Homemade Indian: Round 2

Indian Round 2 includes boneless, skinless chicken thighs marinated in buttermilk and spices all day, Chana Masala, Cauliflower Rice and Naan.  It was a lot better than my first round of Indian. The marinade made the chicken very moist and tender, the chana masala was perfectly spicy, the cauliflower rice is always good and I rolled the naan a bit thinner so it wasn't so doughy.

In sum, if a recipe doesn't work out the first time, regroup and do it again! Take note of what you learned and apply it and best of all, ask others for their thoughts and opinions.  

Spiced Buttermilk- Marinated Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup buttermilk, or enough to cover all the thighs,

2 tablespoons of garam masala OR *Ras El Hanout

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp cardamom,

Salt and Pepper

Put the buttermilk in a bowl and mix with the spices so everything is well combined.  Place the chicken in the bowl and cover with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

After the marinade time is over and you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 450F, put the chicken in a baking dish and discard the marinade (If you cook buttermilk it separates and is really ugly). Bake for 40 minutes, turning the thighs once halfway through cooking.  Set to the side to cool and chop into bite sized pieces.  

*Ras El Hanout is a Morrocan spice blend, which to me, tastes very similar to indian spices, so I found that it works very well in my spin on Indian Food.  I've been unable to find Garam Masala in the local stores where I live, but was able to find the Ras El Hanout, go figure.  Try both and see which you like better!

Chana Masala

adapted from Kurry Leaves

1 tbsp oil
1 jalapeno

1/2 onion very finely chopped
2 cloves of minced garlic

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

3/4 tsp Ras El Hanout

1 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 14.5oz can drained and rinsed chickpeas
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water

Put the oil in a pot or pan over medium-low heat and saute the jalapeno and onion until soft (about 10 minutes).  Add the garlic and all of the spices and allow to cook for about 1 minute.  Add the chickpeas and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and water and bring to a boil and allow to cook together for about 10 minutes.  Simmer on low until you're ready to eat.

I included links to the cauliflower rice and naan in my opening paragraph.