Paleo Indian "Butter" Chicken

This was my first attempt at cooking Indian food. I'd previously been scared away by words like "garam masala" and "ghee", but after eating this dish a couple times at various Indian restaurants (and being impressed every time), I finally had to give it a go. And with my new paleo knowledge (including ghee), I figured I couldn't mess it up TOO much. So, I set out to make a paleo version of this delish dish, but couldn't find one that seemed just right. I ended up adapting mine from this one.

A few notes about the spices:

• For this recipe, it's easiest to pre-measure the spices into a single bowl and have them all ready to dump in the pan.

• If you can't find all the spices (or don't want to pay the outrageous price for cardamom...), you could probably live without a few of them (fenugreek, cardamom, and coriander). But you'd lose the essence of the dish if you didn't add the garam masala and chili powder, at the very least.

• Garam masala is a dry, ground Indian spice mix. You should be able to find it in your grocery store's spice aisle or at a specialty or health store.
  

I originally tried to make this with boneless chicken thighs, but with my aversion to "weird" meat, and the fact that pretty much the only form I've seen chicken in is boneless, skinless breasts, it didn't go well... Next time I'll definitely use breasts. My butcher shop even has pre-cut breast strips (they call them stir fry strips) for the same price as the whole breast, so I'll get those and save myself a step! But, if you're not crazy like me, and want to save a few bucks a pound, then you could use thighs.

Other than that, this was pretty easy to make and REALLY yummy. It was so good it distracted me from taking any pictures. Brock (who had never even tried Indian food before he met me) had two big helpings, so it will definitely be put into the regular rotation.

Indian "Butter" Chicken
3 Tbs. coconut oil (or fat of your choice)
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 in. ginger root, peeled and minced
2 tsp. garam masala
1 Tbs. chili powder
dash cayenne powder (optional, add more for more spice)
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground fenugreek
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. sea salt
1 can tomato paste
1 can coconut milk
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 in. chunks (pastured, organic, if possible)
4 Tbs. grass-fed ghee

Cauliflower "Rice"
1 head cauliflower
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. grass-fed ghee
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Melt coconut oil in large saucepan over medium heat
2. Add onion and sauté until almost translucent
3. Add garlic and ginger; cook while stirring for a minute or two, until garlic is fragrant
4. Add in garam masala, chili powder, cayenne, coriander, fenugreek, cardamom, and salt; stir to make a paste
5. Stir in tomato paste and coconut milk
6. Turn heat down to low and add chicken to the sauce
7. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through
8. After chicken is cooked, add ghee and stir until melted

While the chicken is simmering in the sauce, make the cauliflower "rice":

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat; add olive oil and ghee (1 Tbs. of each)
2. Wash cauliflower and cut into chunks
3. Chop up into rice-sized pieces in a food processor or blender (or with a knife, in the absence of either of those)
4. Add to hot pan; sprinkle with salt
5. Sauté for 7 or 8 minutes, until heated through and slightly soft

Serve the "butter" chicken over the "rice", and enjoy!