TerminalVeloCD's Butter Chicken

[TerminalVeloCD]

G'day all,

I know for a fact that many of you here love Indian food. For those who would like to make a perfect authentic Butter Chicken, here is my recipe, derived largely from the recipe used by Moti Mahal in India.



INGREDIENTS
For Chicken:
1kg chicken thigh fillets (skin off, excess fat removed, wash and pat dry, cut into 3 pieces each)
1 cup Greek yogurt
Juice of a lime or lemon
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon garlic (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon ginger (finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons kashmiri red chili powder
2 teaspoons kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, dry-roasted, powdered)
2 teaspoons garam masala powder
Salt (to taste)

For Makhani Gravy:
6-7 (or ~1.2kg) large bright red tomatoes (cut into large cubes)
Small piece cinnamon
5-6 cloves
10 green (small) cardamoms
A few blades mace
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons garlic (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons ginger (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
200g unsalted butter
1/2 green chili (de-seeded, stem removed, finely chopped)
1 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves, dry-roasted, powdered)
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup thick cream
Salt (to taste)
Chopped coriander, chopped green chilis, kasuri methi and thick cream for garnish

METHOD
To make chicken:
1. Mix all ingredients together well in a large bowl.
2. Add chicken pieces and mix well. Cover with cling film and refridgerate overnight.
3. Place chicken onto a grill tray and bake in a very hot oven (highest your oven will go) for 10min each side, or until black edges develop on chicken.
4. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces (each piece into 2 or 3).

To make gravy:
1. In a large heavy-based frypan, add oil and equal quantity of butter. When hot, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin and mace. Sauté for a few seconds on a medium flame.
2. Add ginger and garlic. Sauté further until garlic is lightly browned. Keep stirring to avoid burning.
3. Add tomatoes and green chili. Cook covered until tomatoes are completely soft and break down.
4. Cool mixture and blend until smooth. Strain into frypan and discard pulp.
5. Cook sauce until raw flavour of tomatoes is eliminated. Add chili powder, salt and remaining butter.
6. Add chicken, honey, cream, garama masala powder and kasuri methi and cook while stirring until flavours are integrated.
7. Garnish with chopped coriander, chopped green chilis, kasuri methi and thick cream. Serve with rice or naan.

SERVES: 5-6

This recipe makes a dish of medium hottness. If you prefer a milder dish, substitue kashmiri powder in part or in whole with paprika powder and/or omit the green chilis. For a hotter dish, add more chili powder and green chilis.

Please comment if you try this recipe. Please note that I cook using instinct rather than from a recipe so the above quantities are approximate. The recipe is easily adaptable for different tastes (e.g. varying levels of hottness or spiciness).

Enjoy!

[Stooge007]

i must try this one day!

seems like lots of ingredients i'd only use once though?

[TerminalVeloCD]

The two ingredients that are unique to this dish are mace and kasuri methi. You can omit the mace if you can't find it however the kasuri methi is the single ingredient that imparts that unique taste and aroma to the dish that butter chicken is famous for and costs only $1.50 for a large bag that will last you ages. Regarding the chili powder, the kashmiri variety is used as it imparts a deep red colour to the chicken marinade and gravy and improves the taste while only increasing the heat marginally - it's not hot at all. Notice that there is absolutely no food colouring or preserved tomato in this recipe!

[ph3var]

What makes butter chicken good is the charring of the chicken in a tandoor oven.
So getting your oven hot or use a weber at the start to char the chicken will complete the total flavour in the end.

[broccoli]

Well, it looks absolutely delicious

[TerminalVeloCD]

Originally Posted by ph3var

What makes butter chicken good is the charring of the chicken in a tandoor oven.
So getting your oven hot or use a weber at the start to char the chicken will complete the total flavour in the end.

Exactly what I emphasise for the pre-cooking of the chicken. The darkened 'tips' add a lot of extra flavour.

Once the chicken is added to the gravy, the flame should be turned down so that the chicken does not become overcooked.

[phrosty-boi]

wish I had the patience to make something like this from scratch, that looks and sounds fantastic mate

it's too easy for me to pop down to the local indian place and get it already made

thanks to you I now want to have indian for tea tonite

[TerminalVeloCD]

You know, it takes me around 30min to cook everything once the prep has been done. I simply pop the chicken into the oven when I start making the gravy. That way, by the time the gravy is done, the chicken is done at the same time and both can be combined. Trust me, it is worth doing yourself!

[MR CHILLED]

I've got to stop coming to this sub forum......that looks just absolutely unbelievably good. My mouth is watering.

HUGE curry fan right here.

[hoonda75]

Cooked this yesterday but did the chicken over charcoal, the missus has requested I cook it weekly

[TerminalVeloCD]

Originally Posted by hoonda75

Cooked this yesterday but did the chicken over charcoal, the missus has requested I cook it weekly

I hope you enjoyed it mate. This receipe is very authentic, as it is based on the recipe used by the Moti Mahal in Delhi but with a few fresh whole spices added in for good measure. I can tell you that making this at home beats eating out at most Indian restaurants!

[renagade]

That looks like soup!
Where is the Rice??

[TerminalVeloCD]

Originally Posted by renagade

That looks like soup!
Where is the Rice??

I should not need to provide instructions on how to cook plain white rice. The best rice to serve with butter chicken is basmati, cooked with spices and saffron.

[craz3d]

This is almost an insult.

Looks delicious, very deep red colour. Ill definitely be trying it sometime. Where would you recommend the mace and kashmiri powder be bought?

[TerminalVeloCD]

Originally Posted by craz3d

Looks delicious, very deep red colour. Ill definitely be trying it sometime. Where would you recommend the mace and kashmiri powder be bought?

You can find mace and Kashmiri red chili powder (and Kasuri methi as well) from an Indian specialty store. I have also seen ground mace at regular supermarkets. The Kashmiri chili powder is very important to this dish because it imparts a vibrant deep red colour to the sauce and to the chicken but keeps heat to a minimum - it is nowhere near as hot as regular chili powders. One tip to remember is that you should not blend your tomatoes before they are fully cooked as this will actually reduce the colour of the sauce. You need to thoroughly cook the tomatoes into the spices as directed above before blending.