Indian cuisine: how to cook butter chicken masala

Butter chicken, also known as murgh makhani, is one of the most famous dishes of Indian cuisine. Essentially, it is a chicken stew that is stewed in a creamy tomato sauce. Unlike most Indian dishes, the dish is characterized by a delicate, not too hellish taste.

Butter chicken is considered a fairly new dish: it was invented in the mid-1950s. Back then, a visitor ordered curry in a New Delhi restaurant. The restaurant didn't have this particular dish at the time, but they did have chicken cooked in a tandoor oven. The chef came up with the idea of stewing the meat in a creamy tomato sauce with garam masala spices and thus created a new dish. The original recipe uses heavy cream, which can be replaced with yogurt.

We warn you right away: don't be afraid of the amount of ingredients needed to prepare the dish. Almost all spices can be bought in any hypermarket or at the market from oriental spice merchants.

So, for 4 servings you will need:

• chicken thigh fillet – 800 g
• lemon – half
• hot paprika – 1 tbsp
• salt – to taste
• butter – 20 g
• boiled rice – for serving
• cilantro – for serving

For the marinade:

• natural yogurt – 3/4 cup
• garlic – 2 cloves
• grated ginger – 1.5 tbsp
• turmeric – 1 tsp.
• Tandoori masala mixture – 1 tsp.
• Garam masala mixture – 1 tsp.
• oil – 1 tbsp.

For the sauce:

• grated tomatoes – 500 g
• grated ginger – 3 tbsp
• garlic – 8 cloves
• chili pepper – 1-2 pcs.
• butter  – 80 g
• cardamom – 5 grains
• cinnamon – 1 stick
• cloves - 3 pcs.
• fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp.
• bay leaf – 2 pcs.
• cashews – 10 pcs.
• garam masala mixture – 1 tsp.
• sugar – 0.5 tbsp.
• heavy cream – 3/4 cup
• salt – to taste

1. Wash the fillet, pat dry, and cut into pieces the size of half a matchbox.
2. Sprinkle with the juice of half a lemon, season with salt and paprika, and set aside for 20 minutes.
3. Grate the ginger, crush the garlic, and mix with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Put the chicken in the marinade, mix, and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or preferably overnight.
4. Heat a frying pan and fry the chicken on all sides, brushing with melted butter.
5. Prepare the sauce. Melt the butter, add cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, and fry until the spices are fragrant. Add fenugreek, heat a little, and stir in grated ginger, crushed garlic, and finely chopped chili. Fry, stirring constantly, for three to four minutes, then add the grated tomatoes, sugar, and bay leaf.
6. Cook the sauce until it thickens for about 15-20 minutes, then rub it through a sieve to get rid of seasonings and spices.
7. Grind the cashew nuts or crush them in a mortar to a paste and season with a little salt. Pour the nuts into the pan and dilute the sauce with hot water to the desired consistency.
8. Put the pieces of fried chicken in the sauce, stir, cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
9. Add garam masala and cream 5 minutes before the end and mix well.
10. Serve butter chicken with boiled rice, garnish with cilantro if desired.