It is an open secret that the Caribbeans love their food. In fact, good food is right there at the top of the things the Caribbean is passionate about, in addition to reggae music and sports. With the insane amount of cultural diversity that the islands have to offer, it is imperative that they borrow and share a lot of their taste buds from the rest of the world.
We at CurryBien have set out to discover recipes from around the world in our quest to find the best dishes on offer. In particular, a large number of Caribbean delicacies have been heavily inspired by Indian-style food, especially curries. Ergo, it is no wonder that we begin our journey there.
Our first choice of the dish goes to a crowd favourite, the Butter Chicken from Delhi, the capital of India.
Simply put, butter chicken is a dish made in heaven. Originating from the northern region of India, the dish features tender, succulent pieces of golden brown chicken in thick, creamy gravy. It owes half of its name to the generous amount of butter that goes into its making.
Before we get to its recipe, let’s have a quick look at the finer details of this dish.
Name: Butter Chicken
Nickname: Murgh Makhni
Origin: North India
Best Served with: Naan (Oven-baked flatbread) or Pita Bread
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Nutritional Value:
- Calories: 580kcal
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Protein: 36g
- Fat: 41g
- Saturated Fat: 19g
- Cholesterol: 250 mg
- Sodium: 1601 mg
- Potassium: 973 mg
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 8g
- Vitamin A: 1895 IU
- Vitamin C: 19.5mg
- Calcium: 171mg
- Iron: 4.1mg
AUTHENTIC DELHI BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE
Marinade Ingredients
- 28 ounces (800g) boneless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or finely grated)
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Gravy Ingredients
- Fresh tomatoes: chopped, 1 kg
- Onions: chopped, 400 grams
- Cashew: 200 gm
- Ginger: crushed, 50 gm
- Garlic: crushed, 50 gm
- Ginger Garlic Paste
- Mustard/Olive Oil: 100 gm
- Butter: 100 gm
- Cream: 100 gm
- Red Chilli powder: 30 gm
- Yoghurt: 2 tablespoons
- Authentic Indian spices mix
- Lemon
- Bay leaves
- Green cardamom
- Fennel Seeds
- Cinnamon
- Fenugreek
- Salt
- Sugar
How to make Butter Chicken
Step 1: Marinate the chicken
Mix all the marinade ingredients well and marinate for at least 20-30 minutes. The longer it is marinated, the softer your chicken.
Step 2: Take fresh ingredients in a large utensil
Add the tomatoes, onions, cashew, ginger, garlic, cardamom, fennel, oil, chilli powder to ½ litre water.
Step 3: Cook the mixture and blend
Cook all the ingredients for 5 minutes. After letting the mixture cool for about 10 minutes, blend it to form a puree.
Step 4: Prepare the tempering for the gravy
Add 100 gm oil into another pan and add ginger garlic paste to it. Stir it for a while and now add three leaves each of bay leaf and cinnamon. Once these ingredients are slightly brown, add the prepared gravy to the tempering.
Step 5: Cook gravy properly
Now cook the gravy for 5 to 7 minutes. After that, add two tablespoons of salt, some red chilli powder, fenugreek powder, spices mix and sugar to the gravy.
Mix everything well. Add 100 gm butter and 100 gm cream into the gravy for a smooth buttery flavour. This will give a nice orange colour to the gravy. Cook for a few minutes and then keep it aside.
Step 6: Cook the chicken
After 10 minutes, take out the marinated chicken from the fridge and put it on a skewer. Now, cook it in an oven for around 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 7: Take out cooked chicken
When the chicken is ready, take it out from the oven and place it on a plate. Now, chop the chicken into pieces for butter chicken.
Step 8: Mix gravy and chicken together
Take some gravy for one serving in a pan and heat it for a while. Add chicken into the gravy while stirring it well. Lastly, add some cream to the butter chicken to enhance its taste.
Finally, serve the dish in a bowl and garnish it with some cream and butter. Serve it with your choice of flatbread or rice.
Also Read: 6 Styles Of Making Scrumptious Prawns
