Spring books are starting to arrive in our warehouse and I couldn't be happier! Our first cooking title this season, Everyday Indian: 100 Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Recipes by Bal Arneson, just arrived from the printers a few days ago and it looks great. I can't wait to start cooking from it.

In her first book, Bal destroys our common preconceptions of what Indian style cooking usually means - time and calories - and brings us the flavours of India with recipes that are simple, straightforward, quick and, most importantly, good for you!

Bal is donating portion of proceeds from the sale of Everyday Indian to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, so if you like this recipe below, visit a bookseller in your neighbourhood and pick up a copy!

Here's a sneak peek at what's inside Everyday Indian:

Bal's No-Butter Chicken

• ¼ cup grapeseed oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp Garam Masala (see Bal's recipe below)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• ¾ cup low-fat plain yogurt
• ¼ cup water

Place the oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat, add the onions, and sauté until dark golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds.

Reduce the heat to low, add the garam masala, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, turmeric, and salt, and cook for 2 minutes. Mix in the chicken and cook until the chicken is almost done, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the yogurt and water, and cook until the chicken is fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Serve it with brown rice or plain rotis (see page 20).

NOTE Feel free to use whipping cream instead of yogurt. Even I give in and indulge from time to time!

Garam Masala

• ½ cup coriander seeds
• ½ cup cumin seeds
• ¼ cup dried curry leaves
• ¼ cup black peppercorns
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks, each 3 inches long
• 2 bay leaves

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Combine all the ingredients, spread them on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 15 minutes. Let cool and process to a fine powder in a grinder, such as a coffee grinder reserved for this purpose. Store in an airtight container in a cool place, for up to 3 months.

 

What did you think about this recipe??