All I want when it’s cold outside is creamy, hearty, warm meals! I got sick of eating soup variations so I tried a recipe for Butter Chicken. It’s a little spicy, really creamy, packed with flavor, and I can have it with cauliflower rice which has been my new thing. Here’s my take!
Time: 30 mins plus time for the chicken to marinate
Ingredients:
1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly sliced ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized cubes
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped chili pepper, I used jalapeño
2 teaspoons hot paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup tomato sauce, unseasoned
1 cup half & half (can use heavy cream)
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons corn starch (optional)
cilantro for garnish (optional)
Recipe:
Cut the chicken into cubes, removing any fat or skin, then add it to a large freezer / zip loc bag.
Add the yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of the cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, fresh ginger and salt.
Close the bag removing any air, and use your hands outside of the bag to move the chicken around the mixture so it coats evenly. Refrigerate overnight.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, take it out of the bag with as little of the marinade as possible. Put it in a bowl & set it aside.
In a pressure cooker, add the butter, garlic and jalapeno. Let it sauté for a bit so the butter melts & the garlic cooks.
In a small bowl, add 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, salt, tomato sauce and heavy cream. Stir to combine.
Pour the sauce over the chicken in the pressure cooker and cook for 5 mins. Let it release steam naturally for another 10 minutes before removing the lid. Hint: if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can slow cook the mixture for 4 hours.
If using cornstarch to thicken the sauce, stir it into one tablespoon of water and add the mixture to the pressure cooker.
A gorgeous Spanish dish! Paella seems so intimidating. I tried making it for the first time yesterday and I have to say... it's really not that hard! If you have good quality ingredients & a good paella pan, you're golden. my take on it is a little spicy & packed with incredible flavor.
Time: 45 mins, serves 2
Ingredients:
2-3 cups jumbo shrimp, peeled & deviened, tail on
2-3 cups cooked mussels (can use uncooked but it's a pain to wash & takes longer to cook)
1 cup paella rice (can substitute any short grain rice)
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies (this is where the spice comes in, if you don't want it spicy you can use plain canned diced tomatoes)
1 cup fresh parsley
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup sweet green peas
3 cups chicken stock (can use 1 chicken boullion cube with 3 cups of water)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt & pepper to taste
1.5 tablespoons safflower oil (or any high-heat oil)
1/2 lemon
Recipe:
Tip: The best way to do this is to get a Paella pan. To serve 2 people, I bought a 13.5 inch paella pan from Amazon. Worked wonders!
Heat the oil & onion in the paella pan on medium heat. After 30 seconds, add the garlic, then give it another 30 seconds before adding the tomatoes.
Pour in the paella rice & toss to combine.
Sprinkle on the smoked paprika & the saffron, then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover. I used my pizza stone to cover the paella pan because I don't have a large enough pan cover. Reduce the heat to let the mixture simmer while it's covered.
After about 20 minutes, uncover the pan & use a spatula to stir. You may notice some rice sticking to the bottom of the pan, that's okay. Paella should have a nice crust at the bottom. Not a thick crust, but a nice crunchy layer.
Add in the seafood and green peas then cover to allow it to cook for 5 more minutes. Keep the heat on medium.
Once the seafood is cooked, add in the parsley & lemon wedges & serve! Squeezing the lemon juice over the paella before eating it gives it a wonderful fresh taste!
I know I know.. it's not red like normal kimchi. But guess what? It's really yummy. And you have a version of kimchi in 20 minutes. So try it.
Time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh chopped ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I used Guyanese pepper sauce made with scotch bonnets)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Recipe:
In a small pot, cook the cabbage & minced garlic in the water. It may seem like too little water for the cabbage, but remember cabbage already has a high water content so don't add more than 1/4 cup! Let it cook for ~4-5 minutes.
Take the heat off & move the pot off the burner. You can also transfer the cabbage at this time to a large bowl.
Add all of the remaining ingredients to the cabbage & mix to combine.
Refrigerate the kimchi & enjoy later or add to fried rice, fries, anything you want!
Someone was feeling a little ambitious today! I took a stab at creating a recipe for my most favorite Indian dish: paneer makhani. Paneer Makhani is made with an incredible, creamy, spicy tomato sauce surround cubes of cottage cheese. It's amazing with basmati rice or with naan! There are a lot of ingredients in the sauce, but it doesn't take a long time to make & it is sooo worth it.
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
1/2 pack paneer, diced (or how much you prefer)
1 can tomato sauce (no flavor, just plain puréed tomatoes)
2-3 whole chili peppers if you like it extra spicy
Salt to taste
Recipe:
Use a large pan, wok, or pot to heat the the onion, garlic, chili peppers & all of the spices just until lightly cooked (about 30 seconds). Mix to combine.
Pour the tomato sauce or purée & the methi leaves into the pot. Let simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
Add the heavy cream (room temperate). Mix well to combine.
Add salt as desired then taste & add more spices if needed.
Important: turn off the heat! Then add the paneer & toss until it is well coated. Leave the stove on for just a few minutes so the paneer heats up.
One of my fave Guyanese meals - it tastes complicated but is easy to make! Just takes a little longer than my typical recipes. In my tastebud's & stomach's opinion, it is worth the wait!
Time: ~1.5 hours + dough set time
Ingredients:
Saltfish Stew:
~1.5 lbs of salt fish (can be purchased at a West Indian grocery store)
~1/2 a large tomato, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 wiri-wiri peppers (or peppers of your choice)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Bake:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1.5 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 cups vegetable oil
Recipe:
Soak the saltfish overnight in water (to help get the salt out of it).
Mix the above Bake ingredients in a basin & kneed the dough
Cover the basin with a towel or plate & set aside to rise for at least an hour (can leave it during the day if you're making it before work)
Boil the saltfish in ~3 cups of water. Strain then keep washing it under the faucet until most of the fishy smell goes away. I added lemon juice to help but it is optional.
In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil with the onions & garlic for about 5 mins until the onion is transparent.
Add the saltfish, let it simmer and brown, breaking it apart into small chunks.
Add the tomatoes & mix to incorporate the ingredients.
Throw in the peppers if desired & then let the ingredients simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes.
While the saltfish is stewing, take the dough out & roll it down to about 1/4 inch thick.
Use a sharp knife to cut the bake into triangular slices.
Heat the 1.5 cups vegetable oil in a small pot to medium heat.
Slowly add the bake slices 1 by 1 and fry each for about 20-30 seconds or until each bake is golden brown.
Whenever I re-create one of my favorite Guyanese dishes, I feel extra excited to share the recipe with you all! This recipe is now approved by my parents, grandparents & fiancé, phew! Enjoy!
Time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
~4-5 lbs of lamb meat (ask the butcher to chop it up for stew)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 teaspoons salt
2-3 plum tomatoes
3-4 hot peppers, whole
2-3 potatoes, diced
1-3 cups of water
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Recipe:
Cut the lamb meat into smaller bite-sized pieces.
In a large pot, bring the vegetable oil to medium heat. Add the onion & let it cook until opaque.
Add the garlic & ginger, sauté for about 3-4 minutes.
Put the lamb meat into the pot with the potato pieces.
Add the tomato paste, stir to coat the lamb & potatoes with the paste.
Pour in the water, salt, & plum tomatoes.
Bring a water to a boil, add the hot peppers, then lower to a simmer & cover the pot.
You'll want to stir the stew every so often to make sure the tomatoes are melting down & the potatoes are cooked through. If you see the stew drying down, add some more water & salt. I always put 2 cups initially & that seems fine for this amount of meat.
When the potatoes are cooked, uncover the pot & raise the heat to medium. You want the liquid to reduce to about half, so you have a nice gravy. Taste for salt at this time too.
