An El Clásico Classic
By Safiya Qamar
“Barcelona take the lead! It’s Luis Suárez with the header! Barça 1, Real Madrid nil!” Shouted the commentator. My siblings went crazy, especially my younger sister. She was the biggest Barça fan I’d come across in my life. It was around ten thirty on a cold Saturday morning and my family was up watching El Clásico (the name given to match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two biggest soccer clubs in the world). I was the only Real Madrid supporter in my family and they hadn't scored. Yet.
To make myself feel better, I let my thoughts wander to the full meal that was waiting to be devoured after the game. It had become tradition in our family to create a full over the top meal on El Clásico days. No matter what time of day the game was, there was bound to be a meal ready to scarf down after an intense game. It gave us time to talk about the game, to tease each other about who lost and who won, and to enjoy ourselves in the end no matter the outcome. At that exact moment, I was thinking about the butter chicken and samosas that were waiting on the counter, along with pizza, garlic knots, Caesar salad (you needed something healthy to balance it all out), and fluffy white rice to go with the butter chicken.
It was not uncommon in our household to have a variety of dishes prepared for one meal. Although the meals on El Clásico days was a bit “more” than usual, it was normal for us to eat a mixture of foods on a day to day basis. My family specialized in different areas of the culinary field. My brother was an expert at making seafood and Italian food, my older sister along with my mother were gifted with making the best Indian food I’d ever come across, I loved making anything that involved utilizing the oven, and my younger sister (who was currently still jumping with joy at Barça’s goal even though it had been ten minutes) was an expert at eating. The difference about today’s meal had been with the butter chicken and samosa combination.
Butter chicken and samosas were our go-to-meal for every single El Clásico game we had ever watched. My mother told me the tradition started in India when my grandparents would listen to cricket matches on the radio along with the rest of my family. The combination came to be after my aunt used the butter chicken gravy as a dip for her samosa. There was no looking back after that. It became a requested meal during those matches, and my mother and father brought that same tradition to America. Although the dish was the same, the technique for making the butter chicken had been tweaked a little by my brother which made the dish creamier and more mouthwatering.
The thought of eating brought the realization that we were going to discuss the game afterwards. I focused back on the television and noticed that there were a couple of minutes left until full-time and the score was still 1-0 Barça. I could already imagine the gloating from my sister.
And then in the last minute, Ramos scored for Real Madrid.
I guess lunch wouldn’t be so bad after all.
By Safiya Qamar
“Barcelona take the lead! It’s Luis Suárez with the header! Barça 1, Real Madrid nil!” Shouted the commentator. My siblings went crazy, especially my younger sister. She was the biggest Barça fan I’d come across in my life. It was around ten thirty on a cold Saturday morning and my family was up watching El Clásico (the name given to match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two biggest soccer clubs in the world). I was the only Real Madrid supporter in my family and they hadn't scored. Yet.
To make myself feel better, I let my thoughts wander to the full meal that was waiting to be devoured after the game. It had become tradition in our family to create a full over the top meal on El Clásico days. No matter what time of day the game was, there was bound to be a meal ready to scarf down after an intense game. It gave us time to talk about the game, to tease each other about who lost and who won, and to enjoy ourselves in the end no matter the outcome. At that exact moment, I was thinking about the butter chicken and samosas that were waiting on the counter, along with pizza, garlic knots, Caesar salad (you needed something healthy to balance it all out), and fluffy white rice to go with the butter chicken.
It was not uncommon in our household to have a variety of dishes prepared for one meal. Although the meals on El Clásico days was a bit “more” than usual, it was normal for us to eat a mixture of foods on a day to day basis. My family specialized in different areas of the culinary field. My brother was an expert at making seafood and Italian food, my older sister along with my mother were gifted with making the best Indian food I’d ever come across, I loved making anything that involved utilizing the oven, and my younger sister (who was currently still jumping with joy at Barça’s goal even though it had been ten minutes) was an expert at eating. The difference about today’s meal had been with the butter chicken and samosa combination.
Butter chicken and samosas were our go-to-meal for every single El Clásico game we had ever watched. My mother told me the tradition started in India when my grandparents would listen to cricket matches on the radio along with the rest of my family. The combination came to be after my aunt used the butter chicken gravy as a dip for her samosa. There was no looking back after that. It became a requested meal during those matches, and my mother and father brought that same tradition to America. Although the dish was the same, the technique for making the butter chicken had been tweaked a little by my brother which made the dish creamier and more mouthwatering.
The thought of eating brought the realization that we were going to discuss the game afterwards. I focused back on the television and noticed that there were a couple of minutes left until full-time and the score was still 1-0 Barça. I could already imagine the gloating from my sister.
And then in the last minute, Ramos scored for Real Madrid.
I guess lunch wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Butter Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
2 Pound Boneless Chicken 2 Medium Sized Onions (Peeled and diced) 3 Garlic Cloves (Minced) 1 Teaspoon Ginger Paste 3 Tablespoons oil (Vegetable or Canola) 2 Tablespoons Cumin Powder 2 Tablespoons Garam Masala Powder 2 Red Chiles (sliced thinly) 2 Tomatoes (Diced) 1/2 Cup Yogurt 1 Pint Heavy Cream 2 Tablespoons Cream Cheese Salt to taste |
Directions:
1). Add the oil, onions, garlic, ginger paste, red chilies, and the spices (cumin powder and garam masala) and chicken to a pan and sauté until the chicken is cooked.
2). Blend the tomatoes and add it to the cooked chicken. Let it cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes.
3). Add in the yogurt, heavy cream, and cream cheese to the chicken and tomato mix. Let it cook on medium heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
4). Season with salt as desired.
5). Enjoy!
1). Add the oil, onions, garlic, ginger paste, red chilies, and the spices (cumin powder and garam masala) and chicken to a pan and sauté until the chicken is cooked.
2). Blend the tomatoes and add it to the cooked chicken. Let it cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes.
3). Add in the yogurt, heavy cream, and cream cheese to the chicken and tomato mix. Let it cook on medium heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
4). Season with salt as desired.
5). Enjoy!