Indian Butter Chicken - Comfort Food!

Oil, 2 tbsp real butter, 1 large onion chopped finely, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp garlic paste, I tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 cup tomato puree, pinch cayenne pepper (more to taste) pinch salt and black pepper, 500g chicken pieces (on bone tastes better)

Heat butter and oil in pan to medium heat and saute onions until soft and translucent.  Stir in all spices and lemon juice.  Stir for a minute then add tomato and cook a few Min's - keep stirring.  Stir in cream and yogurt and lower to simmer 10 Min's.  Set aside.  Brown chicken in oil over medium heat.  Season with extra garum masala (a teaspoon) then stir in a few tablespoons of sauce and simmer until liquid reduced then add to sauce and cook until chicken cooked.  Serve with rice.

Ever Tasted Green Ants!

FROM GUURRBI TOURS
Cooktown, With Nugal-warra Elder, Willie Gordon

Yangga, green ants, have many medicinal uses and are still widely used to combat coughs and colds. They are either eaten alive, or crushed and inhaled like a vapour rub to open up the sinuses. They can also be rubbed into the skin, or taken as a drink with water.

Mothers with infants rub green ants on their breasts to make the milk flow, and many believe that, taken in high concentrations, green ants act as a contraceptive. 

The ants make their nests - Gambul yangga - by folding up leaves and fixing them together. The picture (right) shows a nest in the early stages, but if you look up when you're in the bush you can usually spot their nests in the trees, like large balls of leaves.

Each nest has several queens, which are many times larger than the worker ants. You can see the difference in sizes in the photo.

" Information and images from Guurrbi Tours, Cooktown - http://guurrbitours.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/yangga-amazing-green-ant.html "