Tristan Mendoza

Hello, my name is Tristan Mendoza and I am a second year transfer majoring in Anthropology with a concentration in Biological Anthropology. I was born in Visalia, California located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. The San Joaquin Valley is the largest producer of agriculture in the world. Because of this, I have fond memories of Saturday morning Farmer's Markets full of fresh produce. Despite how delicious fresh vegetables are, my family was not known for how well they could cook. This meant that more often than not, I was eating simple foods or food from restaurants. I am married however and my husband and I have some favorite recipes that we make regularly.

Butter Chicken

Dinner with my husband Jay and I is usually more reminiscent of his cultural ideas of food. He takes Mary Douglas' perceived approach of "A + 2B" or one main dish such as a meat and two side dishes, usually a vegetable and a starch. This is one of my favorite meals he makes: Butter Chicken

**Notice: this is my husband's recipe and he does not measure anything besides the quantity of vegetables so make it as spicy, rich, or with as much meat as you'd like**

Ingredients

~ 1 Tablespoon Garam Masala

~ 1 Tablespoon of Coriander/Cumin Mix

~ 1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder

4 Roma Tomatoes

1/2 Yellow Onion

3 Cloves of Garlic

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

2 Chicken Breasts

Steps

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks

2. Marinate chicken in half of your spices

3. Cook chicken in skillet with butter

4. Roughly chop up onions, garlic, and tomatoes

5. Sautee onions, garlic, and tomatoes in a pan with the rest of the spices over medium heat

6. Blend vegetables and spices together

7. Add sauce and chicken together in pan and add heavy cream

8. Simmer 15 minutes

9. Serve over rice with naan