Celebrating Mother's Day The Right Way: With Mom and Food

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This blog post was written by my intern, Sai, and details her Mother’s Day traditions with her mother.

Cooking has always been a huge bond between my mother and I growing up - the way it brought us together is part of the reason I love food and feeding others so much. So, this mother’s day, my mom and I decided to cook AND share some of her specialities: chicken tikka masala and naan.

before we begin: my STUNNING mother

before we begin: my STUNNING mother

(This is my first time putting together a recipe and my mom uses “eyeballing” as a form of measurement, so bear with us!)

Part 1: Chicken

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Ingredients

(for the chicken marinade)

  • 1 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt

  • 1 tbsp garlic paste

  • 1 tbsp ginger paste

  • 1 tsp garam masala

  • 1 tbsp ground cumin

  • 1 tbsp ground coriander

  • 1 tsp paprika (can add more for more spice if you’re feeling adventurous)

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 lemon’s worth of lemon juice

  • 1 lb. skinless chicken breast (cut into 1 inch pieces)

(for the sauce/gravy)

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 yellow onions (diced)

  • 1 tsp ginger paste

  • 1 tsp garlic paste

  • 1/2 tsp paprika (can add more for more spice if you’re feeling adventurous)

  • 1 tsp turmeric

  • 1 tsp garam masala

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder

  • 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce or puree

  • Cilantro as garnish

Steps:

  1. Mix the marinade ingredients together

  2. Marinate the chicken breast overnight

  3. Sautée the marinated chicken in a frying pan with olive oil over medium high heat

  4. Cook until chicken is done

    ~gravy time!!!~

  5. To make the sauce, sautée the diced onions in olive oil over medium heat in separate pan

  6. Add the ginger paste, garlic paste, and tomato puree after the onions have become brown

  7. Let the mixture cook for approximately 15 minutes over medium heat

  8. Add paprika, turmeric, and cumin and cook for 5 minutes (at this point the gravy is ready!)

  9. (Optional step: Add 1/4 cup whipping cream for milder, creamier version)

  10. Add the chicken from the first frying pan and add garam masala and cardamom. Mix well, serve with cilantro on top, and EAT UP :)

Part 2: Naan

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Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup warm water

  • 1 tbsp sugar

  • 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

  • 3/4 cup warm 2% milk

  • 3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp Kosher salt

To serve:

  • 1 stick melted butter

  • 4 cloves minced garlic

  • Fresh cilantro as garnish

Steps:

  1. Add sugar and yeast to warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes

  2. In a separate bowl, mix salt, flour, and yogurt

  3. After the 10 minutes is up, add yeast mixture and warm milk to the bowl with the flour

  4. Mix well to form dough

  5. Cover the dough with a moist towel for 2 hours to let it rise

  6. Knead the dough

  7. Form 2 inch balls of dough and roll out until evenly flat (approximately 3 mm thick)

  8. Cook on flat iron over medium heat for about 30 seconds or until it becomes light brown

  9. Flip and repeat

  10. Place the naan directly on the stove top to let if puff - the naan is ready to eat at this point

    (watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eKuJ6Xf2Fs @ 6 minutes and 39 seconds to see this step in action)

  11. Melt the butter with the garlic in the same container in the microwave for 1 minute

  12. Brush the garlic butter onto the naan, garnish with cilantro, serve, and again - EAT UP

The final, delicious product - she is a beaut.

The final, delicious product - she is a beaut.