Unexpected Perks

The lockdown has resulted in most of the world working from home. For professions that never considered the option of working remotely, the transition was sudden and fraught with several challenges. However, after being at it for the past seven weeks, we have all found ways to operate within the constraints of working remotely and being productive even though we are not physically in our usual work spaces. We have even discovered some surprising perks of working from home.

For me, connecting with my colleagues over video calls has humanized them in a way that would have never happened under normal circumstances. Sure, I know that many of my colleagues have families and they balance their roles as spouses and parents while fulfilling work obligations. However, caught up in the frenetic pace of our work routines, our personal lives often take a backseat. In fact, we often downplay the importance of our family commitments to demonstrate our efficiency and dedication to our employers. The message is pretty clear for any working adult contemplating parenthood. If you happen to harbor career aspirations in addition to the desire to raise a family, you better figure out the work-home balance before the kids are born. Not a very healthy environment to raise a family and not a very supportive environment for parents, for sure. No wonder so many young people choose not to have kids these days. That is why it has been nice to see little, curious faces peer into our video call screens every now then, arms draped around their parents' necks. The work chatter dies down for a bit, voices soften, "Awwws..." all around. It is a visual reminder that the person on the screen has far more important things in their lives than whatever is on the meeting agenda that day. One of my team members had a baby two months ago and was back at work full-time before the lockdown started. Even though he has mentioned how difficult it is to get work done at home with an infant, it was nice to see the baby within his arm's reach as he joined a phone conference. I could not help but think if these were ordinary circumstances, he would not see his baby for 8-10 hours during the day. Because of the lockdown-enforced work from home situation, at least he can be around her longer.

However, by far the sweetest perk of working from home is the freedom from the expectation of maintaining a professional appearance: wearing formal clothes, donning high heels, putting on makeup, and fixing your hair. I have definitely enjoyed wearing yoga pants and sweatshirts, my hair in a messy bun, as I get a grasp on how to get my work done in this unfamiliar format. I don't believe my casual attire has interfered with my productivity, but I definitely appreciate having the option of not appearing on video for calls on days when my appearance is particularly sloppy. Clearly, I am not the only one who has been enjoying the escape from the office dress code. One TV news anchor went as far as to wear shorts under his suit jacket while filming from home! Plenty is also being said for and against relaxing your wardrobe and appearance while working from home. Some lifestyle experts suggest that we should dress somewhat professionally to maintain a degree  of "normalcy" in our lives while working from home. I say, let's enjoy this unexpected benefit of the lockdown while it lasts and just hope that we can get back into our formal pants when it is time to go back to work!

I don't know about you, but if we keep eating like we are right now, the likelihood of fitting into our pre-lockdown clothes are pretty slim. We had Chicken Tikka Masala and garlic naan for dinner the other day. Now, I make a faux-Butter Chicken pretty regularly, replacing the cream in the sauce with low-fat yogurt. Chicken Tikka Masala, though is for special occasions. Both Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala are typical Indian restaurant fare. I hadn't even heard of the latter till I moved to England. The key difference between the two as far as I can tell is this: chicken pieces are grilled before being added to the sauce in one (Tikka Masala) while the chicken pieces are gently cooked in the sauce in the other (Butter Chicken). Since the grill was already fired up, we grilled our tandoori-masala marinated chicken tikkas before adding them to the rich, tomato-cream sauce. We served it with garlic naans warmed in the oven for a typical British curryhouse take-away.

What You Need:
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
11/2 tbsp ginger paste
11/2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tandoori masala powder
3 tbsp onions (finely minced)
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp ground cashew (from about 6-7 whole cashews)
1/2 inch cinnamon stick (optional)
1 whole black cardamom (optional)
1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
11/2 tsp garam masala
11/2 tbsp salt
11/2 tbsp sugar
21/2 tbsp neutral oil

Directions:
Wash and pat dry chicken thighs. Trim excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces. Rub chicken pieces with 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tbsp ginger paste, 1/2 tbsp garlic paste, and 1 tbsp tandoori masala powder. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate over night.

Cook the chicken in an outdoor grill or grill pan, basting with the excess marinade. Turn chicken pieces so that they get a light char all over. Take cooked chicken off the grill and loosely cover with foil.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet with a fitted lid. Add cinnamon and cardamom. Wait for spices to sizzle.

Add minced onions and fry over medium heat for 5-6 minutes till they are golden brown and the raw smell of onions has subsided.

Add ginger, garlic paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add tomato paste, garam masala, kasuri methi, and 1 tbsp salt. Stir everything together for a minute or two. At this point, all the ingredients will start coming together as a paste.

Add 1 cup of warm water to the pan to dilute the paste and bring to a gentle simmer. Keep stirring occasionally.

Let sauce simmer for 5-6 minutes before adding the ground cashews and sugar. Add about 1/2 cup of warm water to thin out the sauce a little more.

Simmer 2-3 minutes, then add the cream. Give the sauce a good stir, then add grilled chicken pieces, coating them with the sauce.

Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet with the lid and let the chicken simmer in the sauce for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Remove from heat.