I wanted to try my hand at this Indian classic, an iconic dish; a genuine crowd favorite.
The dish on the left is the recipe by Masterchef winner Saransh Goila: The Goila Koyla Butter Chicken. The one on the right is what I created, inspired by his.
SMOKED
The butter chicken is a smoked butter chicken; hence the name. This recipe uses various methods to do that, from smoking cold butter to cooking the chicken over a coal tandoor. It incorporates a certain chariness that lifts the regular butter chicken to a next level.
the original
The original butter chicken recipe by Saransh is what has helped him open a chain of restaurants in India, the Goila Butter Chicken chain. It includes directions to make a green chutney, pickled onions and roomali roti.
You can check it out here. You can find my take on it below.
Recipe:
Ingredients
For the Garam Masala:
2 tbsp cloves
2 tbsp black peppercorn
1 piece mace
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 whole stick cinnamon
2 star anise
2 green cardamoms
1 tbsp aamchur/mango powder
3 tbsp coriander seeds
A pinch of saffron
For the Marinade:
1 cup of hung curd
1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 & 1/2 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Gravy:
900 gm tomatoes
350 gm onions
40 gm garlic
20 gm ginger
80 gm butter
1 cup cashewnuts
2 tbsp red chili powder
3 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup water
2 cups milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
A pinch of saffron
Salt and pepper
For the Tadka:
2 onions
5 small cloves of garlic
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp garam masala powder
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp oil
For the Smoked Chicken:
600 gm chopped chicken thighs
3 rashers of bacon
A cup of crystallized sugar
1 kg of coal
A barbecue
Wooden chips/oil/barbecue paper
For the Green Chutney:
60 gm of milk soaked cashews
30 gm coriander
1 green chili, whole
15 gram mint leaves
1/2 an onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup hung curd
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper
For the Roomali:
1 kg plain flour, plus more for rollimg
2 tbsp salt
1 egg
3/4th of a banana
2 tsp powdered sugar
300ml water
350ml milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
80g melted butter
Method
For the garam masala, roast the whole dry spices till fragrant. Pack the saffron in a aluminum foil wrapper and toast in the same pan. Add into a spice grinder and grind till homogeneous.
For the marinade, combine all the ingredients and add in the chicken thighs. Let it sit for a minimum of 3-4 hours.
For the roomali, combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Blend up the rest of the ingredients in a mixer till smooth. Combine the wet ingredients into the flour mix till it forms a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes or until it bounces back when poked.
For the butter chicken gravy, add the tomatoes, cashews, onions, garlic and ginger into a food processor and blitz till chopped evenly. Add into a large pot alog with the rest of the ingredients. Let the milk come up to a boil and then cover. Let it cook for 25-30 minutes on high heat, with occasional stirring.
Blitz up the gravy in a mixer or with a hand blender till completely smooth. Set aside.
I used a flower pot to get the coals burning, with the use of oil and wooden chips. Place the chicken on a metal grill. Before placing onto the barbecue, sprinkle sugar onto the barbecue to create a sweet caramel smoke. Place the grill on top and cover with a large pot as a lid. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes on high heat on each side, then top with the rashers of bacon. Cook till both sides are nicely charred.
For the Tadka, combine the onion, garlic and spices into a pan with some butter and oil. Cook till onions are soft. Top with butter chicken gravy and let it all come to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Mix well and set aside.
For the Green Chutney, Combine all the ingredients in a mixer and blitz till smooth. Add water as needed.
To cook the roomali, set a kadhai/skillet upside down on a medium flame. Roll out the roomali into thin round rotis and place on the skillet till brown bubbles appear on both sides. Remove from the heat.
When the chicken is cooked, add it into the gravy. Take the raw bacon and add into a cold pan. Heat on a low flame till the fat renders. Add this bacon fat into a large metal bowl, top with cold butter. Into this, add a piece of the burning hot coal and place the butter mixture onto the gravy and cover. Let it smoke for 9-10 minutes.
To finish off the dish, strain the butter and bacon fat using a muslin cloth into a clean bowl. Strain multiple times until no black bits can be seen. Add into the gravy as per your liking. Top with some salt, cream and lemon. Adjust the seasoning and serve!
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