Butter Chicken

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to a new edition of cooking with Varun! Now, ever since I started this blog, I've been getting requests for recipes (Yes. I do requests. And you can boost your chances of getting a request fulfilled by including a photograph. No, Mr. Back Hair. Not you!) and one of the more popular requests was for butter chicken. Seeing as I'm not one to turn down a request, I figured the time was ripe to tackle this silky, buttery behemoth that is probably the singularly most ordered dish at any restaurant or dhaba.

When I think of butter chicken, I automatically think of it being accompanied by a rich dal makhani, some decadent saag, soft, warm butter naans and a tall glass of lassi. (Ok, I'm suddenly hungry again!). Today, we'll learn to cook butter chicken and in due time, the rest. You might be under the impression that this a complex dish that requires precision and takes ages to make. This is true. And because I'm being nice enough to show you how it's done, you can thank me properly by contacting me privately and I'll give you an address to post gifts to. (I'm joking of course. This is easier than falling off a log.)

For Butter Chicken you will need the following:

Chicken                      500 gms (boneless if you can wangle it)
Yoghurt (dahi)             3 big dollops (make sure it's fresh!)
Cream                        1/4 cup
Butter                         3 very big globs
Onion                         1 medium
Tomato                       2 medium
Peppercorns                tiny handful
Red chilli powder         1 heaped tbsp
Ginger garlic paste      1 1/2 tsp
Cardamom (elaichi)     1
Bay leaves                  3
Sugar                          2 tsps 
Garam masala             pinch
Salt                            to taste

Prep:

1. Clean and cut the chicken into cubes.
2. Poke some holes in the chicken pieces with a fork to let the marinade in.
3. Pureé the tomatoes. (Or just use tomato pureé.)
4. Grab a big bowl.
5. Add in the yoghurt, the chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and tomato puree.
6. Mix well.
7. Throw in your chicken pieces.
8. Mix until all the chicken is coated with the marinade. (There will be surplus marinade in the bowl. This will become your gravy.)
9. Stick the bowl in the fridge for 45 minutes to an hour.
10. Grate the onion.
11. Powder the cardamom.

Method:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan/kadhai on.
3. Drop in the soft butter globs.
4. Watch as it melts into a golden pool and feel very very guilty about how much fat is in this dish.
5. Remember how good Butter Chicken tastes and tell your guilt where it can go.
6. Bounce in the peppercorns.
7. Shake in the elaichi powder.
8. Float in the bay leaves.
9. Move the stuff around for a few seconds.
10. Think how nice it is to not add jeera to things and wince as it spatters.
11. Add in the onion.
12. Watch it spatter anyway.
13. Shake head sadly.
14. Cook the onions in the buttery goodness until they turn golden brown.
15. Add in the chicken (marinade and all).
16. Quickly pour in the cream. (Don't worry, it won't split. The contents aren't hot enough.)
17. Mix mix mix until you have a silky sauce.
18. Add in some salt to taste. (Remember, your marinade already has salt, so you might want to go easy.)
19. Sprinkle in the sugar.
20. Cook until the butter separates from the sauce.
21. Add in a cup of water.
22. Bring the heat down to low.
23. Slap on a lid.
24. Take a 10 minute walk.
25. Return in 8 minutes because you're impatient.
26. Watch as the last 2 minutes tick by.
27. Take the lid off.
28. Gasp as the aroma hits you.
29. Pinch in the garam masala.
30. Bring the heat up a little.
31. Cook until the gravy thickens. (At this point you can pick out the bay leaves and bin them.)
32. Turn the gas off when the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
33. Decide that the chicken deserves to be served in a real bowl and not the kadhai it's been cooked in.
34. Find your prettiest bowl and transfer the chicken into it.
35. Take bowl to the dining table.
36. Drumroll.
37. Reveal to unsuspecting dinner mates.
38. Serve with garam rotis. (Or parathas. Or rice) 
39. Stuff face.  
40. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish. 

Tip: You can adjust the sugar based on how sweet you want it. I personally don't like my butter chicken to be very sweet.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!