Henna Artist served with Butter Chicken and Naan

I had seen this book for a while on Bookstagram and finally got around to checking it out.  So glad I did!  Not only do I not know a ton about India but even less the India of the 1950's.

 

 This is the story of Lakshmi who escaped an abusive marriage and recreated herself in Jaipur as a Henna Artist and health advisor for the wealthy women.  She has a sister who she never met who comes to live with her. Her life changes drastically when this happens.  The story is about how a woman must survive on her own in India, how she must now provide for her sister, how gossip and status and can bring someone down and finally how love can save you.    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed all of the characters, even the one's that you weren't supposed to like were well developed and you felt for them.   Just a wonderful story and I'm excited to see there is a 2nd novel!   I'm adding it to my library list! 

I decided to make Butter Chicken and Naan. I found a recipe on Pinterest by Little Sunny Kitchen. 

It turned out great!  I made a couple of small changes listed below with the recipe. 

https://littlesunnykitchen.com/instant-pot-butter-chicken/

The Naan I made just turned out okay.  Not going to share the recipe yet because i think I might need to make this one more time to try to get it right.    

The easiest ever Instant Pot butter chicken! This super creamy, and fragrant Indian dish is so comforting, healthy and delicious.

–+Servings

Ingredients

• ▢3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢5 cloves garlic about 5 teaspoons, minced or crushed
• ▢2 inch (5 cm) fresh ginger root grated (about 2 tablespoons) I didn't have fresh ginger so used pre ground.  I put in a teaspoon. 
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• ▢1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ▢½ teaspoon chili powder optional
• ▢1 teaspoon salt add more if needed
• ▢2 pounds (900g) chicken thighs skinless, boneless, diced into bite-size pieces
• ▢17 oz (500g) tomato sauce or passata
• 1 cup (250ml) heavy whipping cream or coconut milk, or half and half*  I did heavy cream 
• ▢2 tablespoons fresh parsley, mint, or cilantro for garnish

Instructions

• On the Instant Pot press on SAUTE and melt the butter. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
• Add all of the spices, and the salt, stir, and cook for a minute. You might want to deglaze the pot at this point if the mixture is stuck to the bottom of the pot, just add a splash of water and scrape off any stuck bits with a wooden spoon. Then add the tomato sauce (passata) and a ¼ cup of water. Switch off the saute setting.
• Add the chicken thighs, give everything a mix.
• Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 6 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam.
• Carefully remove the lid, and press on SAUTE. Stir in the cream, and allow the sauce to reduce a little (season with more salt if necessary). Taste the sauce and see if you need to add a little bit more salt. Serve warm over rice with chopped parsley or cilantro.
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