Forget the Indian Take-Away

[StripyPixieSocks]

Last night I was going to make Chicken Biryani but after being up the hospital for most of the day having our time completely wasted by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital we were both tired and my OH was in alot of pain because they told him he couldn't take his pain killers blah blah blah.

Anyway, we couldn't find a recipe we agreed on that looked good enough and then we found a Chicken or Lamb Bhuna Recipe and we both agreed on that one immediately as we both love Bhuna!

So, we made it and dished up and OH. MY. GOD. if you put it in a tin tray and gave it to someone they would swear you had got it from a take-away... it tasted absolutely spot on despite the fact we simplified the ridiculous cooking method considerably!

This one was for Chicken or Lamb but you can add vegetables to it to make it vegetarian, infact when I was vegetarian I used to buy the Vege version which had Peppers, Potatoes, Carrots and Mushrooms in it. This didn't have mushrooms in it but I added them in... fab!

So, if you want a CHEAP and QUICK Indian take-away without the hassle and price tag:

Lamb or Chicken Bhuna

Serves 2 hungry or 3 people

500g / 1lb Chicken Breasts or Lamb cut into bite sized chunks
3tbsp Ghee
1tbsp Garam Masala
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
1/2tsp Freshly grated Ginger Root
2 Medium Onions, Sliced thinly
1 1/2tsp Tumeric
1/2tsp Ground Cumin
3/4tsp Ground Coriander
1 1/2tsp Paprika
3 Whole Cardamoms
1/2tsp Salt
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Chopped Tomatoes (we cut ours in half then each half into 4 pieces)
1 Bell Pepper, Sliced
2 huge (or about 2 cups of) Mushrooms

Method
Fry Onions and Peppers in Ghee until Onions are starting to brown, add chicken and sear until almost cooked.

Add spices and cook for a minute or two then add canned tomatoes, chopped tomatoes and mushrooms (and any other veggies you want to use).

Simmer for 10 minutes while rice cooks.

Serve with Naan Bread and any other Indian side dishes you favour such as Mint Raitha etc

You really will not regret making this... next time we're going to add chunks of Butternut Squash as well!

[Mylovelyhorse]

Sounds brilliant!

I can't remember the last time we had an indian takeaway. Or a chinese one for that matter. We always cook our own and, although they're probably not 'authentic', they are wonderful. Plus, I know exactly what's gone into my versions - the takeaway versions are so full of sugar, salt and fat that it's a wonder you can taste anything else!

Here's to home cooking

[StripyPixieSocks]

Now with added photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stripypixi ... 626304868/

[2+bump]

sounds good, well try that soon i think. nothing beats a homemade curry