INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN MASALA RECIPE

Preparation time: 20 minutes 
Cooking time: 20 minutes 
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 300 gm of boneless chicken, cubed
• 2 onions, minced
• 1 tomato, pureed
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste or sauce
• 1 tbsp of butter, ghee, or oil
• 1 tsp of minced garlic
• 1 tsp of minced ginger
• 2 tsp of coriander powder
• 1 tsp of chilli powder
• 1 tsp of garam masala or chicken masala
• 1 tsp of Sour cream
• 3 tbsp of  cream or pureed cashew paste (soak and grind cashew nuts)
• 1-2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves / cilantro, for ganish
• few bay leaves

How to Make Butter Chicken:

• Heat the butter in a pan and add the minced onions. Fry until golden brown
• Add the ginger, garlic, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, and salt. Fry for a minute until fragrant
• Add the pureed tomato and tomato paste and cook for 3-4 mins until the mixture bubbles uniformly
• Thrown in the kasuri methi, milk, and the cubed chicken. Cook covered for 8-10 mins until the chicken is soft. The chicken will let out more water, just check once or twice in between and give the curry a stir. Keep the flame on sim
• When the chicken is cooked soft, open the lid and cook for a further minute or two. If the gravy is too thick, add some water at this stage
• When done, add the garam masala or chicken masala and the cream or cashew paste. Give it a good stir, but don't boil
• Adjust salt, garnish with the coriander leaves, and remove from fire
• Serve hot with tawa naan, vegetable pulao, or jeera rice

Note: You can slightly fry the chicken before adding it to the gravy. I haven't tried this but what I'd do is marinate the chicken pieces in ginger, garlic, turmeric, and chilli powder and lightly saute it until half-cooked. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe for Butter Chicken above.

Nepali MOMO

Ingredients

Momo

• 500 gchicken mince (using thigh meat)
• ½  red onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cupcoriander, finely chopped
• 2 tspfresh minced ginger
• 2 tspminced garlic
• ½ tspground coriander
• ¼ tspturmeric
• ¼ tspground cumin
• 1long green chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tbspvegetable oil or melted butter
• salt to taste
• 60round wonton wrappers (see Note)

Tomato pickle (Golbheda ko achar)

• 1 tbspmustard oil
• 2 tspminced garlic
• 2 tspminced ginger
• ¼ tspfenugreek seed
• 1dried long red chilli, finely chopped
• 1pinch of Jimbu (mountain herbs) (see Note)
• 500 gripe tomatoes
• ¼ cupcoriander, chopped
• 1pinch ground Sichuan pepper (Timur) (see Note)

Cook's notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Resting time 15 minutes

For the tomato pickle (achar), pour mustard oil into a small saucepan and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot add garlic and ginger, fry for a few seconds or until starting to turn light golden. Add fenugreek seed, dried chillies, jimbu, and stir for few more seconds until fenugreek is starting to turn golden. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until reduced and starting to thicken. Set aside to cool, then blend until smooth.

For the momos, place all ingredients in a large bowl mix to combine. Cover and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes to develop flavour.

Place a steamer with water in the base over high heat. Lay out 6 wrappers on the bench, and moisten around the top edge of each wrapper using a wet finger. Place half a flat tablespoon of mixture in the centre of each wrapper, and almost fold in half. Gradually bring sides together from one end whilst making a few pleats in one side and curving the momo so it sits upright. Another traditional shape is a moneybag with a small steam vent in the centre of the top. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Steam for 8-10 minutes, or until wonton wrappers are tender.  Serve immediately with tomato pickle or other condiments.