Butter Chicken/Murg Makhani

If you have been following USMasala you would've probably guessed that hubs and I are vegetarians. This is the second chicken recipe among the close to three hundred that I have published so far - the only other being Chicken Tikka. I have sung praises of my Chicken-holic brother if you read the chicken tikka post. That should give you an idea how much he has to have chicken in some form at least for one or even two meals every day. This might surprise you but I do cook chicken for him at home when he visits. Yes that's right, I make it for him without even tasting it and like he says it is some of the best chicken ever and trust me he is honest when it comes to his opinions - especially to me. For that I give myself some serious bragging rights.
Now for the recipe itself - the name Butter Chicken might be misleading as I believe the word 'butter' in it for the creamy texture of gravy rather than the fact that it is loaded with butter. I have seen the literal interpretation of the name in many preparations in the local restaurants. This recipe here - believe it or not - uses no butter at all and trust me, you will not miss it. Also, unlike the impression that the ingredients list might give you, the recipe is rather straightforward to make. So for all you chicken lovers, let me know how you like it.
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Paneer makani naanizza!

eftovers can be an issue at times. Mostly hubs will not want to eat it the following day (he says he does but I can tell he'd rather not). It is more of an issue when your leftovers are dishes that are close to your heart and you just spent your entire weekend cooking them up. It just so happened this past weekend that I had leftover Panner Makhani and Naan, two things that I just cannot explain how much I love. Now of course I couldn't eat it all by myself and it would break my heart if I had to throw away paneer in any shape or form.
You of course guessed where this is leading up to. Long-story-short, all my leftovers were gone in no time. Not until later, when I pointed out, is when hubs realized they were leftovers. This was not the first time I had made these insanely delicious fusion pizzas that kiddo and I like to lovingly call 'nanizza'. It never fails me as was the case this time around. Kiddo totally loved it too - the result that pleases me the most.
Naan based pizzas are becoming increasingly popular, so much so that the frozen version of it have started to appear on regular grocery stores. I have made it with different toppings like aloo gobhi, palak paneer and even baingan bharta and this time it was paneer makhani. 

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Dahi Nariyal wali Bhindi/Okra in coconut and yogurt sauce

es I am back. I realize it is unusual for me to go without a post for a fortnight and thanks to many of my readers that missed me. Lets just say life gets in the way sometimes. Here I am with a simple homey bhindi/okra dish the recipe of which I've had for a really long time in my diary (remember the little 'yellowing' notebook). As I sat back and thought about my history of cooking, nostalgia struck and hence the thought of getting to my good old diary. I remember having taken down this recipe during my college days from a magazine. I still remember it was a dish by the famous Indian celebrity chef Tarla Dalal whose recipes were a regular feature in the magazine.

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Paneer Methi Makhani

hat to make for dinner tonight? A thought that haunts me immediately after having finished with lunch. Asking hubby usually is returned with "just make anything" or "can we order some takeout" (he is sweet I know)! Hmmm... I usually know I will make rotis but what do I make to go with it. I do try to come up with something new every now and then but being a vegetarian sometimes limits your choices. I face a similar situation when I find myself deciding on what to take for a potluck, or a get-together that would be different and not the same old regular veg preparations.

Now paneer is most everyone's favorite but how many times can you make and serve the same butter masala, jhalfrezi or parathas for that matter. So in my quest for making something different yet elegant, simple yet exotic and healthier than other paneer recipes and of course quick 'n easy, I combined two of my absolute favorite ingredients- paneer and methi. I did not want to make the regular white gravy loaded with cashews and cream so opted for a very easy and quick makhani or butter-less masala version. I was more than pleased with the results and the fact that it was an addition to the list of answers for the eternal question of what to make for dinner :)

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Paneer butter masala

I asked him on the phone if he liked paneer and he said "Ugh! I have had so much paneer lately that I can't stand it anymore" and I went "oh! crap". This was one time during the courtship days before my husband and I were married. He later explained in 'great detail' how he has been eating paneer practically every day sometimes twice for the last two years of his bachelor lifestyle. In those days he was in Pune, India and always ate out and being a vegetarian and eating out you pretty much end up choosing something with paneer. While I empathized with his situation, I also realized I might not be able to eat my favorite paneer. I had to do something.
A few days after we got married and came to the US, I figured he might have gotten over his paneer-phoebia and made this paneer butter masala. He loved it. Apparently the brief break and (as he tells me) the great dish had brought him back. Paneer was back as an ingredient in our household. So here is the recipe of the comeback paneer dish that I now make (I always tease him by reminding him of his anti-paneer days).
Paneer butter masala probably needs no introduction. I am yet to see an Indian restaurant that does not have it on its menu. The big juicy paneer cubes in a creamy spicy gravy is an absolute delight. Me being me however, I make it with very little oil and no cream and butter at all (no butter in butter masala? funny eh!) So here goes...

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