Butter Chicken thekitchenman Way

 

 

 

 

 

Butter Chicken thekitchenman Way:

1968  and Vancouver was exploding with new restaurants and places for me to sharpen my cooking skills. I began a new job at Hotel Vancouver with good recommendations from the Banff Hotel chef. I became first cook breakfast and was happy to get some cash coming in along with a top notch job. My shift at the hotel started a 4-30 am.

I worked for some time doing breakfast buffets, banquets and resided on trendy Beach Ave. I also worked a part time job at the English Bay Fish and Chip kiosk. It was a fun job to work and it gave me good short order experience. Being reliable and fast earned me some well needed extra wages and you couldn’t beat the location. The Bathtub Races and Salmon Fest were very popular that summer along with great weather. I logged in many hours of short order cooking there and was noticed by a now famous chef who offered me a position to become part of his team as a pantry and salad cook. During this time in my early cooking profession I worked alongside many good BC chefs and in particular this chef from India whom had these new dishes that were just being introduced to diners in Vancouver. For the first time I tasted Panni Pori, Samosas, Stuffed Nann Bread, Lamb Biriani, Tandoori Style BBQ, Butter Chicken which had me hooked. I just had to know how to make these delicious items. So many new flavours excited my taste buds and I was soon seeking out all the East Indian spices from Punjab to Bombay available here in BC Little India to experience and then learning how to prepare them.

I personally liked butter chicken and later was taught by a great Iron Indo chef Vikram Vij on how to create the recipe from scratch using the method and ingredients that was my first true Indo recipe.

Today Butter Chicken is on numerous restaurant menus and has come a long way.

Here is my rendition of this dish and for those of you who love butter chicken this recipe is simple to prepare at home.

 

The first thing to do is gather the correct items listed by name and use clarified butter or Ghee to fry with.

Ingredients: 1 whole chicken cut up into pieces or use boneless thigh meat skin removed.

2 tasty roma tomatoes (pureed)

2  medium sized onions fine chopped

1 tbs ginger puree

½  tbs garlic puree

15 cashew nut puree (made into a puree using water)

2 tbs unsalted butter

¼ cup natural full % yogurt

1 tsp cayenne chili powder or less to suit your taste

2 tbs ghee [clarified butter]

Cilantro for garnish.

Marinade 1 tbs Sharwoods Tandoori marinade. [BBQ Powder]

1/2 tbs Sharwoods mild curry powder [Garam Masala]

2 tbs fresh lime juice 1/2 tsp fresh ground cumin powder

1/3 cup plain unsweetened yogurt Kosher salt to taste

Blend all the above marinade ingredients well in a bowl Method:

Thoroughly coat the chicken in the marinade and let it rest for a minimum one hour.

Heat ghee in a thick bottom pan and blanch fry the chicken on all sides till slightly browned.

Remove the chicken pieces and keep to the side.

In the remaining oil, on low heat fry the chopped onions till golden and then add ginger-garlic puree and continue to fry sprinkling some water now and then till the oil separates.

Now add the cashew nut paste, chili powder, tomato puree and stir and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the butter, cream and chicken. Mix well and cook until it is done about 30 minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro leaf and side with some basmati rice, steamed saag [spinach] and Nan bread.

Enjoy!