Cooking on Expresso Show - Butter Chicken Curry

I recently had the good fortune to cook on the Expresso Show live on SABC 3.

I was asked to cook a Butter chicken recipe, which I created and sent through immediately. It was tons of fun and exciting but totally different to what I expected. Eish, I have new found respect for Chefs who cook live.. :)

So for all of my awesome friends and family who wanted the original recipe that I had created for the show, here it is! enjoy..

Butter Chicken Recipe

Served with Basmati Rice, Sambals and Pappaddums

2kg/tray chicken pieces with bone
4 Cardammom pods
2 Cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon - Crushed ginger and garlic
3 bay leaf
Half a teaspoon of Cumin.
200g Butter ( I won’t use all of it)
3 tablespoons of Butter Ghee (essential)
Tandoori paste (4 tablespoons)
1 whole onion chopped (does not matter how you chop it)
1 tomato grated - Normally the skin is left after grating..throw it away.
1 teaspoon Salt  and Pepper (adjust according to taste)
2 tablespoons of Mixed curry powder
1 teaspoon of Garam masala
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 cup of yoghurt
250ml of fresh cream
1 cup of frozen peas (optional)
Coriander  to garnish.

Method:

Score the chicken. Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, tandoori paste, then pour over the yoghurt and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Heat a casserole pot, put in the butter ghee and half the butter. Add the onions and the cumin, allow to cook for a few minutes, then add the garam masala, turmeric powder and mixed masala. Allow the curry powder to cook for a few minutes then add the grated tomato. Add the bay leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks and the chicken with the marinade. Stir and allow all the ingredients to mix properly, cover and let it cook over medium heat.  

It normally takes about 20 minutes depending on how much chicken you are using.

To finish, add the fresh cream, adjust seasoning ( add peas in if you like at this stage and switch off the heat) and put the remainder of the butter.  Give it one last stir. Garnish with coriander and serve.

 Side Dishes will consist of the following:

Sambals:

One onion chopped into tiny squares
One tomato chopped finely into squares
2 – 3 chillies
Coriander to garnish
Lemon juice
Fine salt

Mix the chopped onion, tomato and chillies and coriander together and season with fine salt and lemon juice.

Pappadums:

Can be fried in a frying pan with a little Sunflower oil. This takes a few seconds and has to be done at the end.

Basmati Rice

Cook Basmati rice as normal and serve as a side dish.

ps..for those of you who want to watch the recording..here is the link:

Butter Chicken Recipe