Butter Chicken / Murgh Makhani.

"Butter Chicken / Murgh Makhani" ...... My all time favourite ..... Is an Indian dish of chicken in a mildly spiced curry sauce having roots in Punjabi Cuisine served and relished at restaurants all over the world. This is a my simple homemade version of the same served with Paratha ..... Yumz ........

Butter chicken with Naan is a combo of dish I have simply loved from my childhood. Initially they used to add tandoori chicken to the dish. To make an authentic butter chicken recipe, we need to grill the chicken either in a tandoor / oven or pan and then cook it up in the rich gravy But then over the years things have changed and chicken pieces are just added as it is now a days. Tandoori chicken added to butter masala has its own unique taste. My next venture would definitely be that, so just keep checking the blog for the authentic recipe….. Butter Chicken Recipe is said to have originated in a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Delhi, India. The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to a man named Kundan Lal Gujral, who ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal Delux in Peshawar before the partition of British India. With the partition of British India, Moti Mahal moved to New Delhi. Butter Chicken is regarded to have been first introduced by Moti Mahal in New Delhi (Source :Wikipedia).

Butter Chicken is a rich royal dish, which is much talked about and the most ordered dish in a restaurant. The dish has gained an immense popularity all over the world. Though many people specially those who are very health conscious gasp at the amount of cream / butter / ghee that goes in it, they still love to have it once in a while to satisfy the craving tooth. There are many versions to this rich royal dish with many versions and variations. You can substitute cream with yogurt or the butter/ghee with oil etc., though they never turn out the same its still quite delicious and you can have it with a little bit of lesser guilt. So go ahead and do indulge on this dish as it is once in a way as it is not recommended to be prepared quite often ......... 

I still remember to date my joy in having this dish, one of my most fav. With naan. My father used to take us to Moti Mahal Restaurant in Mangalore once in a while. It was one of those rare treats those days. Till date it has remained etched in my memory and has been my most desired dish. Paired with naan or kulcha it is a delight which most Indians love during their restaurant visits. I simply can hog on this and biryani anytime any day. Butter masala does not need much of introduction as I am sure almost every Indian is aware and has heard about this dish while most of them have tasted it too be it in veg or non veg. So I will not run into the details. But I would like to mention here that over the years I tried many recipes and finally came about to may own method of preparing the dish. This is very close to the one’s you get in restaurants. So go ahead and prepare and enjoy this dish with family. I assure you if you like butter masala you will find this dish extremely awesome in taste. 

Ingredients :

Chicken Curry Pieces / or breast pieces : 500 gms.

Onion : 2 medium sized chopped roughly + 1 large onion chopped finely.

Garlic : 10-12 peeled and chopped.

Ginger : 1 inch ~ chopped.

Coconut : ½ cup freshly grated.

Kashmiri Chilly powder : 3 tblsp.

Coriander Seeds powder : ½ tsp

Jeera powder : ¼ tsp

Fennel powder : ¼ tsp

Garam Masala powder : ½ tsp

Cardamom powder : ¼ tsp

Haldi powder : a pinch.

Cashew nuts : ½ cup

Cus Cus : 2 tsp

Melon Seeds : 1 tblsp

Milk : ½ cup

Tomatoes : 2 large.

Milk Cream : 50 ml.

Sugar : 1tsp

Butter / ghee : ½ cup.

Oil : 2 tblsp.

Coriander leaves : 2 tblsp.

Salt to taste.

** Clean and wash the chicken pieces and cut them into medium sized pieces and keep them ready aside. In a thick bottomed vessel add in the chicken pieces with 1 tsp haldi powder and 1 tsp chilly powder and mix well. Add in one cup of water and bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook the meat covered till 75% done. Keep them ready aside.

** Mix in the cashew nuts, melon seeds and cus cus and keep them ready.

** Chop the 2 onions, ginger and garlic and keep them ready.

** Keep the butter ready.

** Masala Ground 1: 2 medium sized onions chopped roughly + 10-12 garlic chopped + 1 inch piece of ginger. Grind to a smooth paste with little water to a smooth paste.

** Masala Ground 2: ½ cup freshly grated coconut + 3 tblsp kashmiri red chilly + ½ tsp coriander seeds powder + ¼ tsp jeera powder + ¼ tsp fennel powder + ½ tsp garam masala + ¼ tsp cardamom powder + pinch of haldi powder. Grind the above ingredients to a smooth paste with little water. 

** Masala Ground 3: Soak ½ cup cashew nuts + 2 tsp cus cus + 1 tblsp melon seeds in ½ cup of warm milk for 15-20 mins. Grind to a smooth paste. Add little water only if necessary.

** Tomato Puree : Chop the 2 tomatoes and grind to a smooth puree.

** Fresh Cream : Beat and keep 50 ml Cream ready.

** In a thick bottomed kadai add in the butter/ghee and oil, when hot add in the finely chopped onion and fry till translucent. 

Add in the ~ Masala ground 1 and fry on medium to low heat till the raw smell of the onions are done away with and you get a pleasant aroma. This will take a good 10 minutes at least. Now add in the ~ Masala ground 2 and mix well. Continue frying till the masala get fried well and the ghee leaves the sides of the masala. Add tomato puree and mix well. Continue cooking on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Now add in the cooked chicken pieces, salt to taste and mix well. Let cook for 5 minutes, Now add the last ~ Masala ground 3 and mix well. Add in about ½ cup of water and mix all the ingredients well. 

Lower the heat and cook till you see round bubble sorts blow busting from surface. Now add in the sugar and milk cream and mix together and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice till all the masala has well blended. Do not over cook once you add in the last masala and cream. The dish may then curdle. But the bubble burst should come or else the curry may not have cooked properly. 

Remove and garnish with coriander leaves. Butter Chicken / Murg Makhani is ready to be served. This dish goes best with naan and roti as it is not a very spicy curry. But I have served this with Jeera Pepper Rice / Biryani too before. You can serve the same with any combination of your choice. A delicious curry enjoyed by young and old through out the world.