Homemade Butter Chicken Recipe

Butter Chicken Recipe

The Most highly requested chicken recipe in my house is this delicious butter chicken. It can be eaten with naan, roti or rice. We love it with roti and salad. Due to its calorific content I do not make it too often but once a month is allowed as a treat. So as the name suggests its made with butter and the sauce is then thickened with cream. 

For the ingredients you need: 

For the Chicken

• Chicken boneless 500 grams cut into cubes
• Yogurt 2 tablespoons
• Ginger Paste 1tsp 
• Garlic Paste 1tsp
• Chilli Powder 1tsp 
• Garam Masala Powder 1tsp
• Turmeric Powder 1tsp 
• Cumin Powder 1tsp 
• Salt 1tsp or to taste  

For the Sauce: 

• 1 Onion chopped 
• 50 grams of butter 
• Ginger and Garlic Paste 1tsp 
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree 
• cardamom pods 5 to 6, slightly bashed 
• cinnamon powder 1 tsp 
• clove powder 1tsp 
• turmeric powder 1sp 
• chilli powder half teaspoon 
• garam masala powder 1tsp 
• coriander powder 1tsp 
• cream 300 ml 
• coriander to garnish 

Method: 

First Marinate the chicken cubes in the chicken mixture for about 15 minutes. In the mean time preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Put the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes, I put the chicken in skewers and put it in a dish where the skewers are above the pan so that the cubes can bake evenly. Take it out after the time is up and once its cooled, take the skewers away and put it in the plate for the sauce.

Then we make the sauce, saute the onion in butter with the cardamom pods and tomato puree, then add all the spices and mix, till the onion becomes translucent. Then add the cream, once the mixture starts bubbling then add the chicken and stir, its ready to be served. Garnished with coriander. I did not have coriander so I put on dried mint. 

Hope you enjoy this recipe trust me, this dish does not see the light of another day as its so tasty. I hope yours won't either. 

Love and Peace all 

Shireen x

Chilli Cheese Toast

I think this is the easiest recipe I have found on the internet which has become a big family favourite. As hubby was bored of eating the same egg and toast everyday for breakfast, he demanded a change. Rightly so; anyone would get bored of eating the same thing over and over. I made a quick search and found this recipe. This is an Indian street food now but it was a lunch menu special in the early 90's. People would go into five star restaurants and order this. It certainly can get really fancy if you go big on the ingredients, although not much of them are used.

This recipe is as simple as it sounds, requires minimal prep time and you will be making them again and again. All you need is; bread, cheese and chilli. No its that simple. 

Take a bowl, shred a quarter of cheddar cheese, add 2 tablespoons of softened butter, dice half a red capsicum and put it in, finely chop 3 green chillies and add them in the bowl, grate a clove of garlic and add that as well, now mix it with your hands. Its important to mix it nicely to make it one with the butter and cheese so when you put it under a griller or the pan the butter will not disturb the cheese, so keep mixing either with a spatula or your hands so that its one. Now keep it in the fridge for almost 20 minutes. Now take the bread and toast it a little bit in a pan, then add 1 dollop in the center and spread it from the center to the corners, put it in a pan and cover it with a lid, on low heat. I burnt the toast the first time I made this. so be very careful with the toast not to burn it to a crisp. 

Your delicious chilli cheese toast is ready to serve when the cheese has melted. Cut the toast diagonally and serve. Delicious for parties as well as for breakfast. 

I hope you liked this recipe, please do give it some love by commenting below and if you have made it, please dont forget to tag me on instagram @chasingfajir 

Much Love and Peace 

Shireen 

Homemade Cinnammon Rolls

When I posted on my stories a few days ago about me and the kids making the cinnamon rolls, I got a lot of eyeballs on it. So here is the recipe. Its not my recipe, I saw it on Buzzfeed Tasty. I always thought that they were pretty difficult to make but it turns out its pretty easy. You just need to knead the dough which makes the rolls super moist and wonderful. I am a desi so I knead dough for the chapatis so I reckoned that it would be as easy as pie and honestly its nothing like that because the flour is different and the yeast gets activated more if you knead the dough more making it more dry making rock like rolls was not my intention so here goes.

FOR THE DOUGH YOU NEED TO:

Warm up 2 cups of milk, it should be warm to the touch and not burning hot. When you put your finger in, it should not burn you. Mix together the milk, 1/2 a cup of Granulated Sugar and 1/2 a cup of Butter. Then sprinkle a packet of Yeast on top and let it rest for 10 minutes. Its best to do this in a warm kitchen. Add 4 cups of plain flour to the milk mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon. And cover the dough with cling film and leave it to rest for an hour, till the dough has doubled in size.

The recipe calls for round baking pans. I used a pie dish which were generously buttered. Now to make the FILLING, in a bowl mix together 3/4 cups each very softened butter at room temperature and not microwaved I must add, mix in light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of Cinnamon. And set it aside.

KNEADING: Remove the cling film from the dough and add 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Tip it on to a floured clean surface and knead for almost 10 minutes till the dough is soft to the touch. Adding more flour as necessary so the dough stops sticking to your hands and the surface. The dough should be very smooth and spring back when poked. 

Roll the dough out into a 1 cm thick rectangle, shaping it by a scraper or a knife. Then spread the filling and roll it into a...Roll. (I have found to cut it with dental floss rather than a knife as it cuts it better and does not ruin the shape).

Place them in the pans and leave it to rest for half an hour again. This second proving is very important, it makes the dough fluffy.

Now heat the oven at 180 degrees, bake the rolls for 25 minutes or until they have golden brown tops. And leave it to cool for 10 minutes then top them up with frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING:
Mix together 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 4 tablespoons of warm milk, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 2 Cups of Powdered/Icing Sugar. You can substitute heavy cream for milk. Mix all of it together and you have frosting.
Pour it over the cinnamon rolls and there you have it. Enjoy for a luxurious breakfast on a wintery morning.  I hope you like this recipe. I honestly thought it required eggs but it doesn't. And its a lovely recipe, the buns come out very nice and soft.