Butter Chicken

Ingredients

For Marinade

• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1-2 tsp hot chilli powder
• 2 spoons Greek yoghurt/ plant-based yoghurt
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 2 tsp Ginger and garlic paste(I prefer making a paste from fresh ginger and garlic)

For the Curry

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 cardamom pods
• 3 whole black peppercorn
• 1 tsp whole cumin
• 1 Bayleaf
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 Onions
• 2 tomatoes
• 20 grams of cashews soaked in water

Directions

Marinating the Chicken

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add the 300 grams of chicken cut into small pieces to the marinade. Keep the chicken marinated for at least an hour.
2. Cooking the chicken:
3. Heat 5 grams of butter and 5 grams of sunflower oil in a pan. Adding the oil to prevent the butter from getting burnt.
4. Add the marinated chicken to the pan. Cook it on low heat until the water from the yoghurt is dried out and the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Cooking the Gravy

1. Make a paste of cashews and keep it aside
2. Add another 5 grams of oil and 5 grams of butter to the pan. Add the dried aromatic whole spices.
3. Let them cook for 30 seconds until they release those aromatic oils.
4. Add the diced onions to the pan and cook until they are soft and mushy. Add the coriander powder and let it cook for 30 seconds.
5. When the onions are cooked, add the tomatoes cut into small pieces and let them cook until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy.
6. Add the above mix to a grinder and make a paste.
7. Strain the paste into a bowl to prevent any unground spices from coming into the paste.
8. Add 5 grams of butter to the pan, add the paste back to the pan, and let it cook for another 30–40 mins.
9. Add the cashew paste and garam masala to the gravy and cook for another 20 minutes.
10. Add the cooked chicken and let the gravy cook for 15 mins with the chicken.
11. Optional: You can also add heavy cream or milk to make it creamier.