Season[ing]s Greetings - Cooking, Indic…

March 26, 2024.

by Bridget O’Donnell

One sunny Saturday in February, I drove upstate to deliver my nephew’s belated Christmas presents. Although planned, the visit was more spontaneous than I imagined. Coordinating dynamic schedules can require flexibility and patience. 

The abridged version of the day: after coffee and tea we gently encouraged my 7 year old nephew to open his presents. Until this point, he’d been waiting patiently, maintaining our casual conversation and virtually ignoring the pile of gifts donned in holiday paper on the table. My mother used to say I had ‘selective hearing,’ that I was always the first one in the kitchen when a sweet treat was offered, even if whispered. Similarly, I’m going to say my nephew’s behavior that morning was an impressive example of his ‘selective will power.’ Thankfully he genuinely appreciated each gift. Shortly thereafter, we attended a school musical featuring some of my sister’s students. (Surprised? Me too.) Then, we collected her husband and went to get something to eat. As we waited for our order, half of our party played card and board games while my sister and I exchanged a few dinner ideas for busy weeknights. She suggested one recipe with the disclaimer that 'it calls for butter’ but what stuck with me was that everyone in her household liked it, even the picky eaters. Fast forward to a few texts after letting everyone know I made it home safely.

Unfortunately, I can’t share the recipe that had been torn out of “a healthy eating magazine years ago” because there wasn't enough information in the photograph to find it. After talking to one of my colleagues, we posit that maybe everything isn’t really available online. Even if I knew which magazine the recipe was from, that site’s search engine may not work with or like Google. Or, maybe like JSTOR, there’s a moving wall embargo. I can’t be sure. However, while I was looking for said recipe or something comparable to cite I learned that Butter Chicken, also known as Murgh Makhani, is a “mild Indian dish and a great introduction for those who might be apprehensive of strong spices or curry-heavy dishes.” (Julson) And maybe for that reason it's considered one of the most popular curries in the world. Tangentially, there’s also a lawsuit for the origins of its name.

Title of Website: RecipeTin Eats - (This is the supplemental recipe that, in my opinion, has the most similar ingredients and instructions to the recipe my sister suggested.)

Author of Recipe: Erica Clark was the author of the original recipe. Nagi Maehashi is the author of the recipe I’m referencing for this month’s What's Cooking Blog.

What prompted you to check out this recipe? 

It wasn’t until I thought I was ready to prepare the recipe that I realized we didn’t have a can of evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is made by slowly heating milk to remove about half of its water content which creates a thicker texture. We had whole milk in the refrigerator but reducing it would have doubled the recipe's prep time. (Read about the difference between evaporated and condensed milk then refer to The Icing On The Cake for one possible application of the latter.) 

After Googling alternatives for evaporated milk, I hesitantly weighed whether to make the recipe at all, wait until my next trip the store or, take my chances and substitute less than half a can of (full fat) coconut milk. I decided to wait. *Note to self, remember to read the entire recipe before going to the grocery store.

While inconvenient, my oversight wasn’t a complete loss. It indirectly gave me enough time to look for other recipes to compare as well as taste a more authentic version of the same dish from Dhaniya Mirch, the Indian grocery store across the street from the Adriance Memorial Library. Two packages of boneless chicken breasts, and one repurposed dinner later I also learned this popular curry dish doesn’t call for curry powder but relies on Garam Masala. ‘Garam Masala is a spice blend made from peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, and coriander. It gives butter chicken a deep, sweet and savory flavor.’ (Julson)

What did you like about this recipe?

  • The recipe took 30 minutes.
  • The spices are colorful (salt, black pepper, Garam Masala, turmeric, paprika, garlic [cloves], and [grated] ginger). Although more seasoning than I normally use for a single dish, the recipe from my sister called for less spices than any other recipe I found. For us, this translates to having more ingredients already in the cabinet.
  • Aside from [boneless chicken breasts and] condensed milk, the recipe didn’t require an excessive trip to the grocery store.
  • It was mildly spicy but I could increase the heat in individual servings with the addition of cayenne and black pepper.

What didn’t you like about this recipe?

  • There was a lot of sauce. Initially I wasn’t sure if I should have added more meat and vegetables or less condensed milk. After comparing recipes I think this may be characteristic of the dish.
  • Condensed milk has to be shaken well. Those instructions are clearly marked on the can in fine print. If you think the curry doesn’t look creamy enough before serving, separate the solid ingredients and blend the reserved sauce.

Favorite recipes (that you tried from the website):

Butter Chicken.

Did you alter the recipe or make any substitutions?

  • In addition to a jar of diced Roma/plum tomatoes, I added the last vine ripe tomato that we had on the counter.
  • The original recipe suggested adding a cup of frozen peas, which I love.
  • Following the recipe from my sister, I used a 5 oz can of evaporated milk. Nagi Maehashi’s recipe calls for plain yogurt (full fat) in the marinade and heavy/thickened cream in the curry sauce.

Would you recommend this recipe?

Yes, I would recommend this recipe. It was very manageable and I’ve made a few notes to help streamline my workflow next time. Ours may have been more mild than Dhaniya Mirch's but it was definitely palatable.

 

Dhaniya Mirch: (clockwise) Garlic Naan, Samosa,

Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken and

Chicken Korma (w/bone) Over Rice.

 

Butter Chicken over Basmati Rice

Served with Garlic Naan.

References:

Books - 

Chetna's 30-Minute Indian: Quick and Easy Everyday Meals / Chetna Makan. - (The introduction includes "things to bear in mind for the recipes to work at their best,” pg. 11. Yogurt Chicken Curry, pg. 60. Butter Chicken - Murgh Makhani, pg. 63.)

Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes For the Home Cook / Richa Hingle.

Websites -

"About the Moving Wall." JSTOR, https://support.jstor.org/hc/en-us/articles/115004879547-About-the-Moving-Wall#:~:text=The%20Moving%20Wall%20embargo%20refers,of%203%20to%205%20years. Accessed 25 March 2024.

Dhaniya Mirch, www.dhaniyamirch.com. Accessed 22 March 2024.

Food Network Kitchen. “Evaporated Milk vs. Condensed Milk: What’s the Difference? And Can They Be Used Interchangeably?” Food Network, 22 June 2022, https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/evaporated-milk-vs-condensed-milk.

Hadid, Diaa and Omkar Khandekar. "Who Cooked Up Butter Chicken? A Court Seeks the Answer. Plus: Madhur Jaffrey's Recipe." NPR, 1 March 2024, https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/03/01/1234793757/butter-chicken-origins-india-madhur-jaffrey-recipe.

Julson, Erica. “Creamy Indian Butter Chicken.” Happily From Scratch, 19 March 2022, https://www.ericajulson.com/creamy-indian-butter-chicken/.

Kelly, Leslie. “What’s the Difference Between Evaporated and Condensed Milk?” Allrecipes, 3 October 2023, https://www.allrecipes.com/article/evaporated-and-condensed-milk/#The%20Difference%20Between%20Evaporated%20and%20Condensed%20Milk.

Maehashi, Nagi. “Butter Chicken.” RecipeTin Eats, 13 November 2023, https://www.recipetineats.com/butter-chicken/.

Stafford, Gemma. "How To Make Evaporated Milk (Recipe)." Gemma's Bigger Bolder Baking, 6 November 2023, https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/evaporated-milk-recipe/.

Quick Subject/Concept links to the Discover Online Library catalog:

Cooking, Indic

Cook* - (Results narrowed down by Format: EMagazine; Periodical-Other; Magazines, Journals & News. Consider narrowing down results further by Concepts/Subjects/Themes, i.e. Health & Fitness or, Low-calorie diet- -Recipes- -Periodicals)