BUTTER CHICKEN

• 1 kg A’Saffa boneless chicken (skinless)

• Juice of 1 lime

• Salt to taste

• 1 tsp red chilli powder (or to suit taste)

• 6 cloves

• 8-10 peppercorns

• 1” stick of cinnamon

• 2 bay leaves

• 8-10 almonds •

Seeds from 3-4 pods of cardamom

• 1 cup fresh yoghurt (not sour)

• 3 tbsp cooking oil

• 2 onions,chopped

• 2 tsp garlic paste

• 1 tsp ginger paste

• 2 tsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp cumin powder

•1/4 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 can (400 g) of tomato paste

• 1/2 Lt chicken stock

• 2 tbsp Kasuri Methi

(dried fenugreek leaves)

• 3 tbsp soft butter

• Coriander leaves to garnish

• Mix the A’Saffa chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a large, non-metallic bowl • Cover

and allow to marinate for 1 hr • Heat a flat pan on medium heat and gently roast (stirring frequently)

the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly • Cool and add

the cardamom seeds • Grind into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder • Mix the yoghurt,

whole spice powder (from previous step), coriander, cumin and turmeric powders and add them to

the chicken • Allow to marinate for 1 hr • Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat • When hot,

add the onions and fry till pale golden brown in colour • Add ginger and garlic pastes • Fry for 1 min

• Add the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry • Now add tomato paste, chicken stock, Kasuri

Methi and rest of the yogurt-spice mix • Cook till the chicken is tender and the gravy is reduced

to half of original volume • Melt butter in a small pan and pour it over the chicken • Garnish with

coriander leaves and serve with Naan (Indian bread) and Kaali Daal (dark lentil) • For an authentic

and traditional cooked-over-the-coals flavour: When the Butter Chicken is cooked, make a small

bowl shape with aluminium foil and place it on top of the curry (‘floating’ on it) • Heat a briquette

of charcoal on an open flame till red hot and gently put the charcoal into the aluminium foil bowl •

Cover the dish immediately (for a barbeque flavour) • Remove the cover just before serving, discard

the foil and charcoal, and serve