No-Butter Chicken, No Problem
sarah's space canada
(Jul.23.09)
Click here to find out what inspired Sarah to try mastering the art of cooking at home.
Since summer doesn't seem to be arriving any time soon, I decided to take Rumiko's suggestion to try making butter chicken this week even though it seems better suited to fall. I also chose this dish because I have an amazing cookbook called Everyday Indian by Bal Arneson that I haven't used nearly enough (OK at all) and it happens to feature a healthy No-Butter Chicken recipe. I know! Don't you love the idea of being able to have your healthy diet while getting to eat delicious "butter" chicken, too?
Step one this week was making my very own Garam Masala spice mix. Now this was an adventure in grocery shopping. Back to T & T I went, this time to the Indian section in search of spices like curry leaves and cardamom pods. 
Unfortunately I had no luck finding these two in particular so I skipped the curry leaves (apparently there's no substitution for these) and substituted a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg for the cardamom. Once I had all the ingredients I roasted them and then ground them into a fine powder. Well, at least as fine as I could given I was using a chopper instead of a grinder (good thing my birthday's coming up, hope you're listening T.).
Then I was ready to make Bal's No-Butter Chicken and I'm happy to report the recipe was far from intimidating, really only two steps: saute then simmer (more or less, any way). I knew I was totally capable of that. In fact, I was so confident in my ability that I made the chicken while entertaining my guest, drinking a Metro Mojito and munching Nectarine and Cantaloupe Salsa I had whipped up earlier (not on homemade roti as planned but with nacho chips instead - not exactly Indian but I ran out of time and like a good hostess I improvised). Dinner went off without a hitch. And Bal's secret ingredient in her No-Butter Chicken...yogurt!
Both T. and my friend agreed, they couldn't tell the difference between Bal's, and now my, healthy recipe and the sinfully delicious takeout option. T. has assured me I will definitely be making this meal again, it's officially his favourite of my tests so far. I hope this inspires you to try this dish yourself, and for those of you who are butter chicken veterans, I hope you'll try this healthier version and let me know what you think!
Looking for more Indian dishes? Try our Everyday Indian Menu also excerpted from Bal's cookbook.