Royal Indians - Butter Chicken and Lamb Vindaloo

Royal Indian Moghlai Cuisine is popular the world over and especially so in our home. I am not about reveal every intricate technique of how to prepare these incredibly full-flavoured dishes on my blog, but I shall disclose all the secret the ingredients. Ready with your pencil and paper? The Murgh Makhani has chicken in it and the Vindaloo has lamb in it. Now that we have the secret ingredients out of the way, you can enjoy the photos and savour the e-aromas.

Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken is probably the most beloved of all India dishes, arguably superseded in fame only by Tandoori Chicken or Mutton Biriyani. Like all Moghlai cuisines it has its roots deeply intertwined in Persian cuisine. There aren't many Indian restaurants that don't prepare some version of Butter Chicken. Sadly, commercialization has taken it's toll on this famous dish and many restaurants serve heart-wrenchingly substandard versions of the dish, so much so that it can be it unpalatable. Any restaurant worth its salt should be able to prepare this heavenly, creamy indulgence with relative ease, although the version that involves preparing tandoori chicken first infinitely multiplies the time required to make it.

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken), made with the softest organic chicken breast tenderloin, San Marzano tomatoes and paste, Costa Rican ginger, fresh local garlic, Kashmiri chilies, Spanish paprika, Peshawari kasuri methi, fresh cilantro, heavy cream, freshly roasted Indian cumin, Spanish saffron and Kerry Soft Irish butter. Exquisitely served with fresh garlic buttered naan from the grill. Noritake Queen's Platinum Collection dishes adds elegant grandeur complementing the dish.

Shahi Murgh Makhani - Butter Chicken

If you aren't agonizing just yet for not being invited, then I present to you Australian Lamb Vindaloo with Saffron Peas Pulav, Tatzagi chutney and fresh cucumbers. Spiceeeeee. This grandest of all dishes is considerably more complex to master and deservedly so. An art form, its extravagant magnificence will humiliate French cuisine. If you think cooking is a chore and you don't have at least six to eight hours to invest in its creation, this dish is not your cup of teaand you shouldn't attemp it. Preparation and technique should be meticulous and short cuts considered a cardinal sin or else the results will be unforgiving. There are no accidents! But execute it with patience, love and care and food connoisseurs shall be rewarded with a dish that Emperor Shah Jahan himself would have traded his beloved wife Mumtaz Begum along with the Taj Mahal for just one bite. Yes, It's that good. This dish commands the respect of butter chicken. Don't go looking for it in just any restaurant. Id Mubarak to all my friends.

A tip: In India this dish is actually cooked with goat meat. Therefore, many Indians find the strong flavours and aromas of readily available New Zealand lamb to be uninviting. If you live in the western hemisphere, goat meat is hard to find. Australian lamb is not as fragrant as New Zealand lamb and serves as a great substitute for goat meat. Significantly more flavourful than goat, I certainly love New Zealand lamb best.

Lamb Vindaloo

Food is about sharing with your family and friends. On both occasions I invited my American friends to grace our dinner table with their presence. Needless to say, they were most delighted. now, go share something special you love to make with someone extraordinary in your life. Happy cooking!

Like the story,photographs or want recipes? Call or email for a print or rights to use the photographs. Your support is truly appreciated.