So, you've put in the time (and it really wasn't THAT much time, and was probably fun too) to create the Butter Chicken Sauce and you're ready to eat! Tell you what - grab a few friends and make a night of it!
Remember the Indian Roti (Chapati) post a while back? Those are going to go GREAT with this - and if you have help, and a nice glass of wine (or two) plus some terrific conversation - I swear you're going to enjoy this meal even more!
Here's what I do to create a yummy, saucy, melt in your mouth Butter Chicken. And remember - you're going to have a few containers in the freezer ready to use when the desire strikes - so this is going to be a fairly easy meal!
If you've never tried Butter Chicken, I think you need to. And fairly soon. It's one of the most delicate of curry dishes, and melts in your mouth with greatness. GREATNESS!! I was hooked from the first time I tried it, I can tell you that!
Butter Chicken, for us, started at the Farmer's Market here in town. This great cook (Pam) makes the sauce in little tubs and freezes it so people like me can grab one, store it and create a terrific meal in minutes!
But you know me. I needed to find MY own recipe! So off I went in search of just.what makes the sauce, the sauce. And like a good sleuth, I search many recipes and bought many spices (did you know that Indian spices are the most fragrant I've ever found??) and began to experiment.
Is it traditional? Probably not quite. Is it good? You bet!! And like any one family spaghetti recipe - Butter Chicken is personal per family, perfect per taste and really something you just NEED to try!
Ma P is Mr. Hungry's Mom. Since they've moved to BC from Ontario, we get to spend more time together and at times, cooking is the front runner activity. Or chasing children, which Ma P does with style.
No shame in giggling and carrying on just like one of the kids around our house! And she does that and more. And, she can cook. Which is nice because cooking alone gets boring (as does talking to one's self) and why not share the load!
And on a quiet Christmas eve, you'll be sure to find Ma P with a nice cool glass of Bailey's on ice. OK - a few glasses. Or heck - the whole bottle! And I'm not ashamed to join her! No twisting my arm involved (or my rubber liver either).
Why? Beyond the taste - Christmas eve is OUR time, Ma P and I. Bailey's tastes great, involved NO mixing and icicles are usually handy hanging from the roof if we run out of ice cubes!
So, Ma P showed us how to make HER stuffing for turkey. And since we can't resist an excuse to cook a bird in this house - we had turkey for Easter dinner and stuffed that bad boy (or was it a girl) up real good!
Our Grandma always used to have this terrific, dense bread at Easter that was braided and always (ALWAYS) had jelly bean eggs decorating it. All the grandkids used to ohhh and ahhh when it was presented and we'd all secretly plot to get the most beans on one slice of bread.
A lot of my memories revolve around food and family. Meals spent at the table (or kids table - remember those??) talking and laughing and enjoy the moment that it takes to eat a meal that's cooked for days! I want our kids to remember the times like that and the joy on everyone's faces.
I wanted to recreate that bread (and the wonder, for the kids) and came across this recipe (with pictures - who can resist pictures) and thought that I would give it a try!
Gosh. Words would never be able to put a face to a name when it comes to my Mom. Don't even try to ask me to use just ONE word to describe her either!
Funny. Confident. Grounded. Busy. Caring. Spitfire. A little insane (I had to get it from somewhere). Natural. Experienced. Passionate.
Want me to try one word? Here goes. My Mom is: theonewhoyoucallwhenyouneedtohearthetruthandneedthatmotherlyreassurance-andtheoneyouwantonyourteamwhenyouneedsomeonetofightthegoodcause.
And my Mom called me today to say she had (just HAD) to show me something for my Blog. Huh? OK - let's see what you got!
If you know me, you know that pastry is the THING that really gets me steaming mad. Right peeved off. I have just never had any luck. I've tried nearly every trick in the book and although my Mom says it's easy. I have yet to find it as such.
Until Easter weekend. I had to. I mean really - who's going to sit back and let some silly pastry beat them into the ground. Me? Ha!
So I armed myself with loads of flour. LOADS. And butter. And shortening. I was prepared for anything. And why, you ask???
My Dad and Mr. Hungry have a thing for Lemon Meringue Pie. *sigh* I am not a fan. OfLemon Meringue Pie. I love apple pie, but not lemon. I mean, the lemon I can handle. The meringue, not so much. It's just eggs all beaten up and sweetened and baked for a bit.
So, being a good daughter and a giving wife, I made them guys some pie.
And we all know that pie starts with pastry.
So, you've put in the time (and it really wasn't THAT much time, and was probably fun too) to create the Butter Chicken Sauce and you're ready to eat! Tell you what - grab a few friends and make a night of it!
