This delicious butter chicken was on my to-do list for a long time. I think this is one of the staples of Indian restaurants outside India. I have eaten in atleast 10 different Indian restaurants in last 2 years and each and every one had this on the menu. That may be the reason, this is known to all non-Indians over here. Last month, we had been to a lunch party and one of my colleagues said his favorite Indian dish is butter chicken. That itself speaks its popularity. I love butter chicken too, but some restaurants really mess it up.
Butter chicken is called as Murgh makhani in Hindi. There are many different recipes for this dish. Everyone seems to follow their own recipe for it. I followed my favorite chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s simple makhani gravy recipe and changed few things. I had very little hopes of getting a perfect butter chicken. But when it got ready, it was so delicious, I could not believe I actually had prepared it. Kasoori methi really gives it a very great flavor to it.
Some other recipes from different blogs for butter chicken here .
Marination: 1/4 kg boneless chicken pieces 1/4 cup thick yogurt 1/4 tea spn ginger paste 1/4 tea spn garlic paste A pinch turmeric Salt
Apply all the ingredients to chicken pieces and keep aside for about 1hr.
For Gravy: 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/4 tbl spn ginger paste 1/4 tea spn garlic paste 1 cup tomato paste (Cook 2 big tomatoes in water and then grind them to smooth paste) 1 tbl spn cashews ground into smooth paste (optional) 1 tea spn kasoori methi 1 tea spn garam masala 1/2 tea spn chili powder 1/4 cup fresh cream 2 tbl spns butter 2-3 strands coriander leaves Salt
Method: Heat 1 tbl spn butter and fry the marinated chicken till it is 3/4th done. Take out on a plate and keep aside. Heat remaining butter and add onions, ginger, garlic, fry till onions turn translucent. Add chili powder, garam masala and kasoori methi (slightly roast the methi to make it crisp, crush the kasoori methi using palms to make a powder). Add tomato paste, salt, cashew paste, chicken pieces. Cover and cook till the gravy thickens. Pour cream and cook for 1-2mins. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.
Serves : 2-3 Preparation time : 40mins
Once in a while, I get infected by bugs – like baking bug, craft bug etc. Last week I had a baking fever. Almost every day of the week, I baked something.
My husband read some nutritional facts of blueberry during one of his browsing sessions. So he went in search of these beauties. I knew these would come home, sit in refrigerator for few days and then die a natural death. Thats exactly what happened. They were sitting in fridge for over a week begging to be used by someone :). So to end their misery, I made these. These became an instant hit. He skipped his dinner the day I made these. They taste great when they are just out of oven. Next day, heat them a bit in microwave and they are good as new.
Pictorial:
Blueberry muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup wheat flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tea spns baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 tea spn lemon zest
- 1 tea spn vanilla extract
- 1/8 th tea spn salt
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Topping
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tbl spn all purpose flour
- A pinch grated nutmeg
- 1 tb spn butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350 F for 10mins.
- Mix butter and sugar.
- When they are mixed well, add egg, vanilla extract and milk. Mix well.
- Now add the dry ingredients-flours, salt & baking powder a little at a time.
- Mix till it forms a uniform mixture.
- Now add zest and blueberries.
- Fold them with a spoon.
- Line a muffin tin with muffin cups.
- Fill them 3/4th with the mix.
- In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients of the topping.
- Spread a little mixture on top of each muffin.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350F for about 15mins or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
