Butter Chicken

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   The summer days in Nashville are proving to be quite exciting.  Yesterday I went out to see the Chihuli exhibit in Cheekwood gardens.  They are beautiful artwork with blown glass.  I hate seeing very colorful, jazzy stuff in my favorite garden but I have to agree that it was quite tastefully presented keeping in sync with  colors around.  Obviously, I was tired after hours of walking around garden, and getting back home to cooking was the last thing on my mind.  However, there was nothing to eat at home so I had to cook.  I know I could buy something out but then again I wanted to eat Indian and it we don't have any close by.  I took the chicken breast I had frozen and cooked some butter chicken.  Since it was a small quantity it was not too much labor and this I hope will help some of you out there who like smaller proportions for cooking.  The effort was worth it though I could have done without cooking yesterday.  I hope you enjoy this recipe. 

Ingredients:

Chicken - 2 breasts

Marination
Yogurt - 1/3 cup
Chili powder - 1 tspn
Coriander powder - 1/2 tspn
Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
Kasturi Methi - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 tspn
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspn

For the Gravy:
Cumin - 1/4 tspn
Black cumin - 1/4 tspn (shah jeera)
Onions - 1 medium size
Ginger - 1 Tbspn chopped
Garlic - 5 plump cloves chopped fine
Tomato - 1 Big (blanched, peeled)
Oil        - 2 Tbspn
Chili Powder -  1 1/2 tspn
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tspn
Garam Masala - 1 tspn
Kasturi Methi - 1 Pinch
Butter   - 1 Tbspn

 Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients for marination and mix in chicken breast cut in small pieces and keep aside for 1/2 hr to 1 hr
2. For the gravy: Heat oil in a pan and splutter both the cumin
3. Add the finely chopped onions and saute followed by ginger and garlic till translucent or even a little more done but I did not brown the onions
4. Switch off the fire, add in all the powders serve it out into a bowl and keep aside to cool
5. Once cool grind the onion mixture to a paste.  You could also add your blanched tomato at this time since it will give enough moisture to make a puree of all the ingredients together
6. Cook the chicken in the oil left from frying the onions on medium heat. This is to cook the chicken keeping it's juices intact.  So increase the heat a little but make sure the chicken is not overdone or brown.  When all the yogurt gravy sticks to the chicken and its cooked through add the ground puree
7. If you feel the gravy need more cooking allow it to cook with the chicken on medium to low fire for 10 to 20 minutes.  The gravy will bubble and splutter so you cook close it but also be aware the gravy tends to burn easily so make sure you are stirring it intermittently.  If you want the gravy thinner add water and let it come to  a boil.  I did not add any water since I wanted a thick gravy
8. Once the gravy is cooked add 1/4 cup of fresh cream, stir in and turn the fire off

 Contributor: Sunitha