Butter Chicken

I saw Gordon Ramsay on the telly a while back when he was going to India and getting back to cooking authentic Indian food.   All the dishes he was cooking up looked fantastic, plus I'm a fan of Indian food.  So I decided to buy the book and haven't been disappointed since.  The curries and dishes from the book in my opinion are better than take aways any day.  (At least the ones I've had, I'm all for trying new places)

One night I was in the mood for an Indian dish, so I pulled out my Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape cook book and flipped through the pages.  My mouth was watering at every recipe.  I decided on Butter Chicken because I've made it a few times before and it's really tasty!!  Even though there is a lot going on the flavors are amazing and it's worth the time letting it marinate.

Butter Chicken
Serves 4

Marinade
800g boneless and skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 cm knob of ginger peeled and finely grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp hot or mild chili powder
1.5 tbsp lemon juice
75ml natural yogurt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin

Sauce
1.5 tbsp ghee or melted unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 cm fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
2 cardamom pod, seeds lightly crushed
3 cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
1tsp garam masala
1tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp hot or mild chili powder
250 ml tomato puree
1 tbsp lemon juice
40 g unsalted butter
100ml double cream
1 tbsp chopped coriander to garnish

Place the chicken in a bowl and add the garlic, ginger, salt, chili powder and lemon juice.  Give a good mix and cover with cling film chilling for 30 minutes.  Mix together the yogurt, garam masala, turmeric, and cumin and add to the chicken, making sure each piece is well coated with all the yumminess.  Cover again and chill for 3-4 hours to let the flavors make some love. 

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.  Put the marinated chicken pieces on a grill rack set on a baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes.

For the sauce, heat the ghee or utter in a pan and add the garlic and ginger.  Fry for a minute or so then add the cardamom, cloves coriander, garam masala, turmeric and chili powder.  Stir well and fry for 1-2 minus until they give off a lovely aroma.  Stir in the tomato puree and lemon juice and cook for another couple of minutes.  Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and stir well to coat.  Finally, add the butter (that's why they call it butter chicken) and cream and stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sauce is smooth as silk.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  Transfer to a warm bowl and serve hot over rice, garnished with chopped coriander.

Chicken Chimichangas

Since living here in Bristol, England, people have asked me what food I miss most from back home.  Well of course I miss some of my mom's good homemade cooking, nothing can beat that, but besides that there are a couple of things I miss - Mexican and good Sushi.  Yes I know a weird combination but it's what I like.  There are a few sushi places here but they don't even compare to back home, not quite as many choices for rolls.  That is next on the list to make.  No Mexican restaurants here though.  Sometimes I just feel like going out and looking at a menu full of tacos, chimichangas, burritos and sides of refried beans and rice.  And to top it off would be some salt, tequila and lime.

I make tacos every now and then but I wanted something different.   So as my mouth watered for weeks I browsed through the world wide web and came upon the food blog www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/ and found a chimichanga recipe.  It looked delicious and I couldn't wait to give it try.  I made a few changes so here is my version.

Chicken Chimichangas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 green chili chopped finely (I left the seeds in mine but remove for less heat)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
S+P
1 small tomato, chopped, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
3 chicken breast - shredded or cut into cubes
1/4 cup sour cream
1 - 15-ounce can refried beans
4 - 10-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese (I used irish cheddar extra mature and double gloucester since there is nothing here like a montery jack)


Toppings:
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream
Spring onions
Shredded cheese
Tomatoes
Avocado 

I wanted shredded chicken, chunks would work just fine too, so I baked the chicken breast at 375º F for 15-20min or until done.  Take 2 forks - with 1 of them hold the chicken breast down and the other start to pull/tear the chicken away lengthwise.

Next preheat the oven to 450º F.  Melt the butter with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet; transfer to a bowl. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet and add the onion, garlic and green chili.   Cook over medium-low heat until soft.  Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt, give a stir for about 30 seconds to let the flavors come together.  Add the tomato and coriander and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the chicken and sour cream cooking until warmed.  Remove from heat.

Brush a rimmed baking sheet with some of the butter-oil mixture. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of refried beans down the center of each tortilla (depending on how big they are), leaving a 2-inch border on both ends. Top with 1 cup chicken mixture and 1/4 cup cheese.  Be careful not too add too much filling.  Fold in the ends and roll up.

Place the chimichangas seam-side down on the baking sheet and brush with the butter-oil mixture. Bake 8 to 10 minutes per side, brushing again after you flip.

Add toppings of your choice and serve with rice.