My Food and travel memoir

It comes from Northern India and is a milder curry. Butter Chicken Sauce is rich due to the cream. The dish uses marinated chicken that is grilled and served in a flavorful tomato and butter gravy with aromatic spices. My recipe is easy but requires time for marination to enhance the flavour.

INGREDIENTS

Boneless Chicken – Around 700 gms.

Tomato puree – 1/2 Kg.

Ghee (Clarified butter)/ Plain Butter- 2 Tbsp.

Caraway seeds (Shah Jeera) – 1/2 Tsp.

Sugar – 1/2 Tsp.

Green Chillies – 4-5, slit

Red chilli powder – According to taste

Kashmiri red chilli (for colour) – 1 Tbsp.

Fresh Cream – 4 Tbsp.

Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) – 1 Tbsp.

FOR MARINATION

Curd /yogurt – 1/2 Kg.

Salt  – 1/2 Tsp.

Red Chilli Powder – 1 Tsp.

Ginger-Garlic Paste – 2 Tsp.

METHOD

Marinate the chicken with the marination ingredients and refrigerate for 2 days.

After 2 days remove and let it come to room temperature. Take skewers and insert the chicken pieces and grill it till 3/4th cooked. Grill it an non stick grill over heat or in an pre heated oven at 190 degrees. Keep checking.

 In a pan. Heat the ghee. Add the shah jeera and in few seconds add the tomato puree. Cook the tomato puree well till it loses its rawness.

Add the oven grilled chicken pieces, sugar, salt, slit green chillies and the red chilli powders. Cook till the chicken and the gravy is completely cooked.

Reduce fire and add one tablespoon of ghee and the fresh cream. Mix well and then cook for few more minutes.

At the end crush the kasuri methi between your palms and add onto the gravy. Check the seasoning and garnish with fresh cream and serve hot!! 

“Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving, and identity.” 

Jonathan Safran Foer