Finger Lickin’ & Authentic Butter Chicken
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All that talk about Indian cuisines and recipes has had me daydreaming about the rich, flavorful gravies, those roasted spices and that oodles of ghee (how long does ghee last?) typical of traditional Indian cooking.
It gave me an intense craving for creamy and peppery food. So, I decided to make some of my mum’s taught Butter Chicken. This dish is an Indian delicacy but is known and loved world over.
The Birth of Butter Chicken
The dish was developed by the founders of a restaurant in Delhi, India. Moti Mahal was the birth place of Butter Chicken in 1947, coincidentally also the year India won her freedom from the British after close to 200 years of oppressive and colonial rule. It was initially called Murgh Makhani, which translated quite simply into 'Chicken Butter'.
How is Authentic Butter Chicken Made ?
Now I have seen plenty of recipes allow shorter methods-eliminate few steps, add some canned ingredients etc., but I am having none of that today. I was going to cook up Butter Chicken in all its authentic glory and form. Going to lovingly follow the procedure from the soaking of the nuts to grinding them for the base of the curry.
The authentic Butter Chicken uses boneless and cubed chicken breasts (What wine goes well with chicken breast?). I like to cut my chicken breasts a cut extra, just so the pieces are juicy all the way through. The method begins with soaking a handful of cashew nuts and almonds (how long do almonds last?) overnight. For a pound of chicken, I take about 8 whole almonds and 14 cashews. Once soaked and peeled, the almonds and cashews are ground with a little water to make a creamy nut puree. Think nut milk only more concentrated.
Onions and tomatoes enter next. They are roughly chopped and blitzed together to create a smoothie of sorts. I start with frying off some ground ginger and garlic paste in ghee. The special part about my butter chicken is the butter that I use. Its not really butter, its ghee. Clarified butter, or ghee is really simple to make at home and has plenty of health benefits, that regular butter doesn’t. I will make a post about that real soon, but till then, you can trust me!
(Update! Read all about ghee here!)
Back to ghee. I use it for much of my cooking. It doesn’t burn easy like butter and has a beautifully milky fragrance that just adds another dimension to the dish. Sautéing the nut puree in ghee turns it to a golden hue and roasts it gently. The tomato-onions are then poured into this.
Embrace The Spices
Enter the spices- some salt, red chili flakes, turmeric powder, garam masala (how long does garam masala last?) and black pepper powder (always combine turmeric and black pepper together, the pepper accelerates the bio availability of turmeric in our body).
Garam masala powder is a mix of Indian spices that are dry roasted and ground much like the five-spice mix. You will find it in major stores in the Indian aisles. Give it all a good stir and add the chicken. The chicken is allowed to cook in that thick gravy till the oils separate from it. This separation is a very crucial step a it indicates that the gravy has reached the stage of doneness.
An egg here, some cream there and some herbs later, the creamy and herbaceous aroma wafts through my home, taking me back to my mum’s home in India. It is delicious, hearty, healthy and satisfying. Have it with some naan bread or some rice (how long does rice last?) and you won’t be disappointed. Here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did sharing it with you.
Butter Chicken (Serves 6)
What You Need
1-pound chicken breasts, cubed
Ghee, 6 tablespoons
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium onion
8 almonds, soaked and peeled
14 cashew nuts, soaked
2-inch knob of ginger, minced
4 cloves (how long do cloves last?) garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
3/4th teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4th cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (optional, can be substituted by fresh cilantro(how long does cilantro last?)
3 green chilies
1 egg, beaten
What You Have to Do
Blitz the almonds and the cashews together with just enough water to make a thick but smooth puree. Set aside.
Blend together 2 medium tomatoes and 1 onion to make a mixture. Set aside.
In a cast iron pot, heat ghee and add the minced ginger and garlic.
Once the ginger-garlic starts to sizzle, add the nut puree and sauté.
Pour the onion tomato mixture, lemon juice and add the dry spices.
Add the chicken and stir fry until oils separate.
Add half cup to 3/4th cup water and allow to simmer on medium low for 5-7 minutes.
Beat one egg and pour into the pot, while briskly stirring the gravy. This helps the egg mix evenly into the curry, not leaving behind clumps of cooked egg.
Once the gravy and chicken are done, add half cup of cream while slowly stirring. Reserve the quarter cup of cream for garnish.
Add the dried fenugreek leaves and green chilies and allow to cook on low for another 2 minutes, before turning off the heat.
Serve with a garnish of cream and cilantro.
Butter chicken is best had with naan bread or a bowl of white basmati rice.
