Butter chicken, also known as Murgh Makhani, is the ultimate comfort food for food lovers. This creamy and exquisitely spicy Indian curry is made with tender chicken and abundant curry. This dish gets its name from the smooth texture of the sauce used to cook the chicken as well as the abundant amount of butter (makhan) used in its preparation. This creamy-spicy chicken dish is a staple of Indian cuisine and is loved by people all over the world. The dish originated in pre-partition India, where it was first created by Kundan Lal Gujral, who wanted to repurpose leftover tandoori chicken. Today, butter chicken is a menu item in Indian restaurants around the world, and has also been adapted into vegetarian and vegan versions.
If you want to make this delicious but complicated dish at home, here are some tips to make it even creamier and more delicious.
Here are tips to make butter chicken more creamy and delicious:
1. Get the ratio right
Before you start cooking, make sure you have the right proportions of ingredients for the number of people you’re cooking for. Proper proportions of ingredients are required to get the consistency and flavor of the curry right, so adjust the quantities accordingly.
2. Add cashew paste
Adding cashew paste is a great way to enhance the sweetness and richness of the dish. Soak a handful of cashews in water and then grind them to make a thick paste. Just one or two teaspoons of cashew paste can make your butter chicken even more creamy and delicious.
You can use cashew paste in other dishes to enhance the taste. Photo Credit: iStock
3. Don’t skimp on the butter
No matter how much you try to avoid adding butter, it is essential for the true taste of butter chicken. As the name suggests, there is butter in the recipe, so make sure you add plenty of it to the curry.
4. Use fresh tomatoes
For best taste, it is best to use fresh ingredients. Although it is tempting to use canned tomatoes, avoid them at all costs. The authentic taste of fresh tomatoes is essential to bring out the best in this dish.
Use fresh tomatoes in the recipe. Photo Credit: iStock
5. Make a balanced sauce
When it comes to making authentic butter chicken, sauce is everything. To make an authentic Red Indian sauce, you will need onions, garlic, ginger and large quantities of tomatoes. Combine these with some additional spices to maintain the strong flavor of the sauce.
6. Add cream
Cream is perfect for thickening Indian-style curries and is essential in making your butter chicken curry creamy and soft in texture. It also contributes to the slightly sweet taste of the dish, so make sure you don’t forget to add the cream.
7. Avoid excess water
Although water is essential in making curry, too much of it can make the curry thin and watery. It is best to add water slowly, check the consistency of the curry and then add more water as required.
We hope you find these tips useful. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Click here for full recipe.
