Gordon Ramsay

There’s some thing homey and comforting in butter chicken, the curry that put India on the global culinary map. A quick Google for Butter Chicken throws up 7,220,000 results in 0.20 seconds! Phew, such is the popularity for this sumptuous curry from India that has won hearts over across the globe. Suman Bolar has delved deep into the origins of the dish … As a post-partition dish, butter chicken is a relative newcomer to the Indian culinary repertoire, and owes its existence to a man named Kundan Lal Gujral. In his book, The Moti Mahal Cookbook: On The Butter Chicken Trail, Monish Gujral, Kundan Lal’s grandson, shares the original butter chicken recipe. You can find the recipe here on Bolar’s blog. I’ve tried it and I have to say it is excellent, but the one I’ve posted today is very good too, and simpler {IMHO}. 

Butter chicken (or murgh makhani) is an Indian dish from Punjab, popular in countries all over the world. The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to Delhi, during the period of Mughal Empire. Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti, parathas or steamed rice. It is often confused with Chicken tikka masala.

Butter chicken is our most famous dish, and embodies everything Indian. It is vibrant, colourful, robust, rich, comforting … in one word finger-licking good! In a sense, it’s got a bit of something to offer everyone. It’s adaptable as well. The richness can be stretched as you like it, or curtailed to a large extent, as I’ve done in the recipe posted below; it still delivers the punch! Immensely popular in Britain, where in the 1980′s, one would see it offered as the recommended dish on all menus at Asian foodie joints. At that time, one found it often lacked the punch and flavour, and was often just grilled chicken floating in a tomato cream sauce; very bland. That of course has changed now …

This celebrated dish find mention in British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s book Great Escape, a book about his escape to India which he thanks for bringing back his zest for life. His visit here wasn’t free from controversy though, with Christopher Hart’s article in the Daily Mail “What HAS India done to deserve Gordon Ramsay” making for an interesting read. Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani also finds mention in the book 1,001 Foods to Die For authored by Andrews McMeel; another good indicator of the international appeal the curry holds. The cuisine of India has been largely influenced by the rulers of her past – the Moghuls, the Arabs, the Rajputs and the Afghans, all significantly contributing to India’s rich culinary traditions.

Here’s a recipe I was introduced to by Monica Bhide, the author of Modern Spice. The recipe is adapted from the way her Dad cooked it, posted here. As she mentions there, and I agree, fresh ingredients hold the key to this recipe. With summer here, and a bounty of vine ripened red tomatoes painting the food markets red, this couldn’t be a better time to try it. As Mr PAB commented on eating this dish , “What shall I say? This is the best one ever!“… and this after I ‘trimmed the fat‘ quite a bit!!

Butter Chicken
Adapted from The Everything Indian Cookbook by Monica Bhide
Serves 4–5
For the chicken {Marinade}:
1 cup low fat hung curd / yogurt
1 tablespoon peeled, grated ginger
1 tablespoon peeled, minced garlic
2 tablespoons Indian tandoori masala {I used Shaan brand}
¼ cup tomato puree
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons ghee, {or melted butter}
750 gms boneless thigh pieces, cut up into 2″ bits
Salt to taste
For the gravy / sauce:
2 tbsp clarified butter/ghee {or unsalted butter}
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic {I use my microplaner for both ginger and garlic}
5 medium tomatoes {about 250gms}, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 green chilies, slit {deseed to decrease heat}
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup low fat cream
Salt to taste

Method for chicken:

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, ginger, garlic, Indian tandoori masala, tomato puree, salt, lemon juice, and clarified butter. Add the chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. {I marinated it overnight}.

Preheat the oven to 400Cº. Place the chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan. Pour all remaining marinade over the chicken. Roast 15 minutes, then turn the pieces over and roast for another 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven, pick out the pieces  and place in a bowl. Reserve the cooked marinade separately.

In a large skillet, heat the clarified butter for the gravy/sauce over medium heat. Add the ginger and the garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and green chilies and cook, stirring constantly. Use the back of your spatula to mash the tomatoes as you go. Continue until the tomatoes are completely mashed and soft. {I simmered this covered for about 20 minutes}

Add the reserved marinade, salt, pepper, fenugreek leaves, and chicken, and mix well. Simmer covered for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for another minute.

Serve hot with naan, tandoori parathas, lachcha pudina parathas or basmati rice.

Note:

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