Butter up

My journeys into the world of Indian food have been limited.  I'm not afraid to try new things, ok, I have limitations on this, but I'll try most things.  Not monkey brains or balut, but most things.  (If you don't know balut, look it up later. Much later. Blerg.). So there's this Indian buffet restaurant down the road from my office, and my new boss (who did eat balut) wanted to go. This was a while back, when I was still trying to establish repoire with associates in the work place--- so I went.  There were three of us that day, because everyone else thought they were too cool for school (or had plans, or something).  I was left to choose from an array of steaming and colorful dishes without guidance.  I had eaten Indian food a few times before, but in the past, my husband had skillfully directed my selections.  I experienced lots of new flavors that day, and this was one of my favorites.  It is still a meal that I savor slowly, extracting every bright flavor from every single bite.  I will never grow tired of it.  I will always look forward to the day it appears on my plate.  Not.even.kidding.
Try it. You'll see. It will change your life. You don't even have to move to India. Unless you just want to.

Butter Chicken

What you'll need: large stock pot or enameled cast iron, medium sized sauce pan, cutting board, sharp knife, garlic press, skillet

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1 medium white onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, pressed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 (14.5oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups whole milk (or cream- amen?)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water

Naan

In your heavy pot, melt the butter and sauté onion and minced garlic on medium high heat.  When they become translucent, drop in the cut up chicken pieces.  Cook until just browned, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes).  Stir the spices in and add tomatoes, tomato sauce, milk and cilantro.  Let that simmer a bit, but reduce heat to medium.
In the sauce pan, pour the water, add the rice, turn the heat to medium high until it begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium or low (you dont want it to make a mess) and cover for 15 minutes.  Heat the skillet on medium and warm up the Naan, browning on both sides- because that makes it so good.  Serve with a scoop of rice on the dish, cover with a generous helping of butter chicken garnished with a sprig or two of cilantro-and nibble on a little naan while you're at it.
Then go dancing, because you'll want to dance.