Murgh Makhani urf Butter Chicken

Butter chicken or Murgh Makhani is an Indian dish from Punjab, they say this dish is among the best known Indian foods all over the world. The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to Delhi, during the period of Mughal Empire. While the dish's general recipe is well known, the actual flavor can vary from restaurant to restaurant even within India. Its gravy can be made as hot or mild as you like so it suits most palates. Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti, parathas or steamed rice.

The recipe i have used here is again from Camellia Panjabi's 50 Great Curries of India. This dish is really creamy and so tasty. What really surprised me was how rich this curry is, i have loved having Butter Chicken in restaurants but only when i got down to preparing it did i realise how rich it is...hence i'm against the idea of making this an every week chicken dish at home....So i'm bookmarking this recipe for guests.;)

Ingredients:

1. Chicken : 900g (use small pieces on the bone or boneless pieces)
2. Oil: 4-5 tbsp

For the marinade:

1. Yoghurt: 2 cups (full-fat or a carton of plain yoghurt)
2. Garlic Cloves: 6nos
3. Fresh Ginger: ½” piece
4. Red Chili Powder/ Paprika: 3/4 tsp
5. Coriander Powder: ¼ tsp
6. Cumin Powder: ½ tsp
7. Garam Masala Powder:
8. Salt: ½ tsp
9. Lime Juice:

For the makhani sauce:

1. Tomatoes: 700g
2. Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves): ½ tsp
3. Chilled Butter: 75g
4. Paprika: ½ tsp
5. Vinegar: few drops
6. Garam Masala Powder: ¼ tsp
7. Salt
8. Single Cream: 40g

Method:

First prepare the marinade

Step 1: Place the yoghurt in a piece of muslin and leave to hang to allow the whey to drip away ( I have read this is how you make “hung curd” but I didn’t do this as I thought the yogurt I’m using is thick enough).

Step 2: Purée the garlic and ginger in a blender (I just crushed them into a coarse paste using a good mortar and pestle) Add this and the marinade spices, salt and lime juice to the yoghurt and mix well.

Step 3: Make gashes in the chicken if using pieces on the bone. Marinate the chicken in the yoghurt mixture for at least 1 hour, preferably 2; for best results leave overnight.

Once this is done and you are ready to cook

Step 1: Heat the oil in a large, thick-bottomed skillet and put in the chicken with the marinade. Cover and cook over a low heat until done. Turn the chicken over during cooking.

Step 2: While the above is going on scald the tomatoes for the makhani sauce and peel off the skin. Reduce to a semi-pulp with a fork or potato masher.

Step 3: Put the tomato pulp into a frying pan and cook for 5 minutes or so until the liquid has evaporated slightly.

Step 4: Add the chilled butter and paprika; after the butter has melted, let it cook for just 1 minute. Taste… if it has no sourness; add a few drops of vinegar.

Step 5: Add the kasuri methi and garam masala powder and salt to taste.

Step 6: After 30 seconds, add the cream and stir. The sauce is now ready. Add in the chicken pieces and mix well. Serve immediately.

p.s. my snap for this dish has also gotten accepted on foodgawker....yeah yeah yippee yippee....;)

Chettinad Egg Kurma

I have been making my Egg Masala Dry for what seems like forever and last week i decided it's high time i tried something else with hard boiled eggs. I have the book '50 Best Curries of India' by Camellia Panjabi and decided to give her recipe Egg Kurma Chettinad a try. She mentions that this recipe is adapted from the home of Mr.A.Ramaswamy, who is the Raja of Chettinad. I expected it to be far more spicier than it actually turned out to be, i think it's coz i used Kashmiri Chili Powder instead of the normal chili powder. But this recipe is definitely something i'm gonna treasure.

Ingredients:

1. Eggs (hard boiled): 6nos
2. Coriander Powder: 3tsp
3. Chili Powder or Paprika: 1 1/2tsp (i used kashmiri chili powder)
4. Fennel Seeds: 1tsp
5. Cumin Seeds: 1tsp
6. Turmeric Powder: 1/2tsp
7. Fresh Ginger: 1/2inch piece
8. Garlic Cloves: 2nos
9. Coconut Milk: 200ml (she mentions that you can alternatively use 100gms of grated or desiccated coconut instead.i used ready coconut milk as i find it easy)
10. Oil: 2tbsp
11. Fenugreek Seeds: 1/2tsp
12. Fennel seeds: 1/2tsp (second lot)
13. Cinnamon Sticks: 2 inch piece
14. Onions: 225gms (finely chopped)
15. Tomatoes: 225gms (finely chopped)
16. Salt: as per taste
17. Lime Juice: of 1/2 a lime (i didn't use this)

Method:

Step 1: Peel the eggs and halve them lengthways

Step 2: Put coriander powder, chili powder, fennel and cumin seeds, turmeric powder, ginger and garlic into a blender with 2 tbsp water and puree into a thick paste.

Step 3: If you are using coconut instead of milk, put the coconut into a blender with 400ml of warm water. Liquidise, then strain the coconut milk and set aside.

Step 4: Heat the oil in a kadai/wok and fry the fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds and the cinnamon for 10seconds. Add the onion and fry until lightly coloured. Add the spice paste and saute for 7 minutes. (It will darken in colour since it contains a lot of coriander.) Add a few drops of water if it sticks to the bottom of the kadai. Then add the tomatoes and saute for another 2-3minutes.

Step 5: Add 600ml (1/2pint) of warm water with salt to taste, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, to make a smooth gravy. just before serving, add the coconut milk and bring to boil. Add the lime juice, taste and add more salt if necessary, and gently lay in the hard boiled eggs with the yellow facing upwards. Carefully scoop into a serving dish.

If you want to freeze this curry, omit the coconut and eggs, but add lime juice and salt and freeze. Then use it to make egg curry as and when you need, topping it with coconut milk at the time of reheating.

I deviated from the above recipe only to the point where i boiled the eggs along while i was browning the onions and also made the paste in the blender in the meantime. I added the halved eggs only in the serving dish instead of just before serving. Like i said this recipe is definitely a keeper.

p.s: this is my first photograph that is accepted at (the other famous food porn website-) TasteSpotting. I'm thrilled!