Butter Chicken – Made Easy

One of the best known Indian dishes is Butter Chicken otherwise known as Murg Makhani. This is one of the many Indian dishes which we were eager to put it in the iPad and iPhone application, Indian Cuisines and we did. Here is an easy way to help you learn preparing this dish (but mind you, the application explains better than this).

Ingredients

• Chicken (boneless and skinless) - 1 Kg
• Lime juice - 1 lime
• Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
• Cloves – 6 pieces
• Cinnamon - 1” stick
• Peppercorns – 8 -10
• Bay leaves – 2 leaves
• Almonds – 8-10 pieces
• Cardamom – seeds from 3-4 pods
• Fresh Yoghurt – 1 Cup
• Cooking oil (Vegetable/sunflower/canola) – 3 tablespoons
• Onions – 2 (chopped)
• Garlic (paste) – 2 teaspoons
• Ginger (paste) – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder – 2 teaspoons
• Cumin Powder – 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Tomato Paste – 200g to 400gm (according to preference)
• Chicken Stock – 1/2 Litre
• Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi) – 2 Tablespoons
• Soft butter (solid) – 3 tablespoons
• Coriander Leaves (to Garnish) and
• Salt to Taste

Method of Preparation

To start with, mix the chicken, lime juice, red chilli powder and salt in a non-metallic bowl. Cover the mixture and allow to marinate for an hour.

Now, heat a pan and gently roast the cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, almonds and cinnamon on medium heat stirring it often till there is slight darkening in color. Let it (mixture of spices) cool down and add the cardamom seeds then coarsely grind the spices.

Proceeding, mix the fresh yoghurt with the ground spices and add the mixture with the chicken which was left to marinate. Leave the compound mixture to marinate for another hour.

Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan over a medium heat. When the oil is ready, add the chopped onions and fry it until the color of the onion changes to golden brown. Add ginger and garlic pastes and fry for another minute.

Add the chicken (only the chicken) from the mixture and fry it until the pinkish flesh turns whitish. Then add the tomato (as per your preference), kasuri methi, chicken stock and the remaining part of the chicken-yoghurt-spice mixture to the pan. Cook the chicken is perfectly cooked and the gravy is reduced to half of its initial quantity. Then, melt the soft butter and pour it over the chicken.

Garnish the chicken with coriander leaves and serve it hot with Naan and kaali dal.

This recipe as always, may differ from how it is described in the iPhone application. And if you want to know more about the application, you can visit iTunes or Oglacs' Products Page.