Fragrant Indian Butter Chicken

Tara invited me to join her in going to the Taste of Home Cooking School show in Loveland last month. We had a lot of fun. For the show they demonstrated 10 recipes and it was like watching Food Network EXCEPT you could ask questions about subsitutions etc. and you could SMELL it. mmmm... We came home with lots of new recipes to try. I really needed something like this to pull me out of yet another dinner rut.

This recipe is one of the one's they demonstrated. I went home and tried it and we really liked it. It has a different taste than my usual cooking. Josh kept going on about how it tasted authentic (not that he is an expert in Indian food). The recipe is super easy, fast and yummy.

2 Tbs butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic (I used it from the jar)
1 Tbs grated fresh gingerroot (I used ground ginger spice, gingerroot is expensive and I don't use it enough to warrent buying it though supposedly you can freeze it whole)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (this I bought special for the recipe, it gives it that great yellow/orange color)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbs tomato paste (I didn't have, I subsituted in some tomato sauce)
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, skin removed and cut into chunks (I just put two chicken breasts in a small crock pot with a little water and cooked them all afternoon then shredded them)
1/3 cup half-half cream (I used fat free half and half, also great for soups)
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 Tbs minced fresh cilantro (I omited this because I didn't have it)

Hot cooked rice for serving

In a large skillet, melt butter ove medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion in tender, about 5 minutes. Add gingerroot, chili powder, turmeric and cinnamon; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes; stirring occasionally. Add chicken, cream and sour cream; simmer, uncovered for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over rice if desired.

Sushi Rolls

You can add whatever fillings you want to these rolls, but I'll given you some of my favorites and some other suggestions.

Possible Fillings: (use one to four)

* Sliced egg omelets (4 eggs, 2 tsp. sugar, dash salt, vegetable oil)
* Dried Shitake Mushrooms (12 mushrooms, 1 cup chicken broth, 4 tbs sugar, 2 Tbs soy sauce)
* Canned Salmon, drained and flaked
* Ripe avocado cut into thin strips
* Parboiled snow peas cut into thin strips
* Crab meat
* Strips of proiscuto cheese
* Bell pepper strips
* Cooked asparagus tips
* Whole green beans, blanched

Sushi Rice:

4 cups rice (long grain white or Cal rosé)
4 cups water
Vinegar Mixture:
1/2 cup vinegar
5 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt

5-6 sheet nori (seaweed)

Prepare one to four items for filling. (Our favorite combination is the egg, mushroom, salmon, and avocado.)

For Sliced Egg Omelet:
Break eggs into a bowl, and stir. Add seasonings and strain through a sieve. (This makes the texture more smooth and uniform). Heat an oiled frying pan and pour about 1/4 cup egg mixture, spreading to cover the entire bottom of the pan. When egg is almost cooked (it starts to loose its shine) roll up from one end. Remove from pan and cool. Repeat with remaining egg. Slice length wise.

For Shitake Mushrooms:
Rinse and soak in water. Cut off hard tips. Cook in chicken broth and sugar, skimming the scum, for 4-5 minutes. Add soy sauce and simmer over medium heat until liquid is gone (a bit syrupy in the bottom). Cool on a plate or cutting board. Discard stems and cut into thin slices.


For Rice:
Wash the rice before cooking. Add water and let it stand for 1 hour (a good time to prepare the fillings). Make vinegar mixture (put everything into a small bowl and stir) and set aside. Bring water to a boil and cook according to the directions on the rice package. After it's done cooking, leave it to steam for 7-8 minutes.

Transfer rice to a large, deep baking pan. Pour the vinegar mixture over the rice and stir with vertical cutting movements, cooling as much as possible while doing this. Let sit until it reaches skin temperature.

Lay a bamboo mat down and place a sheet of nori, shinny side down, on it. Spread 1/5 to 1/6 of the rice on the nori leaving about 3/4 inch at the far edge. Lay the fillings in long horizontal strips across the rice. Using the bamboo mat, bring the bottom edge of the nori to the top and join together. Using bamboo mat, press to shape, rolling to tighten. Cut into eight equal slices (a sharp knife and water for rinsing are useful). Repeat until done.

Chandra's Hawaiian Haystacks

This is my best friend's mother's recipe. It's super easy and makes a great use for leftovers and can be quite filling.

2 cups shredded chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
Cooked rice

Toppings: broken almonds, cheddar cheese, chow mein noodles, diced celery, diced tomatoes, pinapple chunks, raisins, shredded coconut, soy sauce, etc.

Mix chicken, soup, broth and water over medium heat.

Pour over individual servings of rice. Top with desired toppings.