So, I decided to dive into some Indian cooking today. My kitchen, Pia’s Kitchen, was about to get a serious workout. I’d been craving some good, homemade Indian food for a while, and store-bought just wasn’t going to cut it this time.
Getting Started – The Prep Work
First things first, I had to get all my ducks in a row. Indian cooking, man, it’s all about the prep. So many spices, so much chopping. I pulled out the chicken, some onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes. The usual suspects, you know?
The chicken needed to marinate. That’s key. I grabbed a bowl, threw in some yogurt, ginger-garlic paste – I made that fresh, just smashed it up – a bit of turmeric, some chili powder, and garam masala. Got my hands dirty, really worked it into the chicken pieces. Then I covered it and shoved it in the fridge. Let it sit there for a good hour, maybe a bit more. While that was doing its thing, I got to chopping. Onions, fine as I could get them. Tomatoes, roughly chopped. Garlic and ginger for the sauce base too, even though some was in the marinade.
The Spice Situation
And the spices! I lined them all up. Cumin seeds, coriander powder, more turmeric, more garam masala, a bit of fenugreek. It looked like a little spice market on my counter. The smell was already starting to get good.
Cooking the Butter Chicken
Alright, chicken had its spa day. Time to cook. I got my biggest pan, a heavy-bottomed one, and heated up some ghee. You could use oil, but ghee just feels right for this. First, I seared the chicken pieces in batches. Didn’t want to overcrowd the pan, you know? Got them nice and browned on all sides. Took them out and set them aside. They weren’t cooked through, just seared.
In the same pan, more ghee. Then in went the cumin seeds. Waited for them to splutter. Then the onions. Cooked those down until they were soft and golden. This takes patience. Can’t rush this part. Then tossed in the chopped ginger and garlic. Cooked that for another minute until it was fragrant. My whole kitchen was smelling amazing by this point.
Next, the ground spices went in – coriander, turmeric, chili powder. Stirred them around for like, thirty seconds. Gotta cook the rawness out of them. Then, the chopped tomatoes. Cooked those until they broke down and got all mushy. I added a splash of water to help it along and stop things from sticking. This tomato-onion masala is the heart of the sauce.
Once the sauce base looked good and oily, I let it cool down a bit. Then, and this is a bit of a faff but worth it, I blended it. Used my stick blender. Made it super smooth. Some people don’t, but I like a really creamy sauce for butter chicken. Poured it back into the pan.
Then the chicken pieces went back in. Stirred it all up. Let it simmer on low heat. This is where all the flavors meld together. Added a bit of water to get the consistency I wanted. After about 15-20 minutes, the chicken was cooked through. Then came the magic: a good dollop of cream and a pinch of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), crushed between my palms. And a tiny bit of sugar, just to balance everything. Stirred it all in. Checked the salt. Perfect.
Attempting Some Naan
I thought, why not go all out? So I decided to try making some naan. I’d made a simple dough earlier: just flour, yeast, a bit of sugar, salt, yogurt, and warm water. Kneaded it until it was smooth, then let it rise for about an hour. It puffed up nicely.
I punched down the dough, divided it into balls. Rolled each one out into that sort of teardrop shape. It’s harder than it looks to get that shape right! Heated up my cast iron skillet really hot. No oil. Just slapped the naan on there. Waited for bubbles to appear, then flipped it. Cooked the other side. Some folks stick it under the broiler to get those charred bits, but I just pressed it down with a spatula on the skillet. Brushed them with a bit of melted butter and garlic when they came off the heat. Not bad for a home job, I gotta say.
The Grand Finale – Eating It!
So, there it was. A big bowl of rich, creamy butter chicken, and a stack of warm, slightly chewy naan. I also quickly made some basmati rice, just plain, to soak up all that lovely sauce.
The kitchen was a mess, sure. Every pot and pan seemed to be dirty. But sitting down to eat? Totally worth it. The chicken was tender, the sauce was flavorful, rich but not too heavy. The naan was perfect for scooping. It wasn’t restaurant-perfect, but it was my perfect. Made in Pia’s Kitchen, with a whole lot of effort and love. And that’s what cooking is all about, isn’t it? Sharing something good, even if it’s just with yourself sometimes.
Clean-up was a beast, but hey, that’s the price you pay. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Maybe next time I’ll try a different curry. The adventure continues!
