Alright folks, let me tell you about my butter chicken adventure! I decided to make a big batch last weekend, and you know, butter chicken is amazing, but you gotta have some good sides to go with it. So, I started brainstorming.
First, I figured rice was a no-brainer. But plain rice? Nah. I wanted something a bit more exciting. So, I grabbed a bag of basmati rice – that stuff smells incredible when it’s cooking – and decided to make a jeera rice. I heated up some ghee in a pot – gotta love that ghee aroma! – then tossed in some cumin seeds. Let ’em sizzle until they popped, then added the rice and water. Cooked it up perfectly fluffy. Seriously, the cumin made all the difference.
Next up, I needed some veggies. I wanted something that would cut through the richness of the butter chicken. I remembered seeing something about a cucumber raita online, so I thought, “Why not?” I grabbed a cucumber, peeled it, and grated it. Then I mixed it with some plain yogurt, a pinch of salt, some chopped cilantro, and a little bit of roasted cumin powder. Gave it a good stir, and boom! Instant coolness and freshness.
Okay, so rice and raita were sorted. But I felt like I was still missing something. Bread! You gotta have bread to soak up all that delicious butter chicken sauce. I considered naan, but honestly, I didn’t feel like making it from scratch. So, I ran to the store and picked up some garlic naan. I just warmed it up in the oven, and it was perfect. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and garlicky goodness all over.
But wait, there’s more! I had some spinach in the fridge that was about to go bad, so I quickly whipped up a super simple saag. Sautéed some garlic and ginger in a pan, threw in the spinach, and cooked it down until it was wilted. Added a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. It was surprisingly tasty and added another layer of flavor to the meal.
So, the final lineup was: Butter Chicken (obviously!), Jeera Rice, Cucumber Raita, Garlic Naan, and Saag.
Here’s how it all went down:
- Started with the rice: Got that going first since it takes the longest.
- Then, the raita: Super quick and easy to prep while the rice was cooking.
- Warmed up the naan: Did that while I was making the saag.
- Finally, the saag: Quick sauté and it was ready to go.
Honestly, it was a feast! The rice was fragrant, the raita was cool and refreshing, the naan was perfect for scooping, and the saag added a nice earthy element. The butter chicken was the star, of course, but the sides really elevated the whole meal.
Would I do it again? Absolutely! Maybe next time I’ll try making the naan from scratch, but for a weeknight meal, this was a winner. Give it a try yourself and let me know what you think!
