BUTTER CHICKEN MASALA (MURGH MAKHANI)

Butter Chicken or Butter Chicken Masala, without a doubt, is one of the most well-known Indian dishes around the globe. Butter Chicken is known as Murgh Makhani (Hindi) in North Indian provenance. There is something very comforting about a good Butter Chicken for me. It pairs fabulously with naan, a simple vegetable pulao, or even plain rotis or chapatis.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless chicken – 250 gm, cubed
2. Onions – 2 nos., minced
3. Tomato – 1 no., pureed
4. Tomato paste / sauce – 1 tbsp.
5. Butter or ghee – 1 tbsp.
6. Garlic – 1 tsp., minced
7. Ginger – 1 tsp., minced
8. Coriander powder – 2 tsp.
9. Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp.
10. Chili powder – 1 tsp. (Kashmiri chili powder for better results)
11. Garam masala or chicken masala – 1 tsp.
12. Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) – 1 large pinch
13. Fresh Cream – 3 tbsp.
14. Cashew nuts – 10 nos., soaked and grinded to paste
15. Salt – to taste
16. Coriander leaves – a handful (to garnish)

Method:

1. Heat the butter in a pan and add the minced onions. Fry until golden brown. Take out and grind to paste.

2. Then add the ginger, garlic, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, and salt. Fry for a minute until fragrant comes.

3. Add the pureed tomato and tomato paste and cook for 3-4 mins until the mixture bubbles uniformly

4. Thrown in the kasuri methi, and the cubed chicken along with 1 cup of water. Cook covered for 8-10 mins until the chicken is soft. Cook in low flame and give the curry a stir in between.

5. When the chicken is cooked and soft, open the lid and cook for a minute or two. If the gravy is too thick, add some more water.

6. When done, add the garam / chicken masala, the cream and cashew paste. Give it a good stir, but don't let it boil.

7. Adjust salt (if needed), garnish with the coriander leaves, and remove from fire.

8. Serve hot with naan or chapatis, or vegetable pulao, or jeera rice

Note:- You can even slightly fry the chicken before adding it to the gravy. Marinate the chicken pieces in ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, and chili powder for half-an-hour and lightly saute it in butter or ghee until half-cooked before adding into the masala.