This is my take on butter chicken.
Why this is different from regular butter chicken, this uses less butter.
Ingredients covered in the flow :)
Pot 1:
1. Cut and pan saute 1 - 1.5 lb chicken cubes (no pre-marination needed)
2. 1 tablespoon oil + 1 tablespoon ghee (or butter)
Used dutch oven to slightly brown the chicken cubes. This can be transferred to a plate and reuse the same pot, but after 5 - 10mins, chicken starts releasing water. so transferring is messy. So i just left this pot with chicken aside.
Pot 2:
1. 1 tablespoon oil + 1 tablespoon ghee
1.b. add one or two bay leaves in the hot oil/ghee
1c. add 1 star anise
1d. take 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, cumin seeds, corinander seeds, 7-8 cloves, 2-3 cardamom: coarse grind in hand pestle
2. 1 big onion diced
3. 4 - 5 garlic cloves, diced finely
4. ginger slightly less than an inch, finely chopped
5. 1 chilli, finely chopped
6. add half garlic, chilli and ginger in the hot oil/ghee, then add the onions after a minute
6b. add 1/3rd contents of the pestle
7. Saute for 4 - 6 minutes
Pot 1:
1. Get it back on the stove
2. add the pot 2 contents to pot 1
3. 1 diced tomato, plus 3 - 4 tablespoons tomato sauce (i was out of tomatos)
4. add the diced tomatos and remaining ginger & garlic & the remaining chilli & 1/3rd pestle contents
5. saute for 5-10 mins
6. if the pot start drying up and burning, add 120ml water
7. continue boil/cooking on low flame for 10-15mins
8. as water starts evaporating, add 150-200ml milk (or 100ml milk + 100ml cream)
9. cook on low flame for 20 mins
10. add 1 teaspoon cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, 1 tablespoon jaggary (or sugar), all the remaining 1/3rd of pestle contents
11. add salt to taste
12. simmer on low heat for 10-15mins
13. if you feel too much water has evaporated, you can add 50-100ml milk or cream. just make sure you continue cooking for another 5-10mins
14. done
Hopefully you like the delicious butter chicken. Portions are approximate, + or - each item as necessary.
