Murg Makhani/Butter Chicken

I would have answered all the queries most people have on the ,"difference" or the," similarity "between Chicken Tikka  Masala and Butter Chicken but I am afraid there is no ,"one single"  answer which would put all the questions about these two dishes to rest . So as of now I think it would suffice to say that the preparation for both these dishes is same as far as the marination and grilling part is concerned. The gravy for both these dishes is quite similar but not same. The point is these are served as two separate dishes in an Indian Restaurant .


Now the origin of these two very popular dishes- Well,butter chicken or murg makhani is an Indian cuisine from Punjab. The origin of this dish can be traced back to a man named Kundan Lal Gujral who ran a restaurant by the name Moti Mahal Deluxe in Peshawar before the partition of British India. On the other hand the origin of Chicken Tikka Masala remains disputed.  There are surveys which have found this dish to be most popular in British restaurants and it has also been called Britain's True National Dish.  This dish was conceived in some British Pakistani Restaurant or British Bangladeshi Restaurant therefore the explanation  of the origin of the dish. Source Wiki


Who Cares as long as food connects people all over the world . Butter Chicken  & naan and Amitabh  bachchan are two names synonymous to India & Indians. Every time we travelled outside India , people would greet us with a ,"namaste " and then talk about chicken Tikka and Amitabh Bachchan to strike a conversation :)

Now without further ado here is what I ate for lunch with my dear friend Massi :)
Massi here's to a splendid afternoon and the yummy murg makhani/butter chicken we enjoyed.

Preparation time: 4-6 hours ( marination included)
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
Chicken : 2 pounds cut into 2 inch chunks( boneless or bones depends on what you prefer)
Curd: Hung Curd 1 cup
Kashmiri chilli powder: 1 tsp
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Ginger: 2 tbsp
Garlic: 2 tbsp
Mustard Oil: 2 tbsp
Butter: 2 tbsp
Fenugreek leaves/Dried Methi ,roasted and crushed
Salt : 1 tsp
Lime juice: 2 tbsp
Tomato Puree: 2 cups
Fresh Cream: 1 cup
Honey: 2 tbsp
Whole spices: 3 cloves, 3 cardamoms,and an inch of cinnamon

Method:
take the chicken pieces and marinate them in salt,lime juice,kashmiri chilly powder,Ginger 1 tbsp and garlic 1 tbsp and mustard oil 2 tbsp and take the hung curd and mix all these well and marinate for 4-5 hours in the refrigerator.

 Pre-Heat the oven to 350 degree F . Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto a skewer and grill them (broil) for 10  - 12 minutes or until done.

Take a big kadai and add 2 tbsp butter,when the butter has melted and is hot add whole spices-cloves,cardamom,cinnamon and chop big pieces of green chilli and add to the butter,now add the remaining ginger and garlic and saute for a couple minutes. Now add the tomato puree along with salt,red kashmiri chilli powder and cook till the butter starts to appear on the edges.

Now add to this the grilled chicken pieces.

cook for couple minutes and then add 1/2 a cup of water,let the masala come together and blend well with the chicken. Add the cream now and crush the roasted fenugreek leaves and 2 tbsp of honey and give it a good mix. Serve with naan ,onions and some green chutney. Enjoy murg Makhani :)

Note: Two main ingredients which give this dish its distinct flavor is honey & roasted fenugreek leaves .
Kashmiri Chilli powder  has a brilliant red color ,it is very flavorful and milder compared to other Indian Chilli powders. 

I am sending this recipe to Dr Sameena's Chicken Event  which she is hosting from 1st now-30th November.