Here are a few facts about India:

• Capitals: New Dehli
• Population: about 1.293 billion
• Area: 3 287 263 km²
• Currency: Indian rupee

For the Indian meal I made butter chicken. Butter chicken is chicken marinated in a yogurt and spices mix. Then mixed with a sauce made with tomatoes and a bunch of spices. Along with the butter chicken I made a classic indian bread, the naan.

Butter chicken (murgh makhani)

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 pinch of turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt

For the sauce:

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 2 cloves
• 1 pinch methi powder (fenugreek seeds powder)
• 1-2 green chilies or jalapeños
• 4 large tomatoes (if you have small tomatoes you can add a little bit of canned crushed tomatoes)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 10 cashew nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 80 ml heavy whipping cream

Directions:

First you need to prepare the chicken for the marinade. Cut the chicken in 1 inch pieces, rinse it with water and pat it dry.

In a large bowl, mix the chicken, chili powder, salt and lemon juice. Let sit for 20 minutes.

In the meantime measure all the other ingredients for the marinade and prepare the ginger and garlic paste. To make the ginger and garlic paste, put the peeled ginger and the peeled garlic cloves in a pistil and mortar and mash together.

After 20 minutes, add all the ingredients of the marinade to the chicken, mix well, cover and set in the fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is better).

After the chicken has sat for at least 4 hours. Heat a little bit of oil in a pan and pour the whole marinade in it. Cook on high heat until al the liquid is gone. Set the chicken aside.

To make the sauce. Measure all the ingredients, roughly chop the tomatoes and prepare some more ginger and garlic paste with the ginger and garlic cloves.

Heat the butter in a pan, add the cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and cook for 1 minute. Add the green chilis and the ginger and garlic paste and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the tomatoes, chili powder and sugar. Add salt to taste. Cook until the juice thickens and liquid is nearly all gone.

Add 1 cup of water, methi powder and cashew nuts to the pan. Bring the mix to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.

After 5 minutes, remove the cinnamon stick, transfer the mixture to a large bow and using a hand held soup mixer puree the sauce. You can also use a blender.

Put the chicken in the pan, and add the blended sauce running it through a sieve. Make sure you press all the sauce through the sieve, you should be left only with a few seeds and tomato skin pieces to discard.

Add the garam masala and the kasuri methi and simmer together for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, pour the heavy whipping cream in the sauce, mix well and serve.

Naan

Ingredients:

• 1 envelope dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of ghee

Directions:

Put the sugar, the yeast and 1/4 cup of warm water in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, measure all the other ingredients.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a kitchenaid if doing with the machine), mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix in all the other ingredients except the ghee and knead for 10 minutes either by hand or using the dough hook of the kitchenaid.

After 10 minutes, the dough should be smooth and not too sticky. You can add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Set dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let sit for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour. The dough should double in size.

After 1 hour, punch down the dough and divide in 8 equal balls. Set the balls on a tray and cover with a wet cloth. Let sit for 45 minutes.

Preheat your oven with a pizza stone in on 450F.

Roll out he dough balls on a lightly floured surface in about 6 inch discs.

Once the oven and pizza stone are hot, put the oven on broil and cook the naans 2 by 2 for approximately 3-4 minutes. They should start blistering and getting brown on top.

Take them out of the oven and lightly brush ghee on top. Serve in a cloth.

Chalo khao!