The Nation wants to know......

The Nation wants to know who is the inventor of Butter Chicken........

Kaun? Kaun? Kaun? Moti Mahal? Daryaganj?

This is National News.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/who-invented-butter-chicken-2-delhi-restaurants-battle-it-out-in-court-4898475

So this case goes to Delhi High Court!

...where I hear we have loads of backlogs for trivial cases waiting in line - fraud,  theft, scams, murder,..

You know the usual simple stuff! 

Happens all the time, media shouts, candle march, people forget...life goes on.

I feel sad for the lawyer who is going to stand up in the court room to use his education, skills and time fruitfully to fight over Butter Chicken... 

his dream case of course!

I also feel sad for the clients who will keep on paying the lawyers (through their kidney and pancreas) as the case moves from one date to the other......

The court will next hear the matter on May 29, until then the sizzling debate over who is the "inventor of butter chicken" will go on....

I can clearly see Sunny Deol flaring up his nostrils and his muscles and saying " Tarikh pe Tarikh, Tarikh pe Tarikh"

😀

But this is National News.😀

Do not underestimate the power of Butter Chicken.

Cooked by a close friend 'U' for the CheerfulChild lunch

This is exactly what I mean when I say - it is tough to be a foodie!

😀

We are passionate people - give us a topic and we can even take you to the court.

Especially, you cannot mess with our food - it is treated with the same reverence and respect and love and passion and excitement

....as our....as our....umm.....wait.....let me see....as our EXISTENCE!

....and on top of all that ...BUTTER CHICKEN!! -  No way you can touch that!

This is a serious conflict! 

Indian cuisine (especially outside India) thrives and flourishes under the blessings of Butter Chicken (Chicken Tikka Masala being the closest competitor) 

To be honest, Butter Chicken is served in many shapes and forms here in Amsterdam but the claim that it is the 'original' is mentioned by everyone.

At home, during our Cheerful Child Lunches, Butter Chicken is clearly the favourite and steals the show every time.

Now that the case is in the court, let them fight over the inventor and sort it out.

We all agree, that whoever invented it, did a good job.

Salute!!

But let us pay our tribute to the inventor by making a lip-smacking butter chicken today.

Here is the recipe  I use usually.

(also from NDTV - coincidentally the same that I got the news from)

😀

Marinate, cook and enjoy.....

• In a mixing bowl, put raw chicken pieces and add salt, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste and lemon juice. Mix well.

• Refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes.

• Now add curd to the refrigerated mix. Followed by salt, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, garam masala, kasuri methi and mustard oil. Mix well and refrigerate again for an hour.

• Roast the marinated chicken in an oven for about 30 minutes until it is three-fourth done.

• Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan with butter.

• Add cloves, cinnamon stick, mace and cardamom. 

• Saute and then add chopped tomatoes, garlic and ginger. Mix well and then grind well. 

• In another pan, heat another two cubes of butter, along with ginger garlic paste.

• Add the tomato puree made from the mixture. Now add red chilli powder, kasuri methi, honey and finally the roasted chicken pieces. Let it simmer.

• Add green chilli, cardamom powder and cream. Mix well.

• Serve with a teaspoon of cream on top.

 

Gyan-paapi and Spanish Paella

Another fresh New Year! - to plan, to live, to be grateful for!

Best wishes for all........

Today's word is -GyanPaapi!  (in Bengali) 

জ্ঞানপাপী (Gyanpaapi) : Willful or deliberate sinner; conscious sinner.

This is what Google threw back as the meaning of the word.

😊

When I was growing up, this word was often used sarcastically for a person who had all the theoretical knowledge and reasoning about doing something, that could be harmful, YET continued doing it. 

So inspite of having the 'Gyan(knowledge)', still did the 'paap (sin)'.

Let me explain...........

Scene1: I caught a cold 

Ma:  How did you catch a cold? (big eyes, stern voice)

Me:  I was playing outside in the cold without wearing my sweater. (See? knew it, yet...)

Ma: Gyanpaapi!

OR,

Scene2: Got poor grades in Maths. (ok, make it very poor grades in Maths)

Baba: So why such poor grades this time? (the tone was not as calm as it feels in writing here)

Me: I did not study enough     (See?  funda clear, yet...)

Baba: Gyanpaapi!

None of the above scenes ended in such a peaceful one-word-only outcome but you get the general drift of the word...right?

😁

I have quite a few Gyanpaapis in my life (including myself)

(most of them 50± years on this planet) 

We know we need to eat healthy. We know we need to put in more exercise. We know we need to go for the yearly check-up. We know physiotherapy really helps the back problem. We know that the daily walk is mandatory. We know smoking is injurious to health. We know hobbies bring positivity to life. We know life is uncertain. etc etc...

We know it all - theoretically!  because we have been here long enough and have seen a lot of life...........

YET............yet yet yet..... we ignore.....and continue 'business as usual'...

We are a bunch of Gyanpaapis!

Dear friends - Take a pledge this year  - quit being a Gyanpaapi! 

(believe me, I just made my physiotherapy appointment 😀)

'Gyan' over - let us switch to food and life.

Chicken Prawn Paella

This skillet was bought by A-senior a few years back. ...and then it was seasoned with full energy and passion!!

The Oil massage, water wash, exact temperature of the preheated oven, oil massage again, wiping with a dry cloth, back in the oven, raising the temperature in steps...the whole shebang!

He never got to use it.

This year, I mustered enough courage and muscle power to bring out the never-used-perfectly-seasoned-superheavy-cast iron skillet to cook a Paella. It turned out to be ok - not the very best (I blamed it on the rice I used) but the skillet was more than perfect!

I may have complained a bit too much about its weight before - but I do promise to use it more to make him proud and happy.

You need [I made for 6 people]

Chicken : 1 kg boneless (small pieces)

Prawns (deveined): 300 gms

Garlic : 6 pods sliced

Onion: 1 medium roughly chopped

Carrot : 3 (cubed)

Frozen peas: 1 cup

Red paprika: 1 diced

Chicken stock cube

Tomato puree : 3-4 spoonfull

Paella Rice : 3 cups   

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Fresh coriander (I did not have parsley, hence...)

Ready steady cook:

• Put olive oil into a large paella skillet on a medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot, chicken and paprika, and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Add the tomato purée and crumble in the stock cube, then add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes so it starts to absorb all the flavours.
• Pour in 750ml of boiling water and add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cover with lid  and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularly from the outside in and from the inside out, and adding a splash of water if needed.
• Stir in the peas and prawns, replace the lid, and cook for a further 5 minutes
• Season with some more black pepper, then chop the coriander leaves, scatter them over the paella, and serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

.....and how can I forget the perfect Sangria that 'S' prepared to go with the Paella?

It is a blessing when there is food on the table and friends around to eat it together.

                                                                     Cheers to 2024!