Smoked Butter Chicken

Butter chicken or murgh makhani (Hindi: मुर्ग़ मक्खनी) (pronounced [mʊrg məkʰaːniː]) is an Indian dish ofchicken in a mildly spiced curry sauce. It is served in India and abroad. The dish has its roots in Punjabi cuisine and was developed by the Moti Mahal famed Kundan Lal Gujral in 1950's,
He popularized tandoori chicken in their little corner of the world but faced a major problem: what could they do with the left over chickens and viola he came with a brilliant idea of making a curry in which the dried out chicken pieces  from tandoori chicken leftovers could be softened and served with a tomato based curry. He invented the butter chicken curry that is the basis of the dish, using tomatoes, butter and cream and today this is one of the most liked chicken disc in Indian culinary


Ingredients

Tandoori Chicken – 500 gms
Tomato - 1 kg
Onion - 200 + 50 gms 
Garlic – 30 + 20 gms 
Cashewnut – 50 gms
Kasuri Methi – 2 tbsp
Honey – 2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Kashmiri Chili Powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste 
Cinnamon – 2 pcs (1 inch each)
Green Cardamom – 4 pcs
Cloves - 4 pcs 
Butter – 100 gms
Water– 1/2 cup 
Milk – 1 cup

Preparation

Tie a small bag of muslin cloth with cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and 

In a presure cooker add the dry spieces in muslin,add chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, cashewnut, honey, milk, water, coriander powder, 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder, salt.

Pressure-cook for 25 mins. Reduce the flame after the first whistle.

Open the lid and let it cool. Now grind the gravy to a fine or coarse paste.

Heat 75 gms of butter and sauté onions and garlic,once onions are translucent and garlic light brown add the remaining chilli powder. Now add the gravy preparation to this  and let it simmer for 10–12 mins.

Dry roast kasuri methi, crush it using your palms and add it to gravy.

Shred the tandoori chicken and add it to the gravy. Simmer for 2-3 mins, till the colour change bright orange

Burn a piece of coal. Place a steel cup in the center of the gravy. Once the coal is lit, place it in the steel cup. Splash leftover butter on the coal. Once it smokes, immediately place a lid on the pan. Tightly cover it to trap the smoke. After 5 mins discard the coal, 

Serve in a deep bowl and garnish with Coriander leaves, onion rings and some fresh cream Serve Hot

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken as a dish originated in Delhi at the Moti Mahal Delux restaurant. Believed to be invented by Kundan Lal Gujral, of "Moti Mahal" fame

Like most great recipes, Tandoori Chicken has an interesting story. It starts in the 1920s with a man named Kundan Lal Gujral who opened a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Peshawer during the time when India was united under British rule. Experimenting with new and interesting food preparations, Gujral decided to try cooking chicken in the tandoors--clay ovens--used by local villagers to cook bread. The earthenware ovens were bell-shaped and set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal. They could reach temperatures of about 900 degrees. Using young chickens, Gujral was able to cook them in the high-heat ovens so that the inside was just done and the outside crisped. The result would make him famous.

The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, happened to eat at Moti Mahal and was so impressed by the crispy, tender dish that he made a point of planning many state banquets there. Foreign dignitaries that enjoyed Tandoori Chicken included American Presidents Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, Soviet leaders Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev, the King of Nepal, and the Shah of Iran. The relationship between the restaurant and the leaders of India lasted through several generations of Prime Ministers.

Below is a version of Tandoori Chicken which can be easily prepared at Home using regular Oven, with some twist

Tandoori Chicken : 

Ingredients :

Chicken – 500 Gms

Yogurt - 1 Cup

Lemon Juice - 2 Tablespoon

Fresh Ground coarse pepper - 1 Teaspoon

Ginger Paste - 1 Tablespoon

Cinnamon Powder - 1 Teaspoon

Cumin Powder - 1 Teaspoon

Red Chili powder - 1/2 Teaspoon

Preparation for Tandoori Chicken:

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together yogurt and lemon juice. Add the spices, garlic paste, chili powder and whisk until you have a smooth, thick marinade.
2. Put Chicken pieces in the marinade and knead marinade over chicken for a minute or two, ensure that chicken pieces are well marinated and refrigerate chicken for minimum 2 hrs (normally i would marinate chicken overnight - this ensure that the spices are absorbed in chicken for the added flavor)
3. When you are ready to cook, take the chicken out and line them on a roasting pan laid with aluminum foil, pre-heat your oven to 180 C. If you have a convection bake or convection roast cycle, use that 
4. Place the chicken pieces on the rack so they are not touching. Once the oven is hot, put the pan with the chicken in the oven to cook, Turn the chicken pieces once after 30 minutes of cooking time, then roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until slightly charred on the second side, If you are cooking breasts, poke one with a skewer to make sure the juices run clear

Remove the chicken to a platter for serving, squeeze lemon on it and garnish with cabbage ,Onion rings and Lemon slices