With its bright mixture of ginger, garlic, cumin, clove and garam masala, Indian butter chicken can perk up the flagging appetite, especially in winter. In addition to the warming spices, cream adds the richness we crave in cold weather. This recipe comes from my friend Chef Ambarish Lulay. Though he is well-versed in the French repertoire, for comfort, he often returns to dishes from his native India.
Butter chicken is acutally comprised of two recipes, one for tandoori chicken and one for butter chicken. You can stop with tandoori chicken or go on to turn leftovers into the famous butter chicken. From Chef Lulay:
The secret to a good butter chicken is great tandoori chicken. The second most important thing is the slow simmering of the sauce to make sure the tomatoes are cooked properly. I often boost the flavor of the tomatoes with a quarter-cup of tomato paste and use cashew paste in the sauce instead of cream. Serve with basmati rice.
Ingredients
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
4 tbl lemon juice
1 pint strained or Greek yogurt
2 tbl puréed ginger
2 tbl puréed garlic
1 tsp cumin, freshly ground
1 tsp garam masala
1 pinch saffron
Red food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Score the thighs lightly and rub with salt, chili powder and lemon juice.
Whisk the rest of the ingredients together and rub on the chicken and marinate a minimum of 4 hours to overnight.
To cook, use a tandoor, grill, or 450° oven. Cook to 165°.
The Next Day: Butter Chicken
Ingredients
6 oz clarified butter or ghee
10 whole cloves
8 green cardamom pods
3 tbl ginger-garlic paste (made of equal parts ginger and garlic)
2 jalapenos, minced
1 tsp red chili powder
2 ½ lbs tomatoes, skinned and pureed in blender
8 oz cream
salt to taste
2 tbl honey
2-3 tsp fresh fenugreek leaves, if available
1 tbl ginger, julienne
Note: Indian cooks often have a jar of ginger-garlic paste on hand in the refrigerator since this combination is used so often.
Instructions
- Heat 4 oz clarified butter or ghee. Add the whole spices and wait to hear the “crackle.”
- Add ginger-garlic paste, the minced jalapeños, and red chili powder and sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining 2 oz butter and cook until the fat separates.
- Add puréed tomatoes and cream. Cube and reheat tandoori chicken in this sauce. Cubed squares of firm tofu are also delicious simmered in this sauce in this sauce.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and honey.
- Garnish with julienned ginger and fresh fenugreek leaves, if available.
- Serve with basmati rice or warm bread, pickles and your choice of roasted vegetables.
Yummy!! I want to try this! I love Indian food!!