Cooking for Daddy

CEBU, Philippines — Father’s Day is fast approaching. Maybe it’s about time to think up ways to treat this special guy in everyone’s life. If the day is to be spent at home (which I personally prefer), what could be a better way to celebrate than cooking up something delicious.

Yes, food is always at the center of every Filipino family celebration. And so, on Father’s Day, family members either get to learn or get the chance to flaunt their kitchen skills. It’s also a good bonding activity for them.

Now, since it’s going to be a home celebration the celebratory dish doesn’t have to be too ordinary. Neither has it to be too sophisticated. Exactly something like… Butter Chicken.

Butter Chicken is something that family members are sure to be familiar with. And they are all sure to love it, too. The best part about it – the dish doesn’t require doctorate-quality skills to do.

Here’s a recipe shared by Claire Brookman, at the website www.taste.com.au, which Mom and the kids may try at home:

Butter Chicken

Ingredients: 

½ cup Greek Style Yoghurt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3-cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala

¼ teaspoon chilli powder

600g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into 3-cm pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

20g butter

1 brown onion, halved, thickly sliced

410g can tomato puree

½ cup Massel chicken style liquid stock

½ cup thickened cream

Procedure:

1. Place yoghurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala and chilli powder in a glass or ceramic dish. Add chicken. Stir to coat. Cover. Refrigerate for two hours.

2. Heat oil and butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for three to four minutes or until softened. Add chicken mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, for five minutes or until chicken just starts to change color. Add tomato puree and stock. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and mixture has thickened slightly.

3. Stir in cream. Simmer for a further five minutes or until heated through.

Serve with steamed rice and coriander leaves.

NOTE: Thickened cream is also known as whipping cream. It has a milk fat content of at least 35 percent and contains a thickening agent such as gelatine or vegetable gum, which makes it easier to whip and less likely to curdle or split when cooked.