Butter Chicken

contains dairy and nuts
start to finish: 55 minutes
serves four with naan

Confession: this is not really a Hyderabadi dish. It is from North India, and its legendary origin story describes how many great human discoveries and inventions are made: by accident.

This is my own version of the internationally known and loved chicken meal. My masala mix provides a gentle tickle to the throat. You will notice how the freshly ground spices speckle the creamy sauce and how the sauce itself lacks the bright reddish-pink punch of restaurant offerings around the world. This is because there is neither food colouring nor canned tomato paste. It’s all natural and it’s different. I hope you like it.

Ingredients:

¼ cup ghee (clarified butter); see the “Tip” below
½ cup finely sliced red onion
½ teaspoon puréed fresh garlic
½ teaspoon puréed fresh ginger
1 pound (454 grams) chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup, heaping, chopped roma tomatoes
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon turmeric
⅛ teaspoon whole black peppercorn
1 teaspoon coriander seed
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seed (methi seed)
1 teaspoon brown mustard seed
⅛ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon, loosely packed, bay leaf, crumbled by hand
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon raw cashews
⅘ cup (200ml) table cream (15-18% milk fat)
fresh coriander for the garnish
1 lemon

Utensils:

• 3-litre medium saucepan with lid

• blender

• coffee grinder
  
  

Method:

1. Slowly heat the ghee in a medium-sized saucepan on MEDIUM-LOW heat. After 2-3 minutes, add the sliced onions. Stir. Fry the onions until they begin to brown.  

2. Next, add the garlic and ginger. Stir for 1 minute.

3. Add the chicken to the pan. Move the chicken around the pan so every piece is fully glistening from the ghee. Add the salt. Roast the chicken, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes until the chicken pieces are cooked on all sides. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to LOW.

4. Place the tomatoes in a blender.

5. Use a coffee grinder to grind the dry spices (ground cayenne, turmeric, peppercorn, coriander seed, fenugreek seed, mustard seed, cumin and bay leaf) to a coarse powder. Transfer to the blender. Blend the tomatoes and spices until fairly smooth. Wash down the lid of the blender and sides of the blender jug with ¼ cup water. Blend further for 3-4 seconds.

6. Mix the spiced tomato sauce in with the chicken. Raise the heat to MEDIUM-LOW and allow the sauce to come to a boil. Stir for 2 minutes as the sauce bubbles, then reduce the heat to LOW again. As the chicken cooks slowly, stir occasionally allowing the sauce to reduce.

7. While the sauce thickens, prepare to make the cream sauce. Rinse your blender before adding the cashews and cream. Blend until smooth. Keep aside for later.

8. Check your chicken and tomato sauce. When the sauce has thickened and the oil has risen to the surface, mix in the cream sauce. Stir for a minute, then turn off the heat and let the chicken rest covered for 10 minutes.

9. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with hot naan and lemon wedges.

Tip: If you don’t have ghee, you can easily make some by following my recipe. Otherwise substitute an equal amount of canola oil instead. Though making this change will cause the dish to lose the extra creaminess and flavour the ghee imparts.