Dhaba Butter Chicken

I stay in Bangalore with my husband and I order butter chicken very often, just trying to find that perfect butter chicken which will take me back to the authentic taste of butter chicken of dhabas and restaurants of North. There are a few good butter chicken but I have never had one that nailed the flavor and was even close to the likes of Bhaape da dhaba or Kakke the dhaba in Connaught Place.
So I thought why are we so tied to the idea of eating butter chicken from outside. Its a reasonable dish and I am sure can be definitely made at home. And so I did, I made it at home and it absolutely kicked ass! I also made Tava naan for this just for effect and full feel 😋

This is not a very quick dish but definitely an easy one.
I can comfortably say its better than 99.5% of butter chicken in Bangalore(may be I’m a bit arrogant 😜). Plus you can enjoy this dish for 2 to 3 meals. And I hope you know that butter chicken tastes 10 times better the next day. Nuff said! lets see what goes in

What do you need?

1. 1kg chicken Curry cut (large pieces). Order licious (https://m.licious.in/chicken)
2. 100 ml fresh cream
3. Tomatoes 5 to 6 large
4. Cashews handful
5. Ginger garlic paste - 4 tbsp
6. Green Chillies 4
7. Garam masala
8. Kasuri methi - 3 tbsp 
9. Green Cardamom -4
10. Bay leaf- 2, cinnamon stick 1
11. Cloves - 4
12. Curd - 5 full table spoons
13. Lemon
14. Oil-2spoons ( Refine or Mustard)
15. Salt, red chilli powder 

What you need to do?

1. First Marinade for chicken: Wash and dry the chicken. Add 1tbsp oil, salt, red chilli powder and leave aside for 30 mins
2. Second Marinade: Add curd, 1tbsp Garam Masala, Coriander powder 1/2 spoon, 1tbsp Kasuri Methi, 1tbsp Ginger garlic paste and leave it aside for 2 hours, 4 hours or overnight. The longer the better ( ideally Marinade 1 night before)
3. If you have an oven then grill the chicken in an oven at 220 degrees or above for atleast 20 mins or more. In case you don’t have an oven, grill it in a pan on the gas by adding 2 tbsp butter and adding the chicken and constantly stirring and cooking the chicken till all water evaporates and chicken looks almost cooked
4. Wash the tomatoes and blanch them in boiling water for 5 mins. Peel the tomato skin and purée it in a mixie (This step could be replaced by 200 ml tomato purée but fresh tomatoes tastes much better ) 
5. In a big pan heat 1tbsp oil, add bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves(laung)
6. Add 3 tbsp ginger garlic paste and slit green chillies. Cook till the ginger garlic paste is cooked
7. Meanwhile make a purée of cashews with half water half cashew.
8. Add the tomato purée and cook it till the masala in the pan is cooked ( when oil starts to leave from the side) 
9. Add 1 tbsp garam masala and 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
10.  Add one cup of water, cashew purée, 2 tbsp of kasuri methi, 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder, salt to taste and 1/2 tbsp sugar(you can add a little more but butter chicken is authenticaly not supposed to be very sweet unlike the imitations we get in restaurants)
11. Bring the curry to boil and Let it boil for 4 mins before adding chicken. Add chicken and cook for 15 mins so the chicken pieces soak the gravy
12.  Add chilled fresh cream and switch off the gas
13. After the gravy cools a little you could add chopped coriander and little kasuri methi for garnish 

Here you go! Fresh, better than restaurant butter chicken at home. More succulent and more authentic and really great dish economically too. Vegetarians can simple replace this dish with paneer. 

Cooking this dish with your friends or spouse or partner on a weekend makes for some good fun. You could also make some Tawa Naan and Sirka pyaaz(for full dhaba or North Indian restaurant feel) both of which I will be blogging in a couple of days.