Kundan Lal Gujral, the owner of Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi is often credited as the creator of this mildly spiced creamy chicken recipe. And I bet even he wouldn’t have realised that this creation would one day become a globally renowned representee of Indian cuisine. Like I have always mentioned, Indian cuisine or Indian restaurants abroad are loose mimics of Punjabi home food and tandoor items served in a repackaged form.

Modern Indian is a term that the new age has tagged for Indian food served in uber contemporary style. Before experiments began in the 70’s and 80’s, there came a unique thinker- chef Satish Arora who started serving Indian food in a classic French Nouvelle style. This led to other young minds, who today are no lesser than legends. Breaking stereotype and cracking newer cooking formulas have today become a statement, but yes, there was a time when fear preceded each thought of experiment. Earlier, Indian food was vaguely bracketed as popular home-style Punjabi food and tandoor being the beginning and end of it all.

In all this, Butter chicken too had its own claim to fame! Over the years many chefs, restaurants, hotel chefs and home cooks across the globe claim to have created the best and the most authentic recipe, but few succeeded. Some have infact even graphed their career on this one single product. But to each their own. To make it creamier, Some add cream, some almond milk, some cashew paste, some even go upto the extent of using coconut milk which is a joke (Because coconuts for the uninitiated have no history in Punjabi Cuisine as it is demographically a coastal Indian produce.) The real deal is to make it Velvet-ty or Makhmali. That’s where it gets its Indian name from and that is Chicken Makhani or Makhanwala! But having said that it also means Butter or loaded with butter, so do not be surprised by the quantity of butter in the recipe. Certainly not for the one’s looking for a recipe while on diet. Here you go!

Ingredients
For the chicken
300 gms Chicken breast boneless
1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp Red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Oil to pan fry

For the gravy
500 gms  roughly slit tomatoes
100 gms roughly cut onions
1 tbsp garlic paste
50 gms cashew
1 tsp kasoori methi
1/2 tsp garam masala
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
5 tbsp butter
3 tbsp cream
2 tbsp malt vinegar / 1.5 tbsp White Vinegar
Salt to taste

Method
– Marinate the chicken with ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder and salt and keep it aside for 15 to 20 minutes
– In a pan heat some oil then fry the marinated chicken pieces in it,once done place it into a bowl.
– In the same pan add onion, oil, spoonful of butter and once the onions are cooked add tomatoes and cashew nuts
– Add some water and garlic paste, salt, malt vinegar, sugar, garam masala powder and chilli powder. Evenly mix it and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes
– Churn the mixture into fine puree.
– Strain it back into the same pan make sure there is minimal wastage.
– Add butter, cream, chicken and kasoori meethi and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes.
– Garnish it with cream and kasoori meethi. Butter Chicken is ready to be served!

For the video version of the same, here it is a click away. Happy Cooking!

Recipe Courtesy : The Bombay Chef | Get Curried | Chef Varun Inamdar | Rajshri Food