Chicken Masala - Copy Cat Indian Restaurant recipe

Crazy Good Indian Butter Chicken

(Murgh Makhani Masala)

I'm not kidding, this dish is amazing. For years I have wanted to duplicate Indian Masala dishes found at my favorite Indian restaurant, The Bombay House, in Utah. My girls and I ADORE masala. Nothing made at home ever came close, I never found good recipes in books or online.

Sigh...

I get stubborn about these things sometimes... I again did my research, and still did not find what I was looking for. BUT, I decided to start with a basic Indian gravy and work from there. I knew I wanted a creamy, buttery tomato base. I did not want to taste an over abundance of cumin, which most home made recipes have. I also did not want the sauce to be acidic tasting from the tomato, again, most home made sauces are too sour. I wanted a harmonious marriage of exotic Indian spices, peeking their way through, delighting the taste buds. The sauces I love also have a subtle sweetness to them too and I wanted to duplicate that.

I cooked and tasted carefully, adding more spices and "stuff" until the sauce "officially arrived".

The sauce turned out so rich and flavorful. The chicken was so moist and tender, with a touch of tang that perfectly complimented the decadent sauce. Served over basmati rice, and garnished with cilantro, it was perfect. We enjoyed it more than the version served at most Indian restaurants. I usually have to have tamarind chutney on the side to fully enjoy this dish, but this has such a nice flavor that I didn't need it at all. We fell into a blissful Indian food coma after this incredible meal. We were SO happy, just sayin'.

This is a sauce you can add any meat to, not just the marinated chicken recipe below. You can make it vegetarian, by adding Paneer (an Indian cheese). Oh, how I love paneer... I tried making it once - epic fail. I'll figure that one out too some time.

This makes enough sauce to serve about 8 people, or 2 meals of 4. I like to make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge until needed. Restaurants also make their sauces in advance, in big batches, to save time. They will then customize it to order for their patrons. Marinating your meat ahead of time makes for quick meals come dinner time.

This recipe is surprisingly easy to prepare.  How great is that?

Serve with basmati rice for authenticity and true deliciousness. I like to garnish with fresh chopped cilantro too.

Garlic Naan is a natural to serve with Indian food, My recipe is not gluten-free (yet), so I will not share it with you here.

Here is my original prized recipe, I now present it to you...



Marinated Chicken:

3 to 4 fresh or thawed skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 T. mashed garlic
1/2 T. grated fresh ginger
1 T. plain yogurt (Greek yogurt works too)
1 t. garahm masala powder (recipe on this blog)
1/2 t. tumeric powder
1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. BioSalt (recipe on this blog)


Method:

Mix the marinade with the chicken in a heavy duty Ziplock bag. Coat the chicken evenly.

Let marinate in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours, overnight is even better (you may store in your refrigerator up to 3 days this way).



Makhani Masala Sauce (a thick buttery tomato based sauce):

2 T. virgin coconut oil
1/2 c. pureed onion
1 T. fresh grated ginger (paste)
1 T. smashed garlic (paste)
1/2 to 1 T. kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves), optional to taste (Indian food stores)
1 1/2 t. Graham masala powder
1 t. Ancho red chili powder
1/2 t. plus 1/8 t. Saigon cinnamon
1/2 t. cardamom powder
1/2 t. tumeric powder, optional (I left it out this time)
1 pinch red hot pepper flakes
1 green chili, minced, optional (I left it out this time)
3 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 c. hot water
1 c. heavy cream (Dairy-Free Version: omit cream and water, add 2 cans full-fat coconut milk)
2 t. xylitol
1 1/2 t. BioSalt, to taste (recipe on this blog)
1 T. butter (omit if dairy-free version is desired)



Method:

Heat 2 T. coconut oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat..

Add ground onion  and saute until it starts looking translucent.

Add the ginger paste, garlic paste and kasuri methi, if using (I did not have any).

Saute until the mixture until it starts to sizzle and let it sizzle a few minutes. Don't let it burn.

Add a touch of water if you feel the onion is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add the graham masala, chili powder, cinnamon, cardamom, hot pepper flakes, and green chili.

Mix well in the pan. Add the tomato sauce and 1 c. hot water.

Turn the heat down to medium, cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 1 c. heavy cream and 2 t. xylitol, stir and then bring up to a boil again, uncovered.

Add 1 1/2 t. BioSalt and 1 T. butter, stir in and remove from heat.

Taste for seasoning. It should have a subtle sweetness from the xylitol and sweet spices.

Use the sauce immediately or pour into a quart jar and store in your refrigerated until needed.

There is enough sauce to prepare 2 batches of the marinated chicken above.



To Prepare The Meal:

Prepare the basmati rice according to the directions for your rice cooker, using 3 cups rice, the amount of water called for, 1 T. butter and a heaping t. BioSalt.

In a large frying pan, heat the 2 T. coconut oil and fry the chicken pieces for about 3 minutes on each side, until starting to brown. don't over crowd the chicken in the pan.

Once the chicken is done, Add the prepared sauce, about 2 cups worth.

Stir together and gently heat through. Thin with a little water as needed.

Top with fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve over hot cooked basmati rice.



Notes: 

In the future I may puree the sauce to make it even more velvety.

I used our home made Garam Masala spice blend recipe found on this blog.



See pictures of the cooking process:

The sauce is the boss!

Sauce ready to put into the fridge.

The chicken is marinating...

Virgin coconut oil is perfect for this dish.

Coconut oil is melted in the pan and marinated chicken is placed inside...

Saute chicken until golden and flip over to brown the other side.

Pour in about half a jars worth of  prepared sauce.

Add a bit of water when the sauce gets too thick.

The finished chicken and sauce.

Served with Basmati rice and Naan.

Enjoy!!!

Leila.

Easy Homemade Gyoza Dipping Sauce - Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free

Gyoza (Pot Stickers) Dipping Sauce

So my daughter was preparing a pan of organic gyoza for our dinner tonight, when we discovered at the last minute that we had NO DIPPING SAUCE!

Yikes!

I looked online at a few different recipes. They all seemed to be too heavy on the soy sauce, and too vinegar-y too. I wrote down some ideas and then proceeded to prepare my own version of it, tasting it along the way.  I don't like using more soy sauce than vinegar. I don't like the vinegar without some sweetness added to balance it out. I like a touch of heat too. I added a little toasted sesame oil, not too much or it will overpower everything else. I love lots of fresh ginger, and a little fresh garlic, so I added that too.

I have posted the recipe I came up with, and it closely resembles the sauce that comes in those little packets that most bags of frozen gyoza contain. But this sauce is better.

This sauce is also sugar free and gluten free.

This is a super simple recipe. It's quick too. I researched it and made it, just as my daughter finished our gyoza for dinner. I am posting it because it is a delicious version of this sauce, and I have listed several ingredient options, so you can play with the sauce to suit your tastes.

In the stores, a bottle of this sauce will cost you about $5.00. It is much less expensive (and tastier) to make it yourself.


Gyoza Dipping Sauce Recipe:

1/3 c. rice vinegar (gluten free and sugar free)
1/4 c. tamari soy sauce (gluten free)
2 t. xylitol or Lakanto white granular zero-cal sweetener, to taste (sugar-free)
1 t. toasted sesame oil
Sriracha to taste (or 1/4 to 1/2 t. red chili flakes)
1 t. finely grated ginger
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced fine (up to 2 cloves)
1 scallion, finely sliced

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, if desired


Method:

Mix the vinegar, tamari, and xylitol to taste. Stir well to dissolve the xylitol.

Add the sesame oil and Sriracha. If you plan on storing the sauce for longer than 2 weeks time, it's best to leave out the fresh ginger, garlic, and scallion until serving time.

At serving time add the ginger, garlic, and scallion to taste.

Use as a dipping sauce for prepared gyoza.


Tips:

You may use garlic chili oil or regular chili oil in place of the red chili flakes or sriracha.

You may add wasabi to the sauce if desired.


Enjoy,

Leila

My Favorite Seared Fajitas - Plus a Tortilla Review

My Favorite Fajitas

These have been made in my home for many years, and we never tire of them. They are easy to make and very flavorful. The fresh lemon juice in the marinade is perfect. I have even let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 3 days before making. I did not do that on purpose, life just got busy. I imagine you could marinate the meat and freeze in serving-size packets for make ahead meals.

You can use any type of tortilla you want to. For this particular dinner we tried a new organic whole wheat flour tortilla. They are thinner than most tortillas, which I like. See the review for these tortillas at the end of this post.

For a gluten-free meal, make this a chicken fajita salad or use gluten-free tortillas (usually yucky though, I'm afraid). If you ever find a delicious GF tortilla, let me know.

Use vegan sour cream and cheese, if you are into that.

Of course you can vary your toppings too. Your favorite bottled salsa will do when tomatoes are not in season.

Oh Yeah. I ate 2 of these babies for dinner!

My Favorite Fajitas Recipe:

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts or beef

Marinade:

1 to 2 cloves garlic, smashed well
1 1/2 t.gluten-free seasoned salt (recipe on our blog)
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. gluten-free chili powder
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. rice bran oil or light olive oil
2 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Fajita:

3 to 4 T. deodorized coconut oil
1 c. sliced onion
1 c. red bell pepper
1 c. yellow bell pepper
8 flour tortillas, of choice, warmed
2 avocados, sliced or mashed with onion salt, garlic powder, and lemon juice
1/2 c. chopped scallions
sour cream of choice (Reduced Fat Sour Cream Blend - recipe on this blog)
shredded cheese of choice
fresh salsa
fresh cilantro, minced


Method:

Cut the meat into thin strips (you may partially freeze for easier cutting).
Marinate the sliced meat in the combined marinade for 2 hours (even up to 3 days in fridge is o.k.)
Quickly saute the vegetables in coconut oil until lightly browned (sear them over med-high heat).
Remove vegetables from pan.
Saute the meat in coconut oil about 4 minutes.
Toss the meat with the vegetables and serve.
Spoon meat & veggie mixture into flour tortillas.
Garnish with avocado, sour sream, scallions, cheese, salsa, and cilantro as desired.


Tip:

I like the way restaurants serve fajitas seared and sizzling. Without having to grill the meat on an outdoor grill, this is what I do in my home kitchen:

I will often cook the meat in a large non-stick skillet while I am searing the vegetables in a well-oiled cast iron pan. I remove the vegetables and set aside. I drain the barely cooked meat, reserving the juices. I add the barely cooked meat to the well-oiled cast iron skillet and toss, to quickly sear it a minute or so. I then add the vegetables back to the skillet with the meat and toss to warm through. To finish the fajitas off, I pour the reserved juices over top. toss and serve.






Here are some photos of the fajita making process:

Thinly slice the partially frozen meat.

Meat and marinade ingredients before being well mixed together.

Vegetables being prepped.

Searing the peppers in a cast iron skillet.

Cooking the meat and vegetables separately to save time.

The onions are looking nicely seared.

Tossing the meat and vegetables together before serving.

My husband about to dig in!

Flour Tortilla Review:

Los Fortunitas Organic Flour Tortillas

My husband and I were on our regular Costco date, when we saw these being sampled. Of course we tried them. We bought them because they were organic whole wheat tortillas, and mostly because they are thin. I hate the thick, pasty white flour ones sold in stores. These actually resemble my favorite uncooked tortilla also sold at Costco, called Tortilla Land All Natural Fresh Uncooked Tortillas (Restaurant authentic). They are yum, but made with white flour, so we don't eat them very often.

I recommend gently warming these up before eating them, do not let them dry out. They are easier to use than the uncooked ones, which is nice. I like that they are healthier too. The texture of these tortillas is excellent. Finally, a whole wheat tortilla that doesn't taste like cardboard.

If I were to go on taste alone, these rank as my 2nd favorite tortilla that's sold in stores. If I were to consider nutrition too, this is my first choice.

Honestly, my mom's gluten-free tortillas rule, but they aren't sold in stores. Booo.

So there you go, my review is complete.

Enjoy!

Leila

Faux Brown Rice - Low Carb and DELICIOUS!

Baked "Brown Rice" Cauliflower

This is an amazing low carb side dish. You will love it. It's a great basic that you can serve with almost anything. It can even be made into fried rice, Spanish rice, curried rice, etc... We are currently working on a sweet rice pudding featuring cauliflower rice!

This is wonderful for those who are wanting to slim down, yet still enjoy eating fabulous food.

Cauliflower is naturally low carb, isn't that great? Now in this dish, it tastes great too!

Best of all, this is really easy to make...



Baked Cauliflower "Brown Rice" Style:

Wash and core a large cauliflower. Break off the flower clusters and cut off the stems. Do not use the stems, they ruin the rice-like texture we are after.

Break the flower clusters into small pieces, or roughly chop them.

Place cauliflower pieces into a food processor and pulse until you achieve a rice-like texture. Don't over do it.

Toss the processed cauliflower with about 1 T. onion powder (not onion salt!), to taste. This flavors and sweetens the cauliflower and also helps with browning.

Next, toss the cauliflower with melted salt-free fat or oil of choice: we used organic butter with a little bacon fat added. You could also use fat from a roast chicken - the leftover fat and bits (fond). Be generous with the fat or oil. You could also add about 1 T. almond, hazelnut, or pecan butter for a nuttier taste.

Spread the cauliflower inside a GREASED wide cake pan/dripper pan/pizza pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven, on the top shelf, stirring every 20 minutes, until it is as tender and browned as you like. It took 1 hour in my oven.

Serve warm as you would rice, or use as a base for fried rice with egg, or as Spanish rice, even as a curried rice. Be creative with this faux brown rice.

Salt to taste when served.



Pictures for your viewing pleasure:

The raw cauliflower processed to a rice-like texture.

 This the texture you are after.

Finished Cauliflower brown "rice"

One of my dad's favorite low-carb  meals (Stick Meat recipe on this blog)


Enjoy!

Leila & Nancy.

Low-Carb Mashed "Potatoes" made with cauliflower - and they taste like potatoes!

REALLY GOOD Low Carb Mashed "Potatoes"

 (O.K., it's really cauliflower)

Delicious and guilt-free "Mashed Potatoes", at least that is what this tastes like... Cauliflower is the secret low-carb ingredient here!

Kitchen cheetahs has some secrets to share with you on how to prepare this dish. There may be some variations of mashed cauliflower out there, but our version is actually crave-worthy, good enough to serve to company and great for low-carb eating. You will not feel deprived eating this.


Low Carb Faux Mashed Potatoes:

2 pounds Cauliflower
1/2 c. Organic milk (or 1/2 c. organic half & half)
1 t. Onion powder (not onion salt)
1/4 t. garlic powder (not garlic salt)
2 ounces Neufchatel cheese (or light cream cheese, or vegan cream cheese)
2 T. Bamboo fiber (omit if you can't find)
1/8 t. to 1/4 t. gum blend  (ie. 50% Konjac + 50% Xanthan) (Don't over do it , or it will be gummy)
BioSalt or sea salt (recipe on this blog), to taste
White pepper, to taste


Method:

Wash the cauliflower and break off the flower clusters and cut off the stems.
Break the flower clusters into small pieces. Only use the flower clusters in this dish, not the stems.
Put cauliflower into microwave-safe dish with 1/2 c. milk or half & half.
Sprinkle with 1 t. onion powder and 1/4 t. garlic powder.
Microwave uncovered for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
If  you don't use the bamboo fiber, drain the liquid out of the cauliflower and reserve for another use.
Put the cauliflower and dairy mixture into a food processor and puree until smooth.
Add the 2 ounces Neufchatel cheese and puree until smooth.
Add the bamboo fiber, if using, and gum blend (starting with the smaller amount).
Puree the mixture until fluffy. Add salt and white pepper to taste.
Serve hot, with butter, if desired.


Notes:

You may add a pinch of psyllium fiber if you want to thicken the mashed cauliflower further.

Neufchatel cheese has 1/3rd the fat, and light cream cheese has 1/2 the fat of regular cream cheese.

A favorite brand

See photos of the process:

Core the cauliflower. Do not use the core in the mashed "potatoes"

Cut off the stems too, they don't give the texture we want

Processing the cauliflower until smooth

The finished "mashed potatoes"


YUMMY!


Enjoy<

Leila & Nancy.

Successful momming for a sick child - and a recipe for a delicious hot cereal

What I do when Sickness strikes our house (and a recipe for delicious comforting porridge)

My teenage daughter woke up at 5:30 this morning to throw up. Nice alarm clock for a Saturday morning - NOT. By 10 A.M., she had thrown up so many times, she lost count. Poor thing. The first thing I had her do was to take some Wild Mediterranean Oregano essential oil. I make an oil blend that is gentle enough to swallow by mouth, but so potent, that we use it as a natural antibiotic at our house. In fact, our daughter has never had to take prescription antibiotics - ever. It has kept me antibiotic-free for 20 to 25 years at least (I've lost track). It has saved us probably thousands of dollars in doctors visits alone. CAUTION: Don't take oregano oil strait or you may wish you were dead - it burns the mouth and throat so bad.

Tip: Whenever anyone in our home has gotten sick, I remind the rest of us to take a little oregano oil blend as a preventative measure. It works.

My daughter soon tells me that she can't even keep any water down. I know she is absorbing some of the wild oregano anyway, and I also know it is annihilating this bug she has, it will just take a short time to see the effects.

I have her rub a combination of virgin coconut oil and a mixture of sickness fighting essential oils on the soles of her feet. I instruct her to do this at least every hour. The oils make their way into the body to help fight off the sickness. Cool, right?

I proceed to make her a strong ginger tea. Ginger is one of the best things you can take for an upset stomach and nausea. Ginger is even effective for motion sickness and morning sickness. I sweeten it with about 4 drops of sugar-free stevia glycerite. See our recipe for stevia glycerite on this blog.

I let the ginger tea steep 10 minutes and then take it to my daughter. I tell her about ginger being a perfect remedy for her stomach. She asked me, will it help? I told her, "It certainly will." She's feeling pretty miserable, I want to give her some hope. Honestly, she has been sick so infrequently, that it is a shock to her. She hasn't had all the sickness that most kids have. I have to let her know that she will live. Don't laugh.

Next, I make a pot of hot rice porridge. Rice is very easy on the stomach. I have a special recipe I use, which I will share here. I use basmati rice (brown or white) and I add a little psyllium husk to it. Psyllium is a fiber that is also soothing and detoxifying to the digestive tract. It also gives a nice creamy texture to the hot cereal. We love it for it's blood sugar regulating effects. Psyllium slows the absorption of sugars and carbohydrates, which helps to even out your blood sugar levels. That's a good thing for maintaining health.

Another important tip is to salt all of your hot cereals as you are cooking them. It takes hot cereal from flat and boring to actually tasting good. It brings out the flavors nicely. Even salting to the point of the cereal being on the savory side is delicious, and is our family's favorite way to prepare mush. We have used BioSalt for this purpose for years. It is a balanced salt, that negates water retention in the body. See our BioSalt recipe on this blog.

For my daughter's situation, I sweeten the hot porridge with wild flower honey (preferably raw), as it is healing too. I sprinkled her cereal with ground ginger and cinnamon and topped it off with a little pad of butter. I then added a little organic whole milk.

Let's cross our fingers. Will the cereal stay down?

I made cereal fort the rest of the family too. This cereal is a delicious comfort food, plus it's cold outside and this is nice and warming. The basmati rice makes this cereal special. Try it!

We nicknamed this particular recipe "Fiji Rice Mush." Mom created it while living in Fiji. It gives a nice exotic twist to mush's name, don't you think?

Fiji Rice Mush Recipe:

2 c. uncooked Basmati rice (brown or white)
2 t. finely ground psyllium husk powder


Method:

Grind the rice kernels and psyllium in a high powered blender until it becomes a fine powder.

You may find it easier to grind in 3 batches.

Store what you won't be cooking in the freezer.


To Cook the Fiji Rice Mush:

In a large saucepan, mix 1/3 c. ground rice mixture and 2 cups water. Add 1/2 t. BioSalt or sea salt.
Stir and cook until thick on medium-high heat.
Reduce heat and cook on the lowest heat for at least 10 minutes. Add more water as needed.
Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 20 to 30 minutes.
To keep hot, cover with a folded terry cloth towel.
Check for salt, and adjust is desired.
Serve with coconut milk, organic milk, or nut milk.


Note:

The psyllium husk slows the absorption of the starch in the rice. Psyllium also extends the amount of porridge made because it absorbs a lot of water. It helps your blood sugar levels not to spike and then crash, helping with weight loss. Psyllium is also good for the digestive system and helps you feel full longer.

Enjoy,

Leila

EASY & Delicious Low Carb Pancake Syrup - Sugar-Free

Make your own TASTY Sugar Free Maple Syrup


Why ruin perfectly good low-carb pancakes with sugar bomb syrup, when you can easily make this healthy version yourself? 

I will not use commercial syrups that are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, and I hope you don't either. The healthier versions are expensive and hard to find, BUT, once you stock your healthy pantry, you will never need or want go back to buying pancake syrup. Party!

Low Carb Pancake Syrup Recipe:

Ingredients

1/2 c. xylitol 

1/2 c. erythritol (or Lakanto Golden Zero-Calorie Sweetener)

1/4 t. glucomannan (Konjac) powder (up to 1/2 t. for a thick syrup)

1/4 t. xanthan gum or guar gum

1/4 t. BioSalt or sea salt (recipe on blog), to taste

2 c. purified water

2 t. maple flavoring

1 t. real vanilla extract

1 t. butter flavoring, optional

1 t. stevia glycerite , to taste (recipe on blog)

Instructions 

   1.Premix the xylitol, erythritol, glucomannan, xanthan or guar gum, and salt. Sift or whisk   together well. This prevents the glucomannan and xanthan or guar gum from clumping. 

  2.Place the sweetener/gum mixture in a small saucepan, on the stovetop. Add the water with stirring. Heat on medium heat until sweeteners are completely dissolved, stirring frequently. Do not boil.

   3. Remove from heat. Add the flavorings to taste.

   4. Add the stevia glycerite, starting with 1/2 t. and adjust to taste (note that a little stevia goes a long way).

   5. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Notes 

1. You may use just xylitol or erythritol if that is all you have. The sweetening profile is improved by combining the 2 sweeteners however.
2. You may use just the glucomannan to thicken the syrup. Start with only 1/2 t., adding up to 1 t. for a thick syrup.
3. If the syrup isn't as smooth as you would like, pour the syrup into a blender and gently blend together a few seconds.
4. I would start with 1/4 teaspoon glucomannan. If you want a thicker syrup, add up to 1/4 t. more and blend it in a blender, it will thicken nicely.
5. Note that erythritol is tolerated much better by most people's digestive systems, compared to other sugar alcohols.  Erythritol is also lower in carbs than xylitol, but xylitol is sweeter. Mixing the 2 is synergistic.
6. You can omit the butter flavoring and just stir in 1 T. organic butter at the end. 

Enjoy, Leila