Indian-Spiced Chicken, Butternut Squash Purée & Lentils

Ok, new resolution:  I'm going to have something uplifting in each of my blog posts.  This may be a joke, a happy fact or a cute image/video.  It will make Happy Belly "happier".  Especially since I feel like I'm just whining most of the time here.

So.  It's a rough time as I am approaching the end of my four-year degree.  After almost four years of studying something that I have absolutely no interest in, I have one more month left, this one last hurdle, one last push is all I need and I just don't give a sh*t anymore.  It's counter intuitive but the closer I am to finishing this degree the less I want to finish it. 

Thus instead I cook and go to comedy shows!  Here's something funny. Don't we all just love Whose Line is it Anyway?  I just came back from a university version of it.

After I left the library a couple of days ago, I made this chicken dish for some friends.  Inspired by Masterchef. I need to start inviting people over for lunch rather than for dinner because I'm already bad at photography and when there's no natural light I'm just hopeless.

Serves 4
Ingredients
Chicken
4 chicken supreme fillets
150g butter
1/2 tsp paprika

Lentil Salad
250g lentils
1 large leek, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Butternut Squash Puree
1 small butternut squash
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp turmeric
2 dried red chilis
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 2cm piece ginger, finely chopped
100g butter
Dash of single cream


Method
Butternut Squash Puree
Peel and cube the butternut squash.  Steam until tender.

In a pan, melt half the butter over medium high heat, then add the onions and sautee until softened.  Add the garlic, ginger, chili, turmeric and garam masala.  Stir and then turn heat down to medium-low and let cook for 15 minutes. 

Put the squash and the onion mixture in a blender and blend until smooth.  Add the rest of the butter, bit by bit, and a dash of cream.

Lentils
Cook the lentils in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until tender but not falling apart.

Put some oil in a pan and put in the mustard seeds and cumin. When the mustard seeds start popping, add the leek. Turn the heat down and fry until softened, about 10 minutes, then stir in the lentils.

Chicken
Preheat oven to 160C

Mix the softened butter with some paprika.  Spread it under the skin of the chicken then pull the skin back over.  Season both sides of the chicken well with salt and pepper

Put a pan over high heat and when smoking hot, lay the chickens, skin down, on the pan and sear for a good 2-3 minutes, then flip over and put it in the oven for about 8 minutes.

Serve by reheating the puree and the lentils then arranging everything beautifully on a plate.