So I lived in Chicago during a prior life and there was this little hole-in-the-wall place called Rajun Cajun that served up some pretty tasty Indian fare for dirt cheap -- a $10 plate was more than enough food to fill up two healthy eaters, which, being two students, we certainly appreciated. I can only assume that it used to be a Cajun restaurant since the walls were adorned with Louisiana trinkets and photos. I guess the new owners didn't bother changing the name or the decor. At any rate, Rajun Cajun was our go-to joint for Indian take out, and boy did I miss it when we left for DC. For better or worse, I decided to make a couple of our favorite dishes one weekend when I clearly had too much spare time.
Butter Chicken
For the marinade:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (or you can strain some regular yogurt)
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 Tbs garam masala
- 1 Tbs garlic/ginger paste (equal parts ginger and garlic mashed together)
- 1 Tbs oil
- 1 tsp chili powder (or paprika if you don't want it to be too spicy)
- pinch of salt, pinch of pepper
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breast if you prefer)
- 1 pat butter
- 1 Tbs oil
- 1 Tbs garam masala
- 2 Tbs garlic/ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 can pureed tomatoes
- 1 Tbs chili powder (or paprika)
- 1 Tbs poppy seeds soaked in hot water
- 1 Tbs honey
- 3/4 cup yogurt
- 1/4 - 1 cup chicken stock
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First, make the marinade for the chicken. Mix together the plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, ginger/garlic paste, chili powder, garam masala, oil, and salt and pepper.
Cut up the chicken into 1.5 inch cubes. I generally prefer chicken thighs, but most recipes call for chicken breast. Mix the chicken with the marinade and let it sit in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 4 hours. If you can let it marinate overnight, that's even better. After the chicken is finished marinating, take it out and put it on a baking sheet. Stick it in the oven and broil it until nicely browned/lightly charred. Then take the baking sheet out of the oven and let the chicken rest. Remember, it doesn't need to be cooked all the way through at this point because it will continue to cook in the sauce.
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce (except for the yogurt and the chicken stock) in a large pan. Stir the concoction and let it reduce. Keep stirring until the mixture darkens in color and becomes a thick paste and keep lifting the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add chicken stock as necessary to prevent it from burning.
After the spices have basically toasted and the paste is very thick (this will take an hour or so), add enough chicken stock to loosen up the paste. Using a hand blender, blend the sauce until it becomes velvety and the poppy seeds are no longer noticeable. Let it simmer on low for a few minutes, add the yogurt, and stir in the broiled chicken and chicken juices from the pan. Let everything simmer on low for a few minutes until it comes together. Garnish with some toasted cashews and cilantro.
Peas and Cheese
Ingredients:
- 1 small package paneer, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 package frozen peas
- 1 can tomato puree
- 1 Tbs garlic/ginger paste
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbs garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbs honey
- 1 Tbs oil
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Pan fry the paneer in oil until all the sides are nicely browned. Be careful! The oil tends to spatter. Set the paneer aside on a paper towel lined plate. Saute the spices in oil with the garlic/ginger paste and onion. Once the spices have been toasted and the onions are translucent (~5 minutes), add the tomato paste, peas, and paneer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Several hours later, it was time to eat! I served everything alongside some steamed basmati rice and store-bought naan. Looked like Indian food, and even tasted like Indian food. Definitely a success, but definitely an oppressive day of cooking. Not sure I'll be rushing to make this again anytime soon, but glad that I tried it. Fortunately, the leftovers lasted all week and they tasted even better than the first night :)