Makhani

Spyced Makhani

Strength: mild

Time to prepare: 45 – 50 minutes, plus marinading time

Hob/oven time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

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Creamy, rich and warmed by gentle cardamom and clove, the Spyced Makhani curry kit is a family-friendly meal that feels like a real treat. Murgh Makhani is also known as Butter Chicken, however the Spyced Makhani curry kit works just as well with tofu or paneer. True butter chicken should not be as sweet as the dish we experience from a UK Indian-subcontinental restaurant, which has been developed for western palates (although I confess to liking it a lot). It should also have a good (but not overpowering) kick of chilli; I invite you to try it either way (if you’d like to try the traditional Delhi makhani, follow the optional instruction for adding chilli powder at stage 1 and refrain from adding extra optional sugar at the end).

About Makhani/ Butter Chicken

Makhani hails from Delhi, where three entrepreneurs who migrated from Peshwar opened a restaurant called Moti Mahal (which still exists today). At the time, money was scarce for the three friends and they were only able to locate poor quality chicken, which they livened up with a sauce made of tomatoes, butter and cream. It is widely enjoyed in Delhi and across the whole of the North of India.

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Curry Trivia

Makhani is a Punjabi word meaning ‘butter’.

Recipe

You will need:

700 – 750g boneless skinless chicken thighs
(OR 2 blocks of paneer or tofu, cubed)
4 tbsp crushed garlic (approximately 10 cloves)
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
120g plain yogurt
1 ½ tbsp sugar
80g butter (or almond butter)
200 ml double cream (or vegan alternative)
Approx. 200ml passata
2 tbsp ground almonds

Optional: A teaspoon of chilli powder or 2 fresh green chillies, chopped.

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How to cook

Preheat oven to 220˚ in a fan oven. Mix approximately 1/3 of the Spyced Makhani blend with the yogurt, vegetable oil, lemon juice and half the garlic and ginger.
Cut the chicken thighs in half, then smear the mixture all over it (or the paneer/ tofu/ prawns), cover and allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes in the fridge (the longer the better).
Cook the chicken, paneer or tofu for 12 minutes in the oven (5 minutes for prawns), turning once, then cut each piece in half again (keep the juices from the pan).
Put the passata, remaining garlic and ginger, bay leaf and the rest of the blend into a large deep-sided pan with a lid and simmer on the hob for 8 minutes, covering the pan partially with the lid.
Add the chicken and any juices and simmer on low for 8 minutes more, stirring often. Please ensure your chicken is cooked through, as this will depend on how rigorously you have simmered the curry.
Stir in the butter quickly, a small piece at a time, then add the sugar, ground almonds and cream, simmering for two more minutes (aim for a simmer rather than a boil to avoid the sauce splitting).
Season to taste and add more sugar if you like it sweet!
Serve with basmati or pilau rice to soak up all that lovely sauce (and maybe a garlic naan on the side too).

Like more Spyce?

Add a teaspoon of chilli powder at stage 1 or two sliced green chillies at stage 4.

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