Murg Makhani - Creamy Butter Chicken

Anyone who is a fan of Indian cuisine will certainly have tried the famous Butter Chicken or murgh makhani (if you are not a Vegetarian). It's on every menu in any Indian restaurant in countries all over the world. Depending on where you are, the taste varies from restaurant to restaurant, even in India itself you'll never find two cooks making the same butter chicken.

The dish originated in the Punjab region of India. Served in the famous street side stalls, Dhabas, the butter chicken found it's way into mainstream restaurant cuisine because of it's creamy, buttery sauce and tender, succulent chicken. It's not surprising that it became so popular.

Chicken Chili

Butter chicken is prepared by marinating the chicken overnight in a yogurt-spice rub. The Makhani sauce is made with butter, tomatoes, spices and ground almonds among other ingredients. Traditionally the chicken is cooked in a tandoor and in many restaurants you will find that the meat is still prepared in the clay oven.

My recipe combines a mix of fine aromatic spices and omits tomato. This because I personally think that adding tomato to this delicate dish takes away the attention from the main focus - the chicken and the buttery sauce. The flavor of tomatoes makes the dish tarter, which somehow in my opinion, does not fit here. If you prefer it with tomatoes by all means add a few chopped tomatoes to the chicken when pan-frying it.

Ingredients

1 kg chicken - without skin, boned and cut into bite-size cubes or strips

50ml vegetable oil

For the marinade

300g yogurt

1 tablespoon garam masala

2 teaspoons red chili powder

1 tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

Juice from 1 fresh lime

Salt and pepper

For the spice mix

6-8 cloves

10-15 black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds

1 small cinnamon stick

For the butter sauce

500 ml chicken stock

Handful of almonds, 20-25, skinned and pureed to a fine paste

3 onions - finely chopped

2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

50g butter

3-4 tablespoons cream

Handful coriander leaves, chopped

Method

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients for the marinade and mix to incorporate. Add the chicken pieces and coat well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. For the spice mix, dry roast all the spices in a small pan. Finely grind in grinder, food processor or using a pestle and morsel. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and sauté the onions with the ginger-garlic paste until the color takes on a golden color. Add the chicken pieces, reserving the marinade, and pan-fry until the meat turns opaque. Stir in the dry spice mix to the chicken and mix well, then transfer everything into your Römertopf, roasting tin or ovenproof dish. Pour in the chicken stock, cover tightly and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir in the reserved marinade and bake for a further 15 minutes. Reduce the heat of the oven to 150 degrees C and finally add the almond paste, butter and cream. Put back into the oven and let simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with fresh rotis, naan or steamed rice.

~ Meeta Khurana

Murg Makhani - Creamy Butter Chicken

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Article can be found at

http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/2008/07/bollywood-cooking-murg-makhani-creamy.html

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