Creamy Delight: Butter Chicken

Few days back we happened to watch Celebrity Chef, Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape to India on the Internet where he explores India’s culinary delights. One of his first stops was to taste the world famous ‘Butter Chicken’ in one of Delhi’s famous restaurants. His craving for the authentic Butter Chicken made us realize how popular it is world over. Not many restaurants abroad serve the real Butter Chicken. So we thought why not give the recipe to make it in your own kitchen.

Crazy intense craving for creamy and spicy homemade butter chicken can be justified only if you can practically taste the soft buttery chicken in your mouth, okay, it is quite dramatic but you kind of get the idea. It is one of the Indian curries for which you can get everything you need from the local supermarket.

So about that BUTTER chicken. Ironically you don't have to add dollops of butter to get the restaurant style taste, simply replace it with half & half or whole milk, with just a hint of butter...it's all about the creamy sauce when it comes to butter chicken...

For the Marinade

½ cup plain yogurt, full fat

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp garam masala

½ tsp chili powder or cayenne pepper powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (crushed between fingers)

1.5 lb / 750 g chicken , cut into bite size pieces

For the Curry

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1tbsp butter

1 cup chopped onions (2 medium size )

1 cup tomato diced (roasted it with garlic to give an extra  smokey flavor to the curry )

1 tsp coriander powder

1½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp sugar

1½ tsp  ginger garlic paste

¾ cup half & half milk

salt as per taste

Cilantro to garnish

Instruction

Chicken : In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients under marinade, whisk until smooth, adjust seasonings to preference. Add the chicken and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or  ideally for 12-24 hours, covered in the refrigerator.  Pre-heat the oven to 350°, place the chicken in a baking tray and toss it in  the oven for about 10 -15 min (check in between ) till its slightly charred.

BUTTER CHICKEN SAUCE: Heat the oil & butter in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add the onions, sugar and  sauté  for about 5-7 minutes, allow the onions to caramelize slightly. Add ginger and garlic paste and let it cook for 30 seconds.  Add the roasted tomatoes along with the chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder and continue to cook for 10-12 minutes, if the mixture starts bubbling rapidly, add about ¼ cup of water and continue to cook. Remove from heat, add the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth, you may need a few tablespoons of water to help it blend.

Assembly: Add the butter chicken sauce to the chicken with half & half milk to the pot and reheat  through. When the sauce regains its consistency, add the crushed fenugreek leaves and  finally garnish chopped cilantro. Serve over basmati rice or with naan....

Alternatives: Instead of charring the chicken in the oven, you can cook it directly in the pot for 10-12 min,  and follow the assembly step.

You can also marinate the chicken with 2 tbsp of tandoori masala, yoghurt & 2 tsp ginger garlic paste,  and let it sit for 12-24 hours, covered in the refrigerator. You could use chicken thighs as well, Some may even tell you it’s more flavorful that way.

If you want the smoky flavor then dice the tomato with 3-4 pods of garlic and toss it in the oven for 5-8 min (you can see the tomato slightly roasted ) giving an extra smoky flavor.

Vegetarians don't be disappointed you can replace chicken with paneer/tofu and follow the assembly steps for paneer butter masala

With a little weekend prep work this recipe can be made on weeknight. Make the sauce (and freeze it before hand) and marinate the chicken on Sunday and put it together in about 20- 25 minutes on a weekday. That’s faster than ordering take-out ;)  So skip the take out and make Butter Chicken at home using this recipe.

Happy finger licking !!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR LIL SOJOURN

A very Happy birthday to ourlilsojourn. We cannot belive it’s been a year since we started this journey with you. Thank you everone for coming along and staying with us. Firstly very sorry for disappearing for weeks, nope months. Unexpected events took priority in our lives for a while and hence the absence from this journey for a while but we are back to rock.

Today we would like to share our experiences in this beautiful journey with you. As most of you are already aware ourlilsojourn is the outcome of our constant hangouts (Google) and a need of space to store and share our thoughts, feelings and ideas. We have  realised how much this blog means to us in the past few weeks when we could not post anything due to tight schedule and busy family time, even the communication amongst the three of us has also been to minimum which is a very surprising thing. When we posted every weekend we used to spend hours together in chats and hangouts working on the post but now there was a silence ...which made us think this space is not just a blog but a bond between us that is keeping the glow in our friendship alive forever .

In the past one year, we have shared our travel journals, tasty recipes and tips from our lives with you to help you with our experience. Some of you have been kind enough to let us know how much you liked too. The best part of it is our gallery which has attracted numerous eyes and accumulated loads of appreciation. Our most loved post was how to packing for a home away from home. This little space of ours has taught us so many things from Blogspot to working on excel. This beautiful journey is not just to share our experience with you but to learn  from  yours too, so please stay along with us and let’s enjoy and have fun together while we step into another beautiful year

We promise to take you along with us in this never ending journey of ours and make sure it is filled with excitement, experience and enjoyment all along so what are you waiting for, hop along with us .

Happy birthday!

Seven essentials for your wardrobe this Fall-Winter

When fall-winter is right around the corner, one first experiences the depressing dull grey skies, the trees shedding their leaves and no colour in the scenery at all for the next six months or in some

places even longer. Why do you have to compromise and compensate on your fashion during fall-winter just because of this depressing weather! Although most of the time we end up staying in jackets if we are outdoors travelling and what you wear inside really doesn’t matter, why not make dressing during these seasons more fun and delightful.

Not only when building  a winter wardrobe, in general the first thing to keep in mind is being comfortable in what we wear. Also, since it is difficult to predict the weather especially in Europe we should be prepared to face all the seasons in a single day. Dress according to your day. For example, if you are going for a walk see that you are dressed to keep yourself warm from the wind; dry from the rain by wearing the appropriate boots. If you are using the public transport or car then you can dress in layers as once you get into trains or buses it will be very warm. Either way always carry an umbrella with you. Here we have given seven essentials which can help you for your fall-winter wardrobe.

1. Layering with a good sweater

Since winters can be really chilly while living in western countries it is necessary to always layer your top with a good sweater or cardigan so that you could remove it as soon as you start feeling warm from the indoor heating!

Dark blue Sweater: The Sting (Amsterdam) Price: 25 EUROS

2. Jeans/ Woollen Leggings

Although jeans can be worn throughout the year, in fall and winter jeans can be more than a fashion trend since they protect us from the wintry winds and the freezing snow. Trust us you don’t want to be wearing ripped jeans during these seasons. Another alternative to Jeans is the Woollen leggings. This can be paired well with Knitted dresses or with long knee length boyfriend t-shirts.

3. Knitted dresses

A knitted dress or jumper dress is an absolute must have in your winter wardrobe,these never go out of fashion.A cosy knitted tunic dress paired with a thick tights and boots is the most comfortable outfit. It can either be dressed up as formal with heels or ballets or as casual with boots thus making yet stylish yet sophisticated.

Knitted tunic dress : Tu Clothing,Sainsburys (Stoke city): 25 GBP

4.Outerwear jacket/trench coat

Womens’ jacket are not only adorable and stylish but also a perfect fashion statement, which express perfect attitude to your personality. There are various types as well as kinds of jackets/outerwear, ranging from blazers, reversible jackets, overcoats,  trench coats, blazers, denim jackets, leather jackets to suede jackets with different style and design as per your budget.

Jacket: H&M $25, US

Winter cap: Forever 21, $5, US
Scarf :H &M $3, US

It is highly impossible to leave your house without a good jacket which can keep you warm until you get to your next destination. Sometimes jackets with a hood and rain protection material are needed to protect you from the unpredictable rains.

5. Gloves and Caps

Some days the temperature drops to minus when it is absolutely freezing outside ,a pair of gloves to keep your hand warm and a hat to Protect  your ears is a must.Try to buy something that suits your style but also keeps you warm.

6. Colorful Scarves

They look pretty and it is essential to to protect our neck from cold since exposing our neck affects us faster in the cold. Why not make it trendy while protecting your neck. Our suggestions are buy stoles and scarves from India when you go on a vacation. Since most of the malls abroad have stoles and it pains to see that they are imported from India and are really expensive. Another advantage of buying in India is  the colour and variety of Indian stoles which is simply amazing.

7. Boots

Whether it is ankle boots or knee length boots, a nice thick pair of boots are absolutely essential for the chilly winters. Opt for boots which are easy to walk rather than high heeled ones which sometimes can be tricky to walk on snow. Investing in at least one good pair of boots is essential if you are living in the western countries. A pair of wellies is a must if you walk around more as it’s the best on rainy days.

This post is a long overdue as it has been in our drafts for the whole winter,  yet we decided to post it as now is the best time to shop for a winter wardrobe as most of the shops have sale going on. So what are you waiting for! Try different outfits, mix and match and create your own signature style.

Happy Winter shopping!

Three Positive steps for a productive New year!

There are holiday wishes which we make when the New year begins - and then there are wishes that should really count... With the new year we all get into the phase of losing weight, going to the gym, being fit, but are always stuck with the thought, "where do we start from???" As health is the relationship between you and your body, we thought why don’t we start this year with few wishes and things to do first for ourselves, for our house and for the world.

Personal Goals

Having certain wishes for yourselves is very important. Only if you are in happy space you can make things better for the people immediately around you and the world around you. Here are some of our wishes for ourselves.

1. Avoid "JetBellly": The feeling of being five times larger than what you are is something most people go through. Also most people try everything to reduce weight; right from dieting to work out but there is an underlying reason why it still doesn’t work for you. The cause is sodium which is usually present in all our foods and is particularly high in any fried food, cocktail mix, carbonated bubbles. It is necessary to counteract all the salts by sipping water throughout the day. The best way not to forget drinking water is to set a reminder in your phone for an interval of every hour. Since it is recommended to drink at least 2 liters of water everyday, having a water bottle with measurements helps. Most people mostly avoid

drinking water because it has no taste. To make it more tasty, add some lemon, mint, ginger & cucumber to the water, refrigerate it overnight and sip this flavored water the whole day. This flavored water also helps in detox.

2. Join the small plate club: Until we started travelling we did not know so many different varieties of mouth-watering food which existed. This puts us in a complex situation where we are tempted to try everything but we still need to control, watch our weight and stick to our healthy eating habits. You can solve this by making a rule to use smaller plates, start off with veggies, and make just one trip down the lane in a buffet. Another option which we follow while travelling is to indulge in the local delicacies for one meal and have a meager meal for supper/dinner.

3. Healthy snacking: This can be anything from dry fruits, nuts to fresh fruits, protein bar, healthy oven roasted banana chips or a small home-made healthy muffins (our banana muffin link), have them in your kitchen, or with you at work and eat to kill the hunger pangs every second hour.

Home and family goals

1. The 15 min routine: Cleaning can be a bit overwhelming if you save everything for later, so make it a habit to clean one part or one room of your house thoroughly for 15 min everyday.

2. Meal planning: “What’s for dinner?” is a question which crosses the mind of every cook in a household. It is better to start meal planning for the week thus not waste your time in thinking about what to cook. On weekends try to do meal prep based on the menu you plan for the week and thus you get to spend more time with your family.

3. Date nights: If you are a busy parent try to make a date night to spend more time with your partner. It can just be a takeaway and a movie on DVD but still try to make that effort.

4. Involve kids: Try to involve kids in household chores and decisions. For example: while meal planning ask them what they would like to include in the menu or when would they like to go for a picnic.

5. Organize files: Try to maintain a household folder to keep all the important papers, files and letters safe and organised.

Global goals

1. Segregate waste: If your local municipality follows waste segregation, try to follow it. When we lived in India we did not have the option to segregate our waste (although it is starting now slowly in few cities even in India) so we could not practice it. Now when you have the option to do so, use it.

2. Do not litter public spaces: Always use the public litter box to put your wafer covers or coffee cups. Now a days they are everywhere, so use them always. If you have pets, please clean up your dogs' poop. When in a fast food restaurant clear your tables after you have finished eating, whether you are in India or abroad.

3. Go Green: Try to plant small tree near house or more plants in your backyard garden (if you have one). You can start by growing your own herbs in your garden or small flowering plants. It could be an activity to involve the kids too.

4. Charity: If possible get involved in fundraising programmes like baking or raising money for charity by running in a marathon. Also if you have time and interest you could also be a helping hand in a charity shop.  

All these wishes might be small steps towards something big. Being healthy and responsible towards the society should be part of your overall lifestyle… and not just a New year’s Resolution. Finally, Love yourself enough to live a healthy lifestyle :)

Happy goal setting!!

Tomato Ghotsu/chutney for Diet Pongal

Tomato ghotsu or Koshtu as they call in South India is a one pot dish, which is quick and easy to make. It is one of the perfect accompaniments for Diet pongal (recipe given in earlier post).The ripeness of the tomatoes is very essential for the tangy taste of the ghotsu and this also adds colour to the dish which is characteristic of Indian cooking.

Ingredients

Tomato - 3 big (chopped finely)

Onion - 1 ½-2 medium chopped finely

Green chilli -1-2 nos

Ginger - 1  inch chopped finely

Dhania powder - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Rice flour - 1 tsp (optional)

Sugar - a pinch (optional)

Salt - to taste

Curry leaves - few

Coriander - to  garnish

For seasoning

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Hing/Asafoetida - pinch

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method

1.Take a thick bottom vessel, add oil, when the oil heats add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add hing and urad dal.
2. Now add the chopped onions and fry until the onions becomes transparent. You can add the green chilli and ginger at this point.
3. Next add the tomatoes.You can either add chopped tomatoes or you can grind them into a paste and then add. 
4. Let the tomatoes cook well. You can add around ¾-1 cup of water and add salt and let the tomatoes cook properly.

5. Once the tomatoes have cooked properly and the raw smell is gone add red chilli powder and dhania powder.

6. Let it boil for sometime until everything integrates well into a uniform broth. The volume would have reduced a little too. You can add rice flour if you want it to be little thick and for uniform texture. You can add a pinch of sugar, as it brings out the flavours.

Tips

1. You can add one tbsp of sambar powder instead of the dhania powder and red chilli powder
2. You can also  add cooked moong dal  in the last step after adding the tomatoes .

This simple side dish takes the accompanying dish to a whole new level be it for diet pongal, idli or dosa. It is a very versatile dish that can be made in a jiffy with basic ingredients available in your kitchen, so do give it a try it with Venn pongal for “Pongal festival”and it will soon become your staple side dish for everything you make.

Happy Relishing ghotsu!

Welcome 2016!

It’s the beginning of yet another year, time surely does fly. We had a wonderful Christmas and we have shared some pics with you from all the Christmas festivities and we hope you all enjoyed too. Though we can make short term changes for our day-to-day activities, we particularly wait for this day for a new beginning as we hope this will stay with us throughout the year. Resolutions and wishes are made by all but only some are lucky to have them fulfilled and for some the list continues for the next year, still we think we must take at least one resolution as that will remind us what we want for ourselves or what  changes we would like bring in our lives.

Ourlilsojourn has also made a resolution for this New Year: To never end this beautiful journey we have started together and always share our experiences with the world.

 We are also sharing our individual resolutions with you, which we hope to follow throughout the year.

Akki : Take less stress and be healthy.

Bharani: Make more “Me time” and make a wish list of little things to do (for myself).

Tanya : Improve creativity and spend more time for it .

These resolutions might not seem like they are very ambitious but believe us these are the most important ones for us as they focus on improving our attention on ourselves and helping us in knowing what we want as we often put ourselves last when it comes to time.

Please do share your resolutions with us if you have made one, we would love to hear from you.

We wish, pray and hope that this New Year brings you all the happiness in the world and may all your dreams come true. Have a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous year ahead.

Happy New Year!!