A while ago Rosie mentioned that I like to make Indian butter chicken, and a lot of you seemed very interesting in trying it. Since my house is tiny and I can’t have you all over, I decided to share the recipe with you instead as the second best option. This is the original recipe but I adapted it to my taste since I don’t do very well at sticking to recipes. Please forgive the lack of pictures, which would probably horrify the Pioneer Woman. I was too busy tasting it every few minutes to remember to photograph the process.

Serves about 4.

Spice Blend:

• 1 tablespoon garam masala seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• Salt to taste

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• A couple cubed chicken breasts, more if you’re a meat lover, less if you are like me
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• Hot basmati rice, for serving (1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water makes it perfect and not mushy)

Fry the chicken lightly in a little butter, till it’s white. It doesn’t have to be completely cooked. Set aside.

Melt the butter and cook the onion until it’s golden, then add the garlic, spices, and tomato paste. Stir it well for about a minute, and try not to consume it just yet even though it will smell heavenly.

Add the remaining tomato products and the chicken. Cook until the chicken is done.

Add the cream and admire how lovely it looks as it swirls into the red sauce. If you use more than 1/3 cup, I will not judge you. You can eat it at this point, but I think it’s best if it simmers for a while and the flavors marry well. You can also probably throw this section away and add the ingredients in whatever order you jolly well please.

Serve it over plain, long grain rice. If you’re lucky and have a roommate like me, she’ll make some smashing naan to go with it. It’s wonderful served with a side of peas, a dab of mango chutney, some plain yogurt, and naan of course.