butter chicken
I remember vividly when and how I fell in love with Butter Chicken. The month was May, the year 2011 the place a small, ramshackle restaurant in New Delhi, India. I had been in Delhi studying since early March of that year and had months to go before heading back home to Cape Town to finish off my degree. Most of the food I had been exposed to in the city until then had not been to my liking, mainly because I did not at the time have much of a palette for hot and spicy food. One day when my friend and I went out as we often did to get out of the campus, I decided to try out Butter Chicken, which I was assured was the dish with the least heat on the menu. I was immediately hooked. For me it was the creamy texture and how the spices were tempered with yoghurt and tomatoes that made this meal a winner. Fast-forward to 2021, I’ve been enjoying this meal for a decade. The recipe below is my take on this delicious meal and I hope you can use it to switch up your chicken meals once in a while.
Scones, Scones, Scones
This is my recipe for yumminess produced in under an hour. These scones are perfect for a weekend or weekday morning. All you need to do is set your alarm an hour early to make sure that you stay in your family’s good books for an entire week! My scones are light, fluffy and golden. The sugar content ensures that they are sweet enough to enjoy on their own and not too sweet that you can’t add jam and cream. I really like adding ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon for that added bit flavour. You can also add a teaspoon of nutmeg for that additional flavour pop. Go on, give this recipe a try and let me know how popular you become in your home.
Basil Pesto
Learn how to make your own pesto, that’s a pearl of wisdom I’d like to share with you. You’ll thank me later. Pesto comes in different forms. You get the more traditional Basil Pesto, which I am sharing here with you. You get Sundried Tomato Pesto and even a Citrus Pesto. My time in Italy showed me just how creative one can be with this versatile sauce that goes amazingly well with pasta or as a spread on freshly baked bread. You can even add your pesto to salads, that’s how versatile it is. One of the reasons I really love making my own pesto is that I can infuse as much or as little flavour as I want, unlike the standard store-bought stuff. If you want more Parmesan, just add it. If you want to test this recipe out with Pecorino Cheese instead of Parmesan, go ahead. Wanna try out different nuts? Just do it. You’re open to being as creative as you want to be – your kitchen, your rules! You’ll need a pestle and mortar for this recipe but if you’re feeling lazy just use a food processor. I’ve kept this pesto in the fridge for 7 days but I suspect you can go up to 8 or 9.
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