As I mentioned here, on Tasty Tuesdays I'm going to share a new recipe I tried, a cooking/baking tip, a restaurant review, a quick meal idea or a profile of an ingredient I use often. Tonight I want to talk about Indian food. Basically, it's delicious. The depth of the spices, the subtle heat, the smell... oh, and the naan. Ohhhh, the naan. But all that deliciousness isn't usually made in less than a few hours. Not only does it take a lot of time to cook authentic Indian, but it takes a lot of ingredients and a lot of kitchen know-how that I just don't know.
Now I could always order take-out and the Taj Mahal is only a short 10 minute walk away, but then again I'm a cheapie. I can't help it; it's in my blood. So while strolling the international section of Sobeys last fall I spotted a packet (on sale!) of Asian Home Gourmet butter chicken spice paste. I was skeptical because I had tried a butter chicken ready-made sauce before and it was good, but it just tasted a bit flat. Anyway, long story short-er I bought the paste, brought it home and followed the directions exactly. And............ I've bought it at least 3 times since then. It requires very minimal ingredients (chicken, onion, cream/milk etc.) and it kicks a butter chicken craving for less than half the price of take out. I'm not saying it tastes like you're at the Taj Mahal in Moncton (which I miss, PS) but for 4$ and a half-hour of my time, it's pretty damn impressive and tasty! You can up the yum factor by pairing it with ready-made naan (or homemade if you're feeling ambitious) and/or some basmati rice.
I also just recently tried this Asian Home Gourmet Indian Chicken Madras Curry, but I subbed chickpeas for the chicken. It was thick, rich and warm, almost like a wintery stew which was perfect for the rain storm-y day we were having.
If you're an Indian food lover like me, but you don't have the time or supplies to make your own, I would definitely suggest you give them a try. Has anyone else used these spice pastes? Let me know what you think! Here's a photo so you can spot them easily at the grocery:
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| It actually turns out to be much more yellow than orange... |
Thanks for reading! Also, check back next week for my peanut butter chip cheesecake recipe.
xo Janelle
I used to make these all the time! I find the key to making them super close to the real thing is to use coconut milk instead of cream. Not only does it amp up the flavour but coconut milk is really hard to burn, so you can relax while simmering it :)
ReplyDeleteOoo that sounds good! I Like the themed blog posts!
ReplyDeleteYes! Beth I used coconut milk for the curry one and it tasted so rich and comforting. Loved it! But if I don't have any I use sour cream or plain yogurt too. I never use milk, it makes it too watery I find...
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