The New Normal

How's everyone doing?  Hanging in there?

Strange times, eh.

And we're all facing new challenges while planning our meals, menus, and shopping.  Trying to use more of what's already in the kitchen, and crossing our fingers that the store has what's on our grocery lists!

We had a decent supply of chicken (and faux chicken) in the freezer, plenty of rice, and a few boxes of 'insta-Indian' (those thin boxes of goodness containing various paneer dishes, daal, and so on),

We did not, however, have any sort of bread.

So I made naan (using a recipe from Rasa Malaysia), and we put together a tasty, filling meal using what we had around.

These are useful skills to hone, as we're looking at, potentially, up to eighteen months of 'six feet away' and 'stay at home'.

And I can think of no better way to work on those skills than to join Blog Party! It's coming up Saturday, 4 April, so there's still time to participate.

Our theme is Pantry Raid (read all about it here), where you create appetizers and drinks (any kind!) using ingredients you already have on our shelves, in your freezer, and so on.

It doesn't have to be fancy.  We're just looking to virtually gather together, and share some tasty foods. Get experimental! Use it up! Blog Party and Dispensing Happiness are safe and encouraging spaces. 

So stop by this Saturday with your (Pandemic) Pantry Raid treats, and get ready to party!

From at least six feet away.

McSpicy Paneer-ish

I read an article from NPR last week, about McDonald's plans to open stores in India near temple sites, but featuring vegetarian menus. (My feelings about that will have to wait for another time and place.)

One of the dishes mentioned was the McSpicy Paneer; a sandwich made with a tempura-d slab of paneer.

Ok; I don't eat fast food. And if I did...it wouldn't be at a McD's.  But this? This intrigued me.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find much beyond a general description for the sandwich so I decided to just wing it.

A spiced mayo spread on the bottom half of a roll, followed by lettuce and a thick slice of tomato, then slices of batter-dipped and quick-fried paneer, and finished with raita.

The result? Quite good, actually. A bit too much food (which I suppose is on par with a chain restaurant sandwich), but tasty.
We'd rather have used a tamarind chutney in place of the spiced mayo, but couldn't find ours.

Definitely worth further experimentation, though.

Chicken Tikka Makhani

Oh, hey. It's me again.

Twice in one week? This is when you start looking for the pod.

This recipe for Butter Chicken came up on my Twitter feed a few weeks ago, via Serious Eats.

Yes, it's a lot of ingredients and sure, it takes a bit of time.

The good news: it's not active time. There's a quick pureeing & the chicken marinates for hours. Then, it gets broiled & set aside.
Toss a bunch of stuff into a pot. Simmer, add in the chicken.

Serve with rice & you're done.

Oh, & the wait? Totally worth it. A vivid tomato-flavored sauce. And for an Indian dish with cream, it's relatively light.