Butter chicken

Butter chicken

(A flavorful dish of boneless chicken cooked in a tomato-based creamy gravy.)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
30Min 4 30Min

Ingredients :

750 gms boneless chicken cubes
2 cups tomato paste
1 cup cooking cream
1/4 tsp haldi
1 tsp chili pwd
1 tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 tsp papper pwd
2 tsp dry mango (amchur) pwd
3 tbsp cashew paste
1 tbsp sugar
100 gms butter
1 chopped onion
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
cooking oil

For the masala:
1 pod garlic
1 inch ginger
2 inch cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
4 cardamoms
1 tbsp vinegar
1.5 tsp salt
3-4 tsp chilip pwd
a pinch on red color or few drops
1/2 cup full-cream curd

Cooking Instructions :

Grind the 'masala' ingredients to a smooth paste. Rub lime & salt on the chicken & add to the marinade - leave for 20-30 mins (few hours is better). In a pressure pan, fry onions till pink & add the chicken to it along with the masala. Fry well, tossing gently for 2 mins. Add 1/4 cup water, pressure cook for 1 whistle & simmer for 2 mins. In a pan, melt butter & fry the tomato paste, cashew paste, pepper pwd, cardamom pwd, amchur pwd, haldi & chili pwd till the oil separates. Then stir in only the chicken gravy from the pressure pan & cook for a minute. Add beaten cream 2 tbsp at a time, stirring constantly. Last, add the chicken & simmer for 2 mins. Drizzle some cream or butter on it, garnish with fresh chopped coriander & serve hot with (garlic) naan or rotis.

Daal Makhni Paneer

Daal Makhni Paneer

(A creamy North Indian black lentil gravy with cottage cheese/ paneer influences topped with a generous dollop of butter)
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PrepTime : Serves : Cook Time
5 Min 2 15 Min


Ingredients :

1 cup kaali daal/ whole masoor daal - soaked overnight or for 1 hour if you have a pressure cooker.
1/2 kg paneer/ cottage cheese cubes
2 cups fresh cream - beaten
salt to taste
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red chili pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/ pwd
1/4 tsp ajwain
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 tsp cinnamon pwd
3 garlic cloves - chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tsp amchur/ dried mango pwd
1/2 tsp ginger pwd
1/4 tsp asafoteida
2 tbsp cooking oil/ ghee
2 tbsp butter


Cooking Instructions:

Soak daal in a warm water for 1 hour. Immerse paneer cubes (small 1 cu.cm cubes) in a bowl of water with a pinch of turmeric pwd added to it. Heat ghee/ oil & fry onions till well cooked. Add the garlic & all powder spices & fry well, stirring continuously. Add tomato paste and fry well. Then wash & drain the daal & add it to the spices - stir well, add water to cover daal completely & cover and cook till daal is done (1 whistle on high-flame & simmer for 4 minutes in a pressure cooker). While still simmering, add beaten cream 2 tbsp at a time, stirring continuously & then drain paneer & toss into the curry. Add salt & sugar to taste & top with butter - simmer till desired consistency is reached. Serve hot with rotis or rice - best with piping hot plain/garlic naan.