Since Gordon Ramsay’s recommendation of our Old Delhi Butter Chicken we’ve been inundated with requests for the recipe. You asked and we delivered.
Michelin Star chef and Khai Khai mentor Alfred Prasad’s Murgh Makhani recipe, known in the UK as butter chicken, is one of the ultimate curry dishes. Here he talks us through the history of the dish. Ingredients and method below for cooking at home.
SERVES 4 – Cooking time 1 hour 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
For the chicken tikka:
500 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into small chunks
20 g ginger-garlic paste
salt
80 g Greek yogurt
½ tsp degi mirch chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
10 ml rapeseed oil
For the gram flour roux:
30 g gram flour
20 ml rapeseed oil
For the makhni sauce:
20 ml rapeseed oil
20 g ginger-garlic paste
1 no green chilli
400 g chopped plum tomato (tin), puréed
2 tsp honey
½ tsp degi mirch chilli powder
¼ tsp cardamom powder
¼ tsp dried kasoori methi, ground
¼ tsp garam masala powder
50 g unsalted butter
To finish:
25 g butter
¼ tsp dried kasoori methi, ground
¼ tsp cardamom powder
40 ml single cream
a dollop of butter
METHOD:
For the chicken tikka:
To prepare the gram flour roux, warm 20 ml of rapeseed oil, add 30 g of gram flour and cook over gentle heat until well mixed. Transfer to a plate to cool. In a large bowl, add ginger-garlic paste, hung yogurt, ground spices and salt, mix well. Add the boneless chicken thighs, gram flour roux, rapeseed oil and mix together. Transfer to a container and leave to marinate for a minimum of 4 hours at room temperature. Skewer and grill the chicken in a tandoor (or grill in an oven) until done; set aside to cool.
For the makhni sauce:
Heat rapeseed oil in a large saucepan; add ginger and garlic paste and 1 green chilli, sauté for a couple of minutes, add the pureed tomato, honey, chilli powder, cardamom powder, ground dried fenugreek leaves, garam masala and simmer for 20 minutes, covered with a lid. Once cooked, remove the green chilli (and discard), blitz the sauce with a stick blender, add salt and butter, mix well. Remove from heat and set aside.
To finish:
Heat a large saucepan, add butter and once it melts, add the chicken tikka and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Sprinkle ground kasoori methi and ground cardamom. Add the makhni sauce and single cream, check seasoning and top with a dollop of butter.
