Tag: Ghee

Pressure Cooker Mango Chicken

I’ve mentioned before how awesome the Philadelphia food scene is, and it seems to only be getting better! One of the latest additions to the Philadelphia restaurant scene is Makhani, which just opened in Old City. Owned by restaurateur Shafi Gaffar, the restaurant includes a 34 seat dining room as well as a private space on the second floor for up to 50 for special events. The restaurant also provides delivery throughout Philadelphia.

Makhani, which means “with butter”, specializes in North Indian curries that usually have thick, moderately spiced and creamy gravies. The use of dried fruits and nuts , as well as the incorporation of dairy products like milk, cream, home-made cottage cheese, ghee (clarified butter) and yogurt, play an important role in the cooking of both savory and sweet dishes. Everything in the kitchen, from the breads, to the sauces, to the desserts, are made in-house and from scratch using high quality, fresh ingredients from Chef and his culinary team. Makhani will also offer authentic Indian dishes in a specially designed Tandoori clay oven brought over direct from India. On the menu, look for an extensive list of notable vegan options, as 50% of the menu is vegan.

Source: Society Hill Films

The made-to-order, farm-to-table menu from executive chef Sanjoy Banik is a relatively uncommon approach to Indian restaurants in the region. The flavors of Indian food can take up to ten hours to develop, so many restaurants pre-batch their preparations. The menu includes modern spins on traditional North Indian cuisine, and also features some unexpected ingredients, such as lobster, scallops, and lamb shanks.

Source: Society Hill Films

Gaffar is originally from Bangladesh, where is family owns a mango garden/farm and works as inspiration for many dishes on the menu,  including Indian Mango Chicken (shown above)- a dish made of  “spiced chicken breast cooked in our homemade mango sauce with fresh mangoes.” I decided to try to make my own version at home using my multi-pot to mimic the flavors of a dish that requires cooking for a long period of time to fully develop its flavors.

My version uses chicken thighs and differs in overall flavor to the version at Makhani, so I strongly suggest trying out their version as well!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 8 oz frozen mango chunks
  • 1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk, thoroughly shaken
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
  • 0-2 dried red chili peppers, depending on your spice tolerance
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 tablespoons oil (to make dairy free) or ghee
  • 6 cardamom pods, smashed
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup chicken broth or water
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
  • fresh mango slices, for garnish

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Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon

I have somehow never even attempted Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon. I must have skipped over that week during JC100. This dish is easily adapted for a slow cooker because it is a stew recipe that takes quite a long time to cook. This Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French comfort food, which cooks chunks of beef in a red wine-beef broth with garlic, onions, and carrots. The recipe I used is adapted from a new cookbook called The 163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes (100% Gluten-Free) by Judith Finlayson. I personally do not follow a Gluten-Free or Paleo diet (something that is probably glaringly apparent with my dairy and gluten filled posts) but have friends that do for various reasons. I wanted to learn more about Paleo and what exactly it entails so that I can hopefully post some Paleo friendly and Gluten-free recipes in the future. So what is Paleo? The general idea behind it is to eat like hunter-gatherers from the Paleolithic Age,or basically eat things in their natural state. So it is a protein-rich diet that limits carbs that are low in starch (fruits, veggies). Grains, legumes, refined sugars, and other processed foods are all not consumed on the Paelo diet.  The diet also favors organic foods and meats that have been grass fed.   Boeuf Bourguignon is honestly mostly Paelo to begin with. Only a few minimal changes have to be made (no traditional butter, sorry Julia). And instead of serving the stew with pasta, potatoes, or rice, the dish is just enjoyed as is. I kept to the recipe in the cookbook for the most part but did edit it ever so slightly to include the lovely mushrooms I picked up at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival this weekend. I also substituted in Herbes de Provence because I couldn’t find my thyme anywhere. Ingredients (Serves 4):

  • 1 tbsp clarified butter (Ghee) – make sure its organic and comes from grass fed cows (or olive oil to make dairy free)
  • 4 slices uncured bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 lbs grass fed beef, cubed
  • 1 lb assorted mushrooms (I used beech, oyster, and trumpet)
  • 2 white onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
  • 2 cups organic dry red wine
  • 1/2 cup beef stock (make sure there is no sugar added)
  • parsley, chopped, for garnish

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Hake Meuniere over Spaghetti

.With Julia Child’s 100th birthday fast approaching, the food blog world has been celebrating in the best way we know how: honoring Julia Child through her recipes.  I am currently reading a book about her life called Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz. (I will have a review of this book when I’m finished reading). I just got to the chapter which describes Julia’s first encounter with French food. Her first meal in France was Sole Meuniere, a simple but absolutely delicious dish. I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I made a slightly altered version of Julia’s version over spaghetti. I wanted to make it with sole, but my market was all out. Hake is a similar fish, so I substituted it for the sole, so I bring you Hake Meuniere over Spaghetti.
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound fresh spaghetti
  • 3 skinless and boneless hake or sole fillets, 4 to 6 ounces
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
 
Excerpted from The Way to Cook by Julia Child. Copyright © 1989 by Julia Child. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

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Tandoori Chicken Thighs with Saffron Rice

Adding spices to your meal is a great way to add tons of flavor to a dish without adding calories. Because you need so little of the spice to enhance a dish, it’s a pretty cost-effective way to add flavor as well. (I try to buy my spices outside of supermarkets where they are really marked up. Spice Terminal in Reading Terminal was my favorite spot — I hope it’s coming back soon! update: The Head Nut is now open!) This dish in the latest Cooking Light for Tandoori Chicken Thighs incorporates traditional Indian spices which I absolutely love. I also made a quick saffron rice to go with the chicken.
Ingredients (this recipe makes 2 servings):
For the chicken:
  • 1 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the rice:
  • 1 cup uncooked basmati or similar rice
  • 1 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 tsp saffron, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon ghee, or butter
  • 6 cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
  • Salt, to taste

Continue reading Tandoori Chicken Thighs with Saffron Rice

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