Tag: party recipes

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Non-Vegetarian

A popular dish from the Indian sub-continent, butter chicken is prepared using spiced tomato, butter and cream sauce. You may adjust the amount of butter and cream used as per your taste as most restaurants add in copius amounts of butter to this gravy. You may also substitute some of the butter with oil in this recipe (half and half).

Serve it with jeera rice or tandoori naan or rotis.

Ingredients:

For marinade:

Chicken (boneless) cut into cubes – 750 gms

Curds – 3/4 cup

Kashmiri Chillie powder – 1 tsp

Lime juice – 2 tsp

Red colouring (optional though I have not used it)

Salt to taste

For Gravy:

Onions Chopped Fine – 2 medium

Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tsps

Tomatoes blanched and ground – 2 large

Store bought tomato paste – 1 tsp

Cumin powder /Jeera powder – 1 tsp

Cashew nut paste/Badam (Almond) Paste – 2 tbsp

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Cream – 2 tbsp

Dried Kasuri Methi leaves – 1tsp

Red chillie powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Butter – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for marinade together and keep it overnight (preferable) or for 1 – 2 hrs. The chicken is usually cooked in a tandoor or charcoal grilled and added to the gravy. Or you could brush the sides of a micro oven proof dish and place the marinated chicken in it. Grill on high for 3 minutes and take it out. Reserve the left out marinade juices for later use and do not discard it.

If you do not have an oven, you may add some oil in a pan and pour the chicken and marinade in it. Cook it in low flame for 5 minutes and keep it aside.

Make a paste of blanched tomatoes and keep it aside.

In another pan, heat the butter. When it becomes hot, add the chopped onions and saute till it turns translucent. Then, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell disappears followed by blanched tomato paste, store bought tomato paste, cumin powder, chillie powder, turmeric powderand the left over marinade. Saute it well for 3 – 4 minutes and add the lime juice. Next, add the chicken and cashewnut or almond paste and 1/2 cup of water and let it boil for 3 – 4 minutes. Cover and cook it well. Lastly, add sugar, kasuri methi leaves and cream (optional).

Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with a little butter on top alongwith parathas, naan, rotis…

Mattar Paneer (Green Peas and Cottage Cheese curry)

Vegetarian

A popular North Indian paneer dish made of peas and cottage cheese simmered in a tomato based gravy with spices.

Ingredients:

Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Bay leaf – 1

Onion – 1 big (finely chopped)

Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp

Red chillie powder – 1 tsp

Corinder powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 3/4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Green peas (fresh or frozen) – 1 cup

Paneer (Cottage cheese) – 1 cup or 250 gms

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Cream – 2 tbsp (optional)

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) – 1 tsp

Tomato paste (store bought) – 1 tsp

Lime juice – 1/2 tsp

To grind:

Tomatoes – 2 (medium)

Green chillies -3

Cardamom – 2 -3

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch piece

Cashewnuts – 6 -7

Whole pepper – 5 -6

Preparation:

Add the panner cubes in warm water for about 15 minutes before adding it to gravy. This will prevent it from becoming chewy and rubbery.

You may use honey instead of sugar as it enhances the taste of the curry.

I have used store bought tomato paste for colour.

For making shahi paneer curry, you may add a few melon seeds or badam, 1 tsp poppy seeds to the masala while making the tomato paste.

Start by making a paste of tomatoes, green chillies, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns and cashewnuts.

Heat ghee and oil in a pan. When it is hot, add cumin seeds, cinnamon, bay leaf and saute. Then, add chopped onions and fry until it turns translucent. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute again until the raw smell disappears.

Add the ground paste and saute again for 4 to 5 minutes. Then add chillie powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, tomato paste and salt and saute until the masalas again.

Add the peas and saute well. Now, add warm water and boil it once or until the peas is cooked. Add cream, garam masala, lime juice, kasuri methi and sugar and mix well.

Finally, add the paneer cubes and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with tandoori naan, chapathis, rotis….