> From: "Terry Barnard"
> Subject: Butter Chicken
> This is terrific and I am going broke buying it at my favorite Indian
> restaurant. Please send a recipe so I can make it at home. Thanks


This is the Camellia Panjabi recipe that, coincidentally, I cooked today

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

From 50 great curries of India

900g chicken (skinned quarters, smaller pieces on the bone) or boneless
pieces (tikkas)
4-5 tablespoons oil
For the marinade
2 cups plain yoghurt
6 garlic cloves
1/2 inch square of fresh ginger, peeled
2/3 teaspoon red chilli powder or paprika
1/4 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
A tiny pinch of tandoori colouring (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lime juice
For the makhani sauce
700g tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
75g chilled butter
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Few drops of vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder
Salt
40g double/heavy cream


First prepare the marinade. Place the yoghurt in a piece ofcheesecloth
and leave to hang to allow the whey to drip away. Puree the garlic and
ginger in a blender. Add this and the marinade spices, salt and lime
juice to the yoghurt and mix well. Scald the tomatoes for the makhani
sauce and peel off the skin. Reduce to a semi-pulp with a fork or a potato
masher. Put the kasurimethi into a grinder and reduce to a powder. 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. When ready to cook, 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.

Put the tomato pulp into a frying pan and cook for 5 minutes or so until
the liquid has evaporated slightly. 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. Add the kasuri methi and
garam masala powder and salt to taste. After 30 seconds, add the cream
and stir. The sauce is now ready. Pour it into the skillet and mix well
with the chicken. Serve immediately.

Note: if butter is cooked for as long as 3 minutes it will turn into ghee
and become a grainy emulsion. So start with chilled butter and cook for
less than 2 minutes after the butter has melted. You can cook the chicken
ahead of time. But makhani sauce takes only 5-6 minutes to prepare and
should be made when the dish is to beaten. You can cook the tomato ahead,
but add the butter just before serving. In India, restaurateurs mix a
little raw papaya puree into the marinade as a tenderizer. Kasuri methi or
dried fenugreek leaves are available in Indian grocery shops.


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