Butter chicken

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 cm ginger root, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 75 g ground almonds
• 150 ml natural yogurt, thick
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp clove powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder, ground
• 4 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 400 g tomato(s), chopped, from the can
• ¼ tsp salt
• 400 g chicken fillet(s), without skin, cut into larger pieces
• 5 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
• 1 large onion(s), thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp coriander greens, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp double cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 3 hours 20 minutes

Indian butter chicken

Puree the ginger and garlic in a blender or pound it in a mortar; or crush the garlic, finely grate the ginger, and then mix. In a bowl, mix the paste with the almonds, yogurt, chili, cloves, cinnamon, garam masala, cardamom, tomato pieces, and salt with a fork. Stir in the chicken pieces. Cover and marinate for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4). Heat ghee or clarified butter in a deep, heavy-based pan and brown the onion. Add the chicken pieces and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the coriander. Transfer everything to a shallow baking dish, add the double cream, and stir with a fork. Bake in the oven for one hour. If the surface browns too quickly, cover with foil. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. The oil will then rise to the surface. Tilt the dish slightly and skim off any excess oil. Just before serving, place under the hot grill for 2 minutes to brown the surface. Serve with naan and raita, for example.