Best Butter Chicken recipe ever?   This might be the most loved and well known Indian dish of all time and can be found all over the world with varying tastes from restaurant to restaurant.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, crushed
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp ground almonds
220 g can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 tbsp fresh coriander or spinach, chopped
salt
pepper
1 large frying pan
1 spoon
1 tray

Directions:

1. Begin by seasoning the chicken with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
2. Using a large frying pan, heat the vegetable oil and add the chicken.
3. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes until it turns a golden-brown colour.
4. Take the chicken out of the frying pan and put it aside.
5. Use the same frying pan to melt the butter.
6. Now add the cinnamon and fry together in the pan.
7. At this point add the crushed garlic, crushed ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, almonds, peeled tomatoes, tomato paste and the natural yoghurt. Stir all of the ingredients together and mix thoroughly.
8. Bring the ingredients to a boil and stir for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Put the chicken back into the pan and combine with the other ingredients.
10. To compliment the dish, add the coriander (or fresh spinach if you prefer) and mix with the sauce.
11. Spoon the chicken and the sauce onto a large serving dish and serve with rice and naan bread. A perfect curry dish that goes down well with an icy Asian beer.

Title Photograph by:  RiceyRice

Hakka Chinese are a unique group of individuals from China, decendants from the Han culture said to be affiliated with royalty.  Through the ages, the Hakka people have preserved their culture as well as embraced and dapted to the infusion of other ethnic groups.  Over the generations the Hakka people have migrated all over the world from south East Asia, East Africa, Europe, South America, US and Canada but the cultural characteristics remain in tact especially the cuisine.

The Chilli Chicken Boneless is a widely popular dish among the Hakka restaurants in the GTA (Fredricks, Lucky’s, Lin Garden) and now you can make it at home. For those of you who have never tried this dish expect it to be especially spicy and not for the faint hearted stomachs.

Made from chunks of boneless chicken mixed with the chillies, onions, and powders gives the Chili Chicken a spicy Indian flare to the traditional Chinese food which create the distinct Hakka taste that we all come to love.

Ingredients:
2 large onions, chopped
1/2 c vegetable oil
finely chopped ginger, about 2 tbsp or more
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
6 – 8 chicken thighs, skinned and boned
Salt and White Pepper
corn starch for coating chicken
5 green chilies, chopped coarsely
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 c water
1 tsp sugar
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tsp corn starchPreparation:

Directions:
1. Cut up chicken into bite-sized chunks, season with salt and pepper and coat in a dusting of corn starch.
2. Fry onions in oil in a wok, until browned and caramelized.
3. Add ginger and garlic and fry up, add the cumin and coriander, stir for another 30 seconds or so. Push up on the sides of the wok.
4. Add chicken pieces and fry until browned. Then gather the onion mixture into the chicken.
5. Add green chilies and green onion. Stir for about 30 seconds.
6. In a bowl, blend water, sugar, cornstarch and soy sauce. Toss into the centre of the wok. Remove from heat and stir until it thickens into a sauce. Mix in the chicken into the sauce.
7. Serve with steamed rice and steamed or stir-fried vegetables.
By the way, log onto the great wok cooking suggestions. Other chicken recipes include Soy Sauce Chicken and Lemongrass Chicken. The perfect finish to a meal of Green Chili Chicken would be Grilled Fruit and Milk Jelly.

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Lin Garden

Tandoori House
4862 Yonge Street, North York
416.733.2283
tandoorihouse.net

menu p1
menu p2

Having received a discounted copy of Entertainment Book, I was on a mission to try as much good eats as possible with my coupons..

We stepped into the Tandoori House late in the evening on a Monday. Thanks to the vast condo population, the small local restaurant was quarter-filled even at 9 p.m. The Tandoori House menu is typical of an Indian restaurant and is filled with curry dishes and biryani specialties. For those who enjoy Indian food, Bombay Bhel, a chain Indian restaurant offers a very similar menu. I ordered my Bhel favorite, Lamb Korma with the side of Naan bread, for the sake of direct comparison.

Lamb Korma $11.99

Lamb Korma was not technically on the menu (chicken or beef Korma only). However, the kitchen was kind enough to create the dish for me with their specialty Korma sauce. Korma is different than regular curry mainly by the milk content in the sauce. And when comparing the Korma to the Curry dish my company ordered, it does have a much smoother texture that compliments the Naan bread nicely.

Naan bread $2.25

We ordered both Naan and Paratha for our curry dishes. I personally like Naan as side breads because of its simplistic flavor, that it wouldn’t take away the taste of the main dish. Paratha should be your pick if you normally like your side garlic bread to have extra cheese and butter in a western restaurant. Paratha has a much stronger spiced and buttery taste than Naan. The bread at Tandoori House is adequately flavored but I find the batch that we had was a bit more burnt than desired. We had 3 pieces of each order of Naan ($2.25) and Paratha ($2.50). It is not outrageously expensive, I suppose. After all, the restaurant is on Yonge Street at a major intersection.

How does this compare to Bombay Bhel? The portion and price range are very similar between the two restaurants. I personally prefer the consistency in the food at Bombay Bhel. You also get to choose between a variety of included sides (Naan, rice, etc.) when ordering a main dish.

As a fine dining Indian restaurant, Tandoori House lacks a little bit of personal touch in their food but performs well at the general popular dishes. The staff is very friendly and patient and would serve you well in this neighbourhood Indian restaurant.

Food: Decent, could be more consistent and have a bit stronger flavor
Service: Excellent and friendly, flexible with off-menu items
Price: Fair for main dishes, slightly overpriced sides for the quantity
Parking: Plenty of Green P behind restaurant, non reimbursable

Chinese cuisine collides head on with Indian flavor and style!  Indian-Hakka style cuisine originated from southeastern regions of China and has since then been perfected in India where the approach of cooking is similar to traditional Chinese cooking but with a spicy kick!

The results of this unique blend of cultures is a great variety of spicy or non spicy platters and includes a great selection of vegetarian dishes served up with generous portions that will satisfy your cravings.  Though takeout seems to be the popular mode of clientele (10% off) Lin Garden provides a quaint 70’s décor eating atmosphere with attentive and friendly service. Lin Garden is a gem of a restaurant that will work hard to satisfy your hunger without hurting your wallet.

Photo by caliwolv: Chili Chicken from Lin Garden Restaurant in Toronto, a staple for anyone in the area who has ever tried it.

Price: $8 – $11 per dish
Address: 1806 Pharmacy Ave Scarborough, ON
Phone: 416-491-8484

Recommendations: Chicken Pakora, Chili Chicken, Manchurian Chicken rice/noodles, Crispy Beef, House Shrimp.  Vegetarian – Ma Po Tofu, Yu Shuen Eggplant, Fried Green beans.

YummyLocal flikr Group Reviews:

Photo review by caliwolv:  Chili Chicken on rice

Photo review by caliwolv: House Shrimp

Photo Credits:  Patrick Caliwolv