This recipe is based on a recipe video on YouTube. I cooked the original recipe, and found it to be too spicy (and I like my food spicy, but this is because Kashmiri chili is not as hot as the chili that I use), and I can't get some of the ingredients that it calls for (hung curd, Kashmiri chilis and Kashmiri chili powder) so I have made some adjustments.

Ingredients:

The Meat

• About 200g of boneless chicken (you can also use turkey).

The Marinade

• 1 heaped teaspoon of ginger and garlic paste (pound or minced),
• 2 heaped teaspoons of cream cheese (the original recipe calls for hung curd),
• The juice of half a lemon,
• Half a teaspoon of chili powder,
• Half a teaspoon of garam masala powder,
• Half a teaspoon of salt.

The Gravy

• About 1 tablespoon of oil,
• About 1 tablespoon of butter,
• 2 finely chopped medium-sized red onions,
• 1 heaped teaspoon of ginger and garlic paste,
• 3 large roughly chopped tomatoes, (or you can use tinned tomatoes, in which case you will probably need slightly less water),
• 1 sliced fresh red chili (e.g. a rawit chili, also known as Thai bird's eye chili),
• 1 teaspoon of salt,
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin,
• 1 teaspoon of ground garam masala,
• Half a teaspoon of ground coriander,
• 2 tablespoons of water,
• About 10 cashews (which will thicken the gravy later),
• A quarter of a cup of water.

The Sauce

• 2 tablespoons of butter,
• Half a teaspoon of chili powder,
• Half a cup of water,
• A quarter of a cup of fresh cream,
• Optionally, kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves),
• Optionally, finely chopped coriander leaves,
• Optionally, some fresh cream.

Method

Marinade the Meat:

1. Chop the meat into bite-sized chunks,
2. Put all the marinade ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well (I use a hand-whisk to ensure that the cheese gets properly mixed in),
3. Add the chicken to the marinade, stir well (until the meat is thoroughly coated) and set aside for 30 minutes.

Make the Gravy:

4. Add the oil and butter to a large pan,
5. Heat until the butter is melted,
6. Add the red onions,
7. Stir occasionally and cook until the onions turn golden brown,
8. Add the ginger/garlic paste and stir in,
9. Add the tomatoes and stir in well,
10. Add the fresh chili and stir in well,
11. Add the spices and stir in well,
12. Add the 2 tablespoons of water,
13. Cook until the tomatoes are mushy (with tinned tomatoes this takes less time),
14. Add the cashews,
15. Sauté for about 5 minutes,
16. Take the gravy off of the heat and let it cool a little,
17. Add the gravy to a blender, add the quarter of a cup of water and blend very well,
18. Optionally, strain the gravy (if you blended it well enough, this should not be necessary).

Fry the Meat:

19. Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil to a large pan (you can use the same pan as you used for the gravy) and heat it,
20. Once the oil is hot, add the marinaded meat,
21. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally,
22. Put the cooked meat aside (you can put it back into the mixing bowl that you marinaded it in - this is safe because it will be cooked again).

Make the Butter Chicken:

23. In the same large pan, add the butter and melt it over a low to medium heat,
24. Add the chili powder and stir in,
25. Add the gravy (masala) and stir in,
26. Add the water to the blender, to rinse out the last of the gravy, and pour it into the pan,
27. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes,
28. Add the meat and stir in,
29. Add the cream and stir in,
30. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes,
31. Optionally, sprinkle in the kasuri methi and coriander leaves and stir in,
32. Also optionally, pour some fresh cream around the dish,
33. Serve with rice, roti or naan.