabs
Adapted from www.elzaa.com

1 lb ground chicken
2 small onions
4 cloves of garlic
small piece of ginger (or 1 tsp minced ginger)
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 large egg
1/2 c breadcrumbs
Spices:
1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp each of garam masala
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamon powder 
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin powder 
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
 1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, depending on your spice level)
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I use Smart Balance)


1. Put onions garlic, ginger and cilantro in food processor, process until well minced. Add chicken and process again until the entire mixture is pasty. 
2. Add breadcrumbs, spices, and eggs and mix well. Put in refrigerator for at least 30 mins. 
3. Using metal skewers, form the kebabs around the skewers. They'll be soft, so won't necessarily keep their form unless you're holding them. Slide them off and put in a long dish. 
4. Heat vegetable oil in a grill pan, and fry up the kebabs in batches. Takes about 15 mins for each pan of kebabs. 


I served these with mint chutney, naan, and yogurt. 


**These spices can be found in most grocery stores. The original recipe calls for 3/4 tsp amchoor (dry mango) powder, for which I subbed the lime juice, and 1/2 tsp black salt/kala namak. I've made the recipe with those original ingredients, and it's delicious either way! When using the black salt, I leave out the regular salt. 

Indian Stir Fried Shrimp

This is a recipe I adapted from www.allrecipes.com, years ago - it's in our monthly rotation, and I love that I can pull it together fast!


Indian Stir-Fried Shrimp (Bhagari Jhinga) 


PREP TIME 20 Min 
COOK TIME 10 Min 
READY IN 30 Min 
Original recipe yield: 4 servings 

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon white sugar 
1 teaspoon garam masala 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro 
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped 
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
1 cup coconut milk 
3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp - peeled and deveined 
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
1 tablespoon cold water

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, stir together tomato paste, salt, sugar, garam masala, ground cumin seed, ground red pepper, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lemon juice, and coconut milk. Set coconut sauce aside. 
Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir-fry onions until tender, then remove and set aside in a separate bowl. When oil is hot, add garlic, and cook until it begins to brown. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp is opaque; this should take only a minute or two. Pour the coconut sauce over the shrimp; cook until the sauce begins to simmer. Add onions to wok. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water; stir into the sauce, and continue cooking until thick. 


MODIFICATIONS: I've added up to a teaspoon of red pepper at times, because we like our food spicy! But it's just as good with less red pepper. Served over basmati rice.

Jalebis - Pakistan's Answer to the Funnel Cake!

Kind of? That's how I sold it to my daughter's preschool, and the kids bought it ;) Like soft-crunchy, orangey, pretzel-shaped funnel cakes. I was presenting at Fun Friday at her school last week - every Friday they learn about a different country, and I went in to teach them about Pakistan, complete with goodie bags, Pakistani decor and jewelry, and of course, Pakistani sweets. I took in mango juice since my people looooove their mangoes, and tried my hand at making Jalebis, which I was ridiculously proud to manage! Am still bragging to my mom about it, trying to slip it into casual conversation: "The girls are cranky today . . .maybe I can make some more jalebis." Although my mother is perfectly aware that neither of my picky pickersons ate them. But, she's my mom, so she then launches into an appropriately gratifying string of praise. 


Jalebis (cobbled together multiple recipes found on the web):

All-Purpose Flour – 1 cup

Cardamom Powder – 1/8 tsp

Instant Yeast – 1 tsp

Cornstarch – 2 tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Yogurt – 1 Tbsp

Warm Water – 3/4 cup

For Syrup:

Sugar – 1 1/4 cups

Water – 1 cup

Saffron – pinch

Lemon Juice – 1 tsp

Cardamom Powder – 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, add Flour, Cardamom Powder, Instant Yeast and Cornstarch. Mix thoroughly.

2. Add Oil, Yogurt and Water and mix well until there are no lumps.

3. In a larger bowl or pot, add very warm water and place the mixing bowl with the batter inside the larger bowl (be sure that the water does not fall into the batter). Cover the larger bowl and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

4. After the batter has been resting for 15 minutes, start on the syrup and start to pre-heat oil for frying the jalebi.

5. Syrup: In a heavy bottom pan, add Water, Sugar and Saffron. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.

6. Reduce flame to a low simmer and add Cardamom Powder and Lemon Juice. Mix.

7. Mix the fermented jalebi batter well and put it in a ketchup or mustard bottle with a spout.**

8. Squeeze out the batter into the hot oil in approximately 8 small circular motions. Jalebi should about 2-3 inches in diameter.

9. Fry until the bottom side looks golden and flip once to cook the other side.

10. With tongs, remove jalebi, shake off excess oil and place directly into sugar syrup.

11. Allow jalebi to remain in the syrup for just about 15 seconds (flipping to coat both sides), shake off excess sugar syrup and place onto a plate lined with paper towels.

12. Continue frying remaining jalebis.

13. Enjoy them hot for optimal taste or allow them to cool and store in a container with a tight fitting lid. Jalebis will remain fresh for 4-5 days unrefrigerated.

NOTE: About mid way through the frying process, turn off the stove for the sugar syrup so that it does not become too thick.

**I had a hard time getting the thick batter into the ketchup bottle using a funnel - it was too thick. I ended up putting it into a ziploc bag, cutting a corner, and then piping it into the ketchup bottle. By ketchup bottle I mean the red ones at restaurants, with the thin spout - I had some leftover from making and storing paints, and had purchased them from Wal-Mart. 

Chicken Kima

My daughters are feeling the Indo-Pak food this week :) To have them eating anything is a miracle, but both of them eating consistently all week? It. is. the. dream. Once, the dream was becoming a US Ambassador or curing some terminal disease, but now it's getting these two precocious, vocal darlings to eat regular meals. This did it for them:

Chicken Kima (courtesy of my mother):

1 onion, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. ground chicken
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon juice (half a squeezed lemon)

Fry the minced onion in the oil over medium heat for about 4 mins. Add garlic, stir for another 2 mins. Add all the spices, and about 2 Tbsp water, and then fry the whole pan for about 3 more mins. Add the chicken, and stir frequently until cooked through. Squeeze in lemon right near the end of the cooking. Served with white basmati rice and sliced tomatoes.

*to spice it up, add another 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Eaten! Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala (modified from a recipe on www.allrecipes.com):

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup yogurt
1 cup heavy cream
1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon garlic powder


Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients and mix well until blended. Then pour into a baking pan and bake at 350 for about 55-60 minutes. Stir before serving.

**The original recipe I had been using called for 1/2 jalapeno pepper, which I left out now for the sake of the kiddos. It also asked for a 12 oz can of tomato paste - hubby prefers it this way, but I think it's too tomato-y. I made this with 1 cup of yogurt, per the original recipe, but it was a bit tangy so I've scaled it back to 3/4 in the posted recipe.