Editor’s Note: I wasn’t planning on typing this up but more than three and a half actual (I think) people asked for it after seeing the curry lurking on the side of my recent basmasti rice missive.
Butter Chicken I’m told was ‘invented’ in the 1950s by clever chefs with a surplus of meat from the blazing hot tandoor oven. Fearing it would be too dry it was heaped into a convenient sauce of gently spiced butter and tomatoes – called a ‘gravy’ in Indian circles – with the results being an instant hit. This curry is more gentle, more refined than it’s firey cousins like vindaloo or jalfrazi. The velvet texture comes not only from a sizable hunk of butter but also from cream or cashews pounded into submission. I stick with dairy because cashews cost a heap in my neighbourhood delicious as they may be. I hear blanched, skinned almonds might also be an alternative but I’ve yet to try that twist.
For the record, when a meatless mood strikes you can heap all sorts of interesting fire-charred vegetables into the very same butter sauce to replace the chicken with great (albeit wholly different) results. So good in fact that’s where the red bell peppers entered my recipe. Giant mushroom caps scorched and ripped into pieces is a favourite. Potato works well too. Of course you can skip the yogurt marinade in these cases but spend some thought on a quick and appropriate lemon and oil-laced soak before tossing them on the coals. A grill ‘basket’ is your friend here. I’m not vegetarian enough to have experimented with fake butter or cream so you’re on your own if those are windmills you want to joust.
As much as the actual ingredients this is about technique and spending a good bit of time bringing it all together in stages. Notably using charcoal and bits of char rather than mounds of chiles while making sure everything else, cream and all, is smoothly integrated. If street curry wears jeans and a tee-shirt, butter chicken wears a long dress with subtle curves.
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Yield: 6-8 entrée portions
Masala (Spice Mix) for Butter Chicken
2 tablespoons whole coriander seed
4 teaspoons whole cumin seed, briefly dry toasted to aromatic
1 tablespoon whole brown mustard seed, briefly dry toasted to aromatic
1 tablespoon whole fenugreek seed
2 teaspoons dried red chiles (to heat preference)
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon whole cardamom seed (de-husked)
3 whole cloves
2 tablespoons methi (dried fenugreek leaf), omit if unavailable
Mix by volume and store in an air-tight container away from heat. Grind just before use in an electric mill and pass through a fine tami or sifter to ensure no coriander husks remain.
For the Butter Sauce aka “Makhana Gravy”
Making the sauce a day ahead while the chicken marinates gives a richer flavour but simply simmering in the hour before serving yields very respectable results. Leftovers if you manage any will give a hint of what time can do to enhance the sauce on either end of the recipe.
1.5 kg very ripe fresh tomatoes, cored and halved
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2-3 long green or red chiles (mild examples, not blistering hot versions)
200g butter, unsalted (substitute ghee if available as desired)
1 large onion, finely chopped (any variety)
2 tablespoons spice masala for butter chicken, freshly ground (recipe above)
fine sea salt to taste
In a large bowl, toss the tomato halves in oil reserving all juice and pulp that accumulates. Place the tomatoes skin side up on a large foil-line baking sheet and broil until the skins char, about six minutes. Set aside to steam and cool until most of the skins can be easily removed with some charred bits left behind. Coarsely chop and add to reserved juice. Add any juices from the roasting pan as well.
Remove the stems from the chiles and split lengthwise. Remove seeds and inner membrane by scraping with a spoon. Melt the butter in a deep skillet or braiser over medium heat. Add the onion and chile halves. Sauté until slightly softened, about three minutes. Add the spice masala ensuring that it comes in contact with the butter to bloom the flavours. Saute until fragrant, about a minute, stirring constantly and being careful not to scorch the spices into bitterness. Add the tomatoes and simmer covered over low heat for at least twenty minutes and up to an hour. Depending on your tomatoes and the amount of sauce desired, add up to 500ml water during cooking at this stage. Taste and adjust salt.
Blend all in a high speed blender until very smooth. Alternatively pass through a fine sieve or food mill to eliminate any remaining solids. If not using immediately cool and store in an airtight container under refrigeration for up to 48 hours.
To prepare the final dish (requires extended marination, plan accordingly)
1 kg boneless, skinless chicken – thighs, breasts, or a mix
125ml lemon juice
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and finely grated
2-3 inches fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tablespoon spice masala for butter chicken, freshly ground (recipe above)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
250ml plain, full-fat yogurt
1 large handful fresh coriander leaves with stems
1 large red bell pepper, very coarsely chopped or ripped into 1 1/2” pieces
250ml cream, 18% or better milk fat
Rinse and cut the chicken into very large pieces, two per thigh or three per large breast. Place in a large non-reactive bowl with the lemon juice, garlic, ginger, spice masala, and salt. Toss well to coat. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2-4 hours.
Add the yogurt, toss well to coat, re-cover, and return to the refrigerator for an additional four hours and up to overnight.
In the absence of a tandoor oven with hanging skewers, use a very hot charcoal grill (not gas) outdoors for the best results. Barring that use a large pre-heated cast iron pan on medium-high heat under very good ventilation if indoors. Grill or sauté the chicken pieces being careful not to overcrowd. Cook 1-2 minutes per side allowing some char to form. Do not overcook – the chicken will typically still be raw in the center. Remove each batch to a large board and cut into generous pieces, 1-2 inches each. Discard any leftover marinade resisting the urge to add it to the gravy as it will curdle.
Cut the stems from the coriander and chop finely. Chop the leaves coarsely and reserve for finishing. Add the chicken, bell pepper, and coriander stems to the prepared gravy (above) and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, roughly forty minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust salt while simmering.
Stir in the coriander leaf and cream just before serving over freshly made basmati rice. Be generous with the gravy. Fresh hot-buttered naan is nearly mandatory.
– msh v. 6.2
