So I last left you with my high aiming goals of cooking Indian food. And, while it seemed smart to start with the simple and savory butter chicken that I enjoyed so much while I was there, I'm now second guessing my decision.
Butter chicken became something of a comfort food for our whole group while in India. I'm serious. At least one of us ordered it at almost every meal; and it was generally enjoyed by 2 or 3 of us dipping hot paratha or naan in the leftover sauce. In fact, I could use some comfort now and will take a short break to reheat my leftovers...
...mmm, I feel better now smelling that simmering on the stove. The butter chicken I made is good. And had I followed the recipe more exactly, it would no doubt be even better. For those new to Indian food and looking for a tasty dish rather than a nostalgic experience, I highly recommend the recipe I found from Foodess. It was pretty simple to follow and dinner was done in under an hour.
The one thing I changed that I was not happy with is that I pulverized my diced tomatoes in my food processor, not quite to a puree. If I knew then what I know now, I would have used a tomato paste or sauce as I saw mentioned in other recipes. This is mostly because I do not love the texture of cooked tomatoes and I do not have an immersion blender (not to self, add to Christmas list).
As I sit here having my leftovers (to which I've added additional tandoori masala and butter), I'm beginning to find that comfort I was looking for. It seems that Indian food is not unlike the lasagna my mother made when I was growing up--good the first night and even better the next day. With that being said, and Fall sort of, kind of, trying to make it's way into Dallas, I highly recommend letting a good curry simmer on your stove while you curl up with a book and maybe a lovely cup of chai. If you're looking for a "themey" read, I recommend Midnight's Children. I've also heard great things about Shantaram though I didn't get to dive into it as I had hoped and am still hoping to carve out some time for a novel with such high praise.
Until next time, Namaste.