Butter Chicken Naan Pockets

We didn't have a jar of butter chicken sauce at home, so we used a jar of Patak's Rogan Josh Sauce instead which was a great substitute.  If you're feeling crazy, you can also make the sauce from scratch like in this post. Next time, I may try adding some garlic to the dough mixture to add some extra flavor to the naan.

Butter Chicken Naan Pockets
Adapted from Dinner with Julie

 Ingredients – Naan Dough

½ cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
½ tsp salt
¼ cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt (regular or Greek)
1 large egg
 
Ingredients – Butter Chicken Filling
canola or olive oil, for cooking
2 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 jar favorite butter chicken sauce
½ to 1 cup grated mozzarella (optional)

Directions

1. In the bowl of a large mixer such as a Kitchen Aid, stir together the water, yeast and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast is inactive and needs to be replaced.

2. Stir in flour, salt, canola oil, yogurt and egg. Mix until dough comes together using the dough hook; then knead by hand for a few minutes, until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic. Cover bowl with a towel, and let rise about an hour, until dough is doubled in size.

3. While dough rests, heat oil in large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 7–8 minutes until it starts to brown.  Add butter chicken sauce, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce begins to thicken.  Cool chicken completely; it’s best if you can chill it in in the fridge.

4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or use splat mats (as shown in picture). Preheat oven to 400 F.

5. After dough rises, divide it into 6 pieces.  On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to shape each piece into an 8-inch circle or oval. Pile equal portions of the butter chicken mixture onto each circle, top with a bit of grated cheese and fold over, pinching the edges to create the pocket/calzone shape.  Transfer to prepared baking sheet, and cut a few slits on the top of each with a sharp knife. Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbly and golden.

 

Turmeric Chicken

This recipe came together quickly! The longest wait-time in the recipe was while the chicken marinated, but that gave me time to slice and dice the onion, peppers, and green beans.  Be mindful not to get turmeric on your hands or clothing because it will leave a hard-to-remove yellow stain! I’m on the hunt for a better wok, so I prepped this dish using my everyday nonstick skillet, but cooking it with a wok would’ve been my preferred method.  We cooked up a cup of white rice to server this with, but you can eat it alone or with naan instead.  If you think you can handle it, leave some of the chili seeds in to make this meal extra spicy! I tend to err on the side of caution when cooking, so I carefully removed all of the seeds, but ended up adding Sriracha sauce J

Turmeric Chicken

Adapted from Rasa Masala

Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breast, chopped into 1-in pieces

2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp oyster sauce

4 Tbsp canola oil

1 medium onion, sliced

2 red chilies, deseeded and cut into thick strips

4 oz. green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces

6 Tbsp water

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine chicken, turmeric powder, and oyster sauce in a bowl or plastic bag.  Marinate for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Saute onion for 5 minutes.

3. Add chicken, red chilies, green beans, water, and sugar to the skillet.  Continue sautéing, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Masala Macaroni

Happy Friday! This week certainly got away from me! Last Saturday, our friends hosted a Wildcard Playoff party at their house in north Jersey.  Their house is perfect for watching sports and, although we aren’t quite ready to move out of Apt. 3D, KK’s already set on having a similar “man cave” in our house one day.  Above their garage, our friends’ entertainment room has a 70” wall-mounted flat screen TV, and two 30”’ TVs mounted next to it.  I wish I had a picture of it, but you’ll have to take my word for it when I say it’s incredible.  The entertainment room also has a 3-side wraparound couch, built-in surround sound, and even darts! Needless to say, KK was in heaven! After the first game, we headed to south Jersey for a belated holiday party with KK’s cousins.  We had a white elephant gift exchange, an Indo-Chinese potluck dinner (the cousins requested I make Red Velvet Butter Cookies for dessert, but they were gone before dinner was even served!), and stayed up way too late! All in all, it was a fantastic weekend! Of course, I’m also looking forward to this weekend, which is just a few hours away :)

Since I didn't contribute anything Indo-Chinese to the family potluck last weekend, I thought I'd share an Indo-Italian dish with you instead.  Yes you read that correctly - Indian spices with Italian pasta! I was skeptical at first, but it was surprisingly a good combination!  Cooking the macaroni, or other small pasta, is the longest step of this meal.  But, let’s be real – cooking pasta doesn’t take THAT long! Unless I’m working from home or have a light day in the office, I can’t afford/don’t want to spend a long time in the kitchen, so the whole thing takes just over 30 minutes.  While your pasta cooks, everything else (chicken, veggies, and sauce) comes together.  One word of caution: make sure to continuously stir the onions and spices to prevent them from sticking to the pan or burning.  Once the pasta is done, the rest of the steps should be done, and all you need to do is toss to combine and serve.  Enjoy!

Masala Macaroni

Adapted from Hooked on Heat

Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

12 oz. macaroni

2 Tbsp canola oil, divided

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1-in cubes

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ tsp cumin

1 ½ tsp dried parsley

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

1 tsp coriander

¾ tsp chili powder

Heaping ¼ tsp turmeric

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok.  Season chicken with salt and pepper, then cook until no longer pink.  Plate, cover with foil to retain heat, and set aside.

3. When pasta water is boiling, heat remaining canola oil in the same skillet/wok.  Sauté onions, garlic, and spices until onions are browned and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes.

4. Add in the chopped tomatoes, and cook for 2-3 minutes to combine well. Add in veggies, shredded chicken and pasta, and stir-fry to combine well with the spices. Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Happy Hump Day! We're having a pretty slow week here in Apt. 3D, but it's a welcome lull because we've been on the go since getting home from vacation.   Since it's such a quiet week, I'll jump right into the food portion of this post rather than bore you with mundane stories from the week - eye doctor's appointment, cleaning, laundry... boring!!!

I love Indian food! One of these days I’m going to eat at Karma Kafe in Hoboken, but in the meantime I’m lucky enough to be spoiled by my mother-in-law and all of KK’s aunties who are all amazing cooks.  I’ve started to dabble with cooking Indian in the kitchen, including the Masala Pizza I made in early September, so it was only appropriate for me to try a more traditional spin of Tikka Masala.  I added the marinade ingredients directly into the Ziploc bag I was using to thaw the chicken, squished the bag around to ensure everything was thoroughly coated, and then let the chicken marinate for about 4 hours in the refrigerator.  If you have difficulty draining the excess marinade, don’t fret – it will simply add to the flavor of the sauce if you leave it in.  Watch the sauce as it thickens so it doesn’t start to boil and splatter all over your stovetop.  I chose to cook up some rice and serve the Chicken Tikka Masala mixed in with the rice.  Alternatively, serve this by itself or with naan.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe 

Time: 45 minutes + 1-8 hours for marinating

Serves: 2-4

Marinade Ingredients

1 c plain yogurt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 ½ tsp paprika

2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp salt

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into small pieces

Other Ingredients

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

salt, to taste

8-oz. tomato sauce

1 c. light cream

Directions

1. Combine all marinade ingredients except chicken.  Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for 1-8 hours.  Grill or cook chicken in a large nonstick skillet. Discard excess marinade.

2. After the chicken is done cooking, heat vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium heat.  Sauté garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute; season with cumin, paprika, and salt.  Pour in tomato sauce and light cream.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, until sauce thickens.  Add cooked chicken to the sauce, and simmer for 10 additional minutes.  Serve warm.

Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza

Woohoo!!! I'm an aunt!! My sister-in-law had her twins last Wednesday! Before driving down to Delaware to meet them, KK and I celebrated his high school friend's wedding.  Congrats to Phil and Jillian! The rehearsal on Friday was followed by a family-style Italian dinner at Mario's Tutto Bene.  The wedding was at the groom's family church, and the reception was at the gorgeous Wilshire Grand Hotel; the bride looked simply stunning.  My favorite part of the evening was the Viennese dessert room with every treat one could possibly imagine - Funfetti wedding cake, chocolate cake, Sundae bar, tiramisu, pudding parfaits, s'mores pie, cheesecake, Mississippi Mud pie, a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit and marshmallows for dipping, cannolis, and I'm sure the list goes on and on.

Back to the newest additions to the family... A&A! They were born on Wednesday and, with the twins and my sister-in-law all healthy, they were discharged from the hospital on Saturday.  KK and I arrived Sunday, and I was instantaneously wooed by them.  A&A are both happy, sweet babies and they're even letting their mom and dad sleep for decent stretches throughout the night.  Their tiny yawns, sneezes and hiccups are the most adorable things I've ever seen! We probably won't see them for another month or two, so I can only imagine how much bigger they'll be by then.  All I can say is - thank goodness for FaceTime!

In my opinion, there's no sense in making traditional margarita pizza at home because there are so many incredible pizzerias in Hoboken.  I'm not sure which I prefer - this Indian twist on pizza or KK's tried-and-true favorite - Corn, Pesto, and Tomato Pizza.  Try them both and let me know which is your favorite!

Reflected in the directions below, I decided to cook the onions with the garlic and jalapeno because I was worried about them tasting raw.  KK doesn't like raw onions and I didn’t want the pizza to be ruined (for him) because of the onion slices.  I mistakenly (a.k.a. didn’t read the directions thoroughly or wait for KK’s help) diced ¼ of the jalapeno and threw it into the sauce.  I think that took the pizza spiciness to the next level, so I don’t recommend doing that unless you can really handle the heat! The pizza crust KK picked up was on the thin-side and we have a pizza pan with holes on the bottom, so it crisped in 8 minutes.  If you have a thicker crust or a pan without holes, your pizza will probably cook for 10-12 minutes.  You can also quickly turn this into a vegetarian dish by using tofu instead of chicken.  As always, when dealing with jalapenos – be careful! Don’t touch anything after handling one, especially your face/eyes, before thoroughly washing your hands and under your fingernails! Served with a side salad, we still devoured this pizza and there are sadly no leftovers.

Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza
Adapted from Rasa Malaysia
Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes (includes marination time)
Serves: 2-3

Marinade Ingredients

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp minced fresh ginger
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of cinnamon

Other Ingredients
10 oz chicken breast, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 Tbsp olive oil + brushing
1 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced

½ jalapeno, seeds removed

¼ onion, thinly sliced
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp garam masala
4 oz tomato sauce
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
2 Tbsp evaporated milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
12-inch pizza crust
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Combine marinate ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 

2. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450.

3.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When oil is hot, cook chicken until no longer pink inside, about 5-10 minutes.  Remove chicken from skillet, plate, and tent with tin foil.

4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Add garlic, jalapeno, and onions; stirring frequently, saute until aromatic, about 3 minutes.  Stir in cumin, paprika, and garam masala, and continue to saute for 2 minutes.  Remove jalapeno and discard.

5. Stir in tomato sauce, yogurt, and evaporated milk; season with salt and pepper.  Simmer until sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes.  Turn off heat, add chicken, and stir to coat.

6.  Place pizza crust on pizza pan, and brush lightly with olive oil.  Spread sauce/chicken mixture on the pizza, leaving ½-inch around the edge as crust.  Sprinkle top of pizza with cheese.  Bake pizza for 8-10 minutes, or according to pizza crust package directions.

Shahi Paneer

Monday came too quickly this week, but I guess that's the sign of a successful weekend! We had early morning plans on Saturday, so a friend from NYC stayed over to reduce her morning commute.  We had to set the alarm for 7:00AM to ensure there was time to grab breakfast, coffee, and snacks before leaving for the Hoboken Happy Hour Group's Long Island Wine tour.  The group organized a tour bus to visit three vineyards on Long Island's North Fork.

KK, myself and two friends kicked off the bus ride with mimosas and bagels.  By the time we'd finished breakfast, we arrived at Martha Clara.  KK and I left with a bottle of their 2010 Viognier and Clusters, a wonderfully sweet dessert wine that reminded us of Christmas Eve with my family.  Martha Clara also had an interesting array of farm animals on property - goats, sheep, and turtles.  Stop #2 was Pindar, our favorite vineyard of the day.  We tasted wines and enjoyed lunch and the sunshine on their large patio.  We left with 6 bottles: the Winter White (2), Sweet Scarlett, Pythagoras, Isabella, and Cabernet Port.  The last vineyard was Laurel Lakes.  Although we didn't purchase anything to bring home, we bought a bottle of 2009 Merlot to sip on while enjoying the late afternoon sun.  The bus made a quick stop at Briermere Farm before heading back to Hoboken.  Once home, we met up with the Swikers who were in town from Philly.  And cooked Tofu Pad Thai for dinner! What a great day!

Sunday was less exciting, but more productive.  Since I wasn't working from home on Friday, I caught up with laundry and did FOUR loads! Laundry is one of those household chores that is never-ending.  We also went grocery shopping; got an oil change and new tires for the car; stumbled across Free Grilled Cheese Day at Cheese Boy; and took advantage of Macy's Friends & Family sale.  The sales were amazing, and I think I even found a bridesmaid dress for my friend Jess's September wedding!

Paneer is my favorite Indian food.  What's not to love about crisped blocks of cheese in a spicy curry?!?  Monica's Spice Diary classifies this version of Shahi Paneer as "skinny."  The sauce is primarily made of water, getting its creaminess from sour cream instead of heavy cream.  I also increased the amount of peas, and reduced the oil and salt to keep things a bit healthier... something certainly required to fully enjoy the paneer! Since I'm still a novice at cooking Indian cuisine, I trusted Monica's recipe and chose not to experiment with spice ratios.  We couldn't pick one, so we chose to serve this Indian dish with both basmati rice and frozen garlic naan that we bought in Edison, NJ.





Shahi Paneer
Adapted from Monica's Spice Diary

Time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 block of paneer (~350g), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon salt, divided

2 teaspoons turmeric powder, divided

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons ginger, minced

1 green chili 
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 cups water

3 tablespoons sour cream
Rice or naan, for serving

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add paneer cubes, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder.  Heat paneer until golden brown on all sides, remove from heat.

2.  Meanwhile, combine the following ingredients in a food processor: onion, garlic, ginger, chili  1/2 teaspoon salt, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, garam masala and the coriander. Process until finely ground.

3. Using the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil.  Add the onion mixture from the food processor.  Cook on medium heat until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Next, add peas and paneer and mix well.

5. Add water.  Bring mixture to a boil, then cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Add sour cream and stir continuously for 3-5 minutes.  Serve with rice or naan.

Indian Butter Chicken

Remember those dinner plans that were postponed last weekend? Well, they were postponed for the second time thanks to Winter Storm Nemo last night.  I guess we'll have to hope that the third time's a charm next week! Instead of our planned sushi night out, KK found Indian Butter Chicken in my list of recipes a few times, so we decided to give one of the versions a try.

For this recipe, if you don't have cardamom, substituting it for 1/2 cinnamon and 1/2 ground nutmeg will do the trick!

WARNING: This sauce splattered everywhere while I was making it! I covered my skillet with a lid, but my white shirt still fell victim to a few splatter stains.  Be very careful while you're cooking, but I'd also suggest wearing some junky clothes.  Nevertheless, this dinner was great! We enjoyed the snowy evening with this delicious Indian dish, a Homeland marathon, and a bottle of off-dry Riesling from one of my favorite vineyards - V. Sattui.

Indian Butter Chicken

Adapted from Good Life Eats

Serves: 4
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 onion (1/2 lb.), peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 fresh jalapeño, seeded, and chopped

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup light cream (or half-and-half or heavy cream)

1/4 teaspoon crushed bay leaves

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch chunks

salt & pepper

1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter

1 1/2 cups basmati rice, uncooked

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package instructions. Chop/prepare the remaining ingredients.

2. In a large saute pan, combine onion, ginger, jalapeño  and oil.  Stir frequently over medium-high heat until onions are  lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Saute for an additional 2 minutes.

3. Combine onion mixture, tomato paste, chicken broth in a blender or food processor.  Whirl until very smooth.

4. Pour mixture back into pan, add light cream and crushed bay leaves, and bring to a gentle boil over high heat (mixture is inclined to spatter).

5. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes.

6. While the sauce is simmering, season chicken with salt & pepper.  Add 1 tablespoon butter and the chicken to another skillet over high heat.  Stir until chicken is no longer pink on the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until chicken is no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut remaining 3 tablespoons butter into chunks and stir into sauce until melted.

7. Spoon chicken and sauce onto rice.