When the kids were younger I made a mildly spiced butter chicken, but as their taste buds became more armoured to heat and I was left as the weakest link on the Scoville scale, I have elevated the kick of this well known and loved dish, that it generally does not pass the 'mat salleh' test.
So here's my take on the butter chicken or murgh makhani, adapted from an assortment of recipes. Most recipes will call for a smoothly blended paste for the gravy but if, like me, you prefer to take the easy way out, then instead of using cashew nuts to thicken the gravy, consider using tahini.
Ingredients (4 pax)
Marinate and keep aside for 1 hour or even overnight:
3 chicken breast (about 700gm) - cube it to 1cm
salt to taste
3 tbsp yogurt (original or Greek)
pounded paste of 1 tumbsize ginger and 4 garlics
3 tbsp of chilli powder (go less if you need a milder version)
1 tbsp lime juice
1-2 tbsps mustard oil (you can replace this with veg, coconut or gingerly oil but mustard oil gives it a bit of a bite - like a dash of wasabi on your tongue)
For Cooking:
1 tbsp Coconut or vegetable oil
2 portions of 2cm cubed butter (preferably unsalted otherwise take note of the taste)
2 medium sized onions chopped
ginger-garlic paste (1 tumb size ginger + 4 pips garlic)
3 medium sized tomatoes (crush into pulp - you can use your hands)
2 tbsps chilli powder
1/2 cup water or chicken stock
2 tbsps tahini or 6-10 cashew nuts depending on how thick you want the gravy
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 cup cooking cream (you can also use half and half or whole cream)
2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
salt and sugar to taste
Method:
You can choose to either fry the marinated chicken cubes in hot oil with 1 portion of the butter, or just dump it it without frying (but adjust the cooking time if you're adding raw chicken into the gravy). I usually air fry the chicken till it's cooked through but not crispy and dried out, so adjust your frying time. You can also pan fry (in the coconut oil and butter) but I hate the oily mess that creates. Once done, keep aside.
In the same hot oil-butter (if you pan fried otherwise put in the oil-butter now and heat it up) add the onions and ginger-garlic paste and sauté till fragrant - add some salt.
Add the crushed tomatoes, stir in 1/2 cup water and cover to continue cooking for 5 minutes on medium fire. Be sure that it doesn't burn.
Add in the tahini and incorporate well. *Lower the heat and use a masher to mash up the mixture into a smoother consistency.
Time to add in another cube of butter, garam masala and cooking cream. Stir well, increase the heat and let it cook uncovered for another 5 minutes or until you have a gravy that is thick enough.
Drop in the pre-fried chicken, add some crushed dried fenugreek leaves (rub the leaves between the palm of your hands to crush it to release the flavours) and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
Adjust salt and add the sugar.
Turn off the heat and add in a little bit more butter.
Ready to serve with rotis or rice.
* If you are using cashew nuts instead of tahini let it cook in the sauce a little longer and cool down the mixture before transferring it to a blender to achieve a smooth paste (most recipes will call for the mixture to be sieved to ensure a silky smooth gravy - I suggest against it unless you are trying to achieve a restaurant grade butter chicken gravy). Then it goes back into the pan and you continue cooking like above.
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