Butter Chicken

madnad

If asked, I am never quite sure how to answer the question “Do you like Indian cuisine?”. If you had asked me this 5 years ago, it would have been a definite no, but now I think I do. As I have mentioned here many times, I don’t like things too hot. I love things with spices, and plenty of flavour, but I just can’t abide the heat of chilli or strong curries – this hasn’t changed. However, through reading recipe books, I have come to realise there are a wealth of Indian dishes that don’t contain chilli or strong curry flavours. One of those dishes is Butter Chicken.

The name is slightly misleading. While the recipe does contain a large amount of butter, it is not swimming in the stuff as the name implies. Originally known in its country of origin as Murgh Makhani, this dish is flavoured with garam masala*, ginger and garlic. It is heavy with tomatoes that are cooked and caramelised to bring out their rich and sweet flavours. This can take a while, but it is worth the effort. You could do a lot of the prep before hand if you wanted to make this for guests.

*If like me you don’t like things too hot spicy, check the ingredients of the Garam Masala you use. Some versions contain chilli while others don’t. Traditionally, garam masala contains peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, bayleaf and caraway seeds. I found that the East End brand was most authentic, and contains no chilli.

Butter Chicken

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Ginger and Garlic Paste

Marinade

  • 2 tablespoons Garlic and Ginger Paste
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon Cooking Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
  • 80ml Plain Yoghurt
  • 500g Chicken Thighs (Skinless and boneless)

Sauce

  • 45g Unsalted Cashew Nuts (raw if possible)
  • 2 tins 400g Plum Tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons Tomato Puree
  • 100g Unsalted Butter
  • 6-8 Green Caradamom Pods
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 5 Cloves
  • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Fenugreek
  • 100ml Double Cream

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the garlic and ginger paste, salt, garam masala, and vegetable oil with the yogurt
2. Place the chicken in a sealable food bag and pour in the yogurt mixture. Squeeze out as much air as possible, and seal. Give the chicken a massage then leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight
3. Grill the chicken under a relative high heat. You want to char it slightly, but don't cook all the way through as it will finish cooking in the sauce. Leave to one side to cool.
4. Puree the cashews in a blender with 100ml of water until the nuts are fully blended, then add in the rest of the water to form a milk-like liquid, and set aside
5. Puree the plum tomatoes with the juices and tomato paste until smooth, and set aside
6. Melt the butter in a large wok or frying pan, then add the cardamom, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Fry until the cardamom has puffed up, then add the garlic and ginger paste
7. Add the pureed tomato and cook over a medheat until the tomatoes resemble a thickish paste. Turn down the heat if the tomatoes are spitting too much. Stir occasionally if necessary to prevent burning. This process can take a while
8. Once the tomatoes are caramelised, turn off the heat and add the cashew nut milk, whisking together. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove the spices
9. Cut the cooled chicken into chunks and add to the sauce along with a teaspoon of garam masala and fenugreek. Cook over a medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and tender
10. Finish the sauce with the cream and serve with rice
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