ok, so here's the deal. There's a restaurant in Vancouver (Burnaby,
actually) that has the BEST Butter Chicken that I've ever tasted. It's a
bit on the sweet side. Friends have told me it's not a "good" butter
chicken, as it is too sweet. WHATEVER...

Is there a difference between Butter Chicken, and Chicken Tikka Masala? if
so, what is it?

Does anyone have a recipe for a Butter Chicken/Chicken Tikka Masala, that is
rich creamy and sweet, as I've described.

Thanks in advance.

oh... the restaurant is

Samosa Garden, on Kingsway... (I've heard they've changed owners or
something, so I don't know about it now, but 2-3 years ago, it was my
favorite place for Indian food, east African style I believe)

"Christopher" > wrote in message
...
>
> Is there a difference between Butter Chicken, and Chicken Tikka Masala? if
> so, what is it?
>
>

I believe butter chicken is an authentic Northern Indian dish whilst chicken
tikka masala is a British restaurant invention; probably designed to use up
leftovers and minimise waste. Now it is the number one dish on most high
street restaurant menus.

Look up recipes for Murgh Makhani on the web. Pay careful attention, it
is a two step recipe. First you must prepare a tandoor-style chicken.
I do a boneless tandoori chicken.

It is a rich dish. So, the recipe should call for butter and cream.
The red color comes from tomato paste or sauce.

My favorite is the one in Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. Here is a
version of it: http://www.our-daily-bread.com/recipes/Makhani.htm

"Robert Klute" > wrote in message
...
> Look up recipes for Murgh Makhani on the web. Pay careful attention, it
> is a two step recipe. First you must prepare a tandoor-style chicken.
> I do a boneless tandoori chicken.
>
> It is a rich dish. So, the recipe should call for butter and cream.
> The red color comes from tomato paste or sauce.
>
> My favorite is the one in Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. Here is a
> version of it: http://www.our-daily-bread.com/recipes/Makhani.htm
>

I like the Julie Sahni version from her Classic Indian Cookery.

"Steven Grace" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Robert Klute" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Look up recipes for Murgh Makhani on the web. Pay careful attention, it
> > is a two step recipe. First you must prepare a tandoor-style chicken.
> > I do a boneless tandoori chicken.
> >
> > It is a rich dish. So, the recipe should call for butter and cream.
> > The red color comes from tomato paste or sauce.
> >
> > My favorite is the one in Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. Here is a
> > version of it: http://www.our-daily-bread.com/recipes/Makhani.htm
> >
>
> I like the Julie Sahni version from her Classic Indian Cookery.
>
>

I also use this hybrid recipe which you may find extremely tasty

First part is Tandoori Chicken as made by Lali Nayar. I believe this is the
easiest and best tasting Tandoori Chicken that I have had. The second part
of the recipe is the Velvet Butter Sauce, as put
together by Julie Sahni.
Butter Chicken. part 1


Tandoori Chicken (Tanduri Murgha)
Serves 4
The most renowned and delicious recipe amongst all the Tandoori dishes is
the "Tandoori Chicken". Although difficult to reproduce the exact smoky
roasted flavour that a Tandoor oven gives, it is possible to make this
recipe at home. The secret to making a good "Tandoori Chicken" lies in the
marinade you make. This recipe comes from "A taste of the Punjab" by
Lali Nayar.
750g (1.5lb) skinned, part-boned chicken breast pieces
30g (1oz) fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
4 plump cloves of Garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard oil
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
0.5 teaspoon Chilli powder
0.5 teaspoon garam masala
Salt to taste
4 drops of natural orange food colour
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
· Make 3-4 deep incisions in each chicken breast. Put the chicken in a bowl
and set aside.
· In a liquidiser, put the ginger, garlic, yoghurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon
juice, vinegar, mustard oil, fenugreek leaves, mint, cumin seeds, chilli
powder, garam masala, salt, food colour and the coriander leaves. Process
until everything is well blended.
· Pour the mixture over the chicken, coating well and ensuring that it gets
into the incisions. Cover the chicken and place in a fridge for 8-24 hours.
· Pre-heat an oven to 200oC, 425oF, gas mark 7. Remove chicken from the
marinade and put in a baking tin, cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn
the pieces once during cooking and baste with the juices occasionally.
The chicken should be crisp on the outside and cooked through at the centre.
· Just before serving, brush the chicken with the remaining lemon juice
and place under a pre-heated grill for about 1-2 minutes to brown.


Butter Chicken part 2

Velvet Butter Chicken
--from Julie Sahni's *Classic Indian Cooking*

16 pieces Tandoori Chicken
2 x 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes and their juice
4 green chilis, seeded and chopped, or half teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
155g/5oz unsalted butter
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 Teaspoons salt
375 ml/12 fl oz double cream
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds
4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

Blend tomato, chillis, and ginger to a fine puree in blender or food
processor.

Heat 125 g/4 oz butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Tilt
pan so butter covers base and once foam subsides, brown a few pieces of
chicken at a time (2-3 min. for each batch) and set aside, reserving butter
in pan.

Add cumin and paprika to butter ; stir rapidly 10-15 seconds.
Add the tomato puree. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, 5-8 minutes,
stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning

Add salt, cream, and chicken pieces, and gently stir to coat chicken with
sauce. Reduce heat to med.-low.
Simmer uncovered until a thin glaze appears on surface (about 10 min), check
and stir often to prevent burning. Stir in remaining butter, garam masala,
and roasted cumin.

You may at this point turn off the heat and let sit for a half an hour,
refrigerate for a day, or freeze. Heat thoroughly before serving, and
fold in coriander when ready to serve.

Alternately try this recipe as a comparison. This following recipe is the
nearest I have made to a UK restaurant style Chicken Tikka Masala.

These recipes come from Pat Chapman, founder of the Curry Club in Britain
and an acknowledged expert on Indian food, and can be found in his
Bangladeshi Restaurant Curries.

Part 1: Chicken Tikka for 4

675g(1.5lb) fresh chicken breasts, skinned, filleted and cut into20-24x3.75
(1.5 inch) cubes.

Marinade
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala
1-teaspoon ground cumin
0.5-teaspoon turmeric
150ml (5fl oz) thick natural yoghurt (home made is best but not essential)
2 tablespoons mustard oil
4 large, plump garlic cloves very finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-tablespoon tomato puree
1-teaspoon salt
Approx 50ml (2fl oz) milk
1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large non-metallic bowl
2. Add the chicken pieces. Cover with cling film (Food wrap) and refrigerate
for 24-60 hours. (If chicken has previously been frozen do not exceed the 24
hour marinating period, 60 hours can be achieved with fresh chicken which
has not previously been frozen)
3. Just prior to cooking divide the chicken between four skewers. (Use the
marinade in a curry or discard it)
4. Pre-heat the grill to medium. Place the skewered chicken on an oven rack
above a foil lined grill tray and place the tray in a midway position.
Alternately the chicken can be barbecued.
5. Cook for 5 minutes, turn and cook foe another 5 minutes.
6. Cut through one piece of chicken to ensure it is fully cooked through,
it should be white right through with no hint of pink. Cook further as
necessary. When fully cooked raise the tray nearer to the heat and singe
pieces to obtain little flecks of blackening. Do not overdo it and burn
the chicken
7. Serve with Indian bread, rice etc and a raita or reserve for use in
Chicken Tikka Massala.


Part 2: Chicken Tikka Massala

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large plump cloves of garlic, finely chopped
225g (8 oz) onions, very finely chopped
1.5 tablespoons bottled mild curry paste
1.5 tablespoons bottled tandoori paste
20-24 chicken Tikka pieces cooked to the previous recipe
6 tinned plum tomatoes, chopped
1-tablespoon vinegar, any type
1-tablespoon tomato ketchup
175ml (6 fl oz) canned tomato soup
Half a green pepper, chopped
0-4 fresh green chillies, chopped (optional)
100ml (4 fl oz) single cream
1-tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1. Heat the oil in a large karai or wok
2. Stir-fry the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the onions and stir-fry
for 8-10 minutes until golden brown
3. Add the pastes and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken
and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, adding just enough water to keep things
from sticking
4. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, ketchup, soup, green pepper and chillies if
using. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or so.
5. Add the cream, garam masala and chopped coriander leaves. Simmer for a
further 2 minutes, adding a little water if needed. Add salt to taste and
then serve

On Fri, 16 Jan 2004 18:00:56 -0000, "Steven Grace"
> wrote:

>I also use this hybrid recipe which you may find extremely tasty
>
>First part is Tandoori Chicken as made by Lali Nayar. I believe this is the
>easiest and best tasting Tandoori Chicken that I have had. The second part
>of the recipe is the Velvet Butter Sauce, as put
>together by Julie Sahni.

>
>
>Tandoori Chicken (Tanduri Murgha)
>Serves 4

>750g (1.5lb) skinned, part-boned chicken breast pieces

<Snip details and delicious-sounding recipes>

What is a "part-boned" chicken breast?

I'll give that a try... One note, the Samosa Garden one definitely has some
garlic in it. And it's quite sweet, and not overly spicey. I thought the
cayenne substitution in that recipe was funny... Green chilies are sooo hot
compared to cayenne... 4 green chilies (at least the ones I had( which were
seranos and not even the indian mercha (SP?)) is like... A whole bottle of
cayenne pepper (laughter).

Anyway, any more recipes? I had heard someone mention once that it's
possible to use canned tomato soup instead of the tomato paste, or whatever
tomato the recipe called for. Which might explain the sweet flavor. Any
comments?

Oh yes... And thanks to all that replied



"Steven Grace" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Steven Grace" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Robert Klute" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Look up recipes for Murgh Makhani on the web. Pay careful attention,
it
> > > is a two step recipe. First you must prepare a tandoor-style chicken.
> > > I do a boneless tandoori chicken.
> > >
> > > It is a rich dish. So, the recipe should call for butter and cream.
> > > The red color comes from tomato paste or sauce.
> > >
> > > My favorite is the one in Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. Here is a
> > > version of it: http://www.our-daily-bread.com/recipes/Makhani.htm
> > >
> >
> > I like the Julie Sahni version from her Classic Indian Cookery.
> >
> >
>
> I also use this hybrid recipe which you may find extremely tasty
>
> First part is Tandoori Chicken as made by Lali Nayar. I believe this is
the
> easiest and best tasting Tandoori Chicken that I have had. The second part
> of the recipe is the Velvet Butter Sauce, as put
> together by Julie Sahni.
> Butter Chicken. part 1
>
>
> Tandoori Chicken (Tanduri Murgha)
> Serves 4
> The most renowned and delicious recipe amongst all the Tandoori dishes is
> the "Tandoori Chicken". Although difficult to reproduce the exact smoky
> roasted flavour that a Tandoor oven gives, it is possible to make this
> recipe at home. The secret to making a good "Tandoori Chicken" lies in the
> marinade you make. This recipe comes from "A taste of the Punjab" by
> Lali Nayar.
> 750g (1.5lb) skinned, part-boned chicken breast pieces
> 30g (1oz) fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
> 4 plump cloves of Garlic, peeled
> 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
> 2 tablespoons lemon juice
> 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
> 1 tablespoon mustard oil
> 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
> 1 teaspoon dried mint
> 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
> 0.5 teaspoon Chilli powder
> 0.5 teaspoon garam masala
> Salt to taste
> 4 drops of natural orange food colour
> 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
> · Make 3-4 deep incisions in each chicken breast. Put the chicken in a
bowl
> and set aside.
> · In a liquidiser, put the ginger, garlic, yoghurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon
> juice, vinegar, mustard oil, fenugreek leaves, mint, cumin seeds, chilli
> powder, garam masala, salt, food colour and the coriander leaves. Process
> until everything is well blended.
> · Pour the mixture over the chicken, coating well and ensuring that it
gets
> into the incisions. Cover the chicken and place in a fridge for 8-24
hours.
> · Pre-heat an oven to 200oC, 425oF, gas mark 7. Remove chicken from the
> marinade and put in a baking tin, cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn
> the pieces once during cooking and baste with the juices occasionally.
> The chicken should be crisp on the outside and cooked through at the
centre.
> · Just before serving, brush the chicken with the remaining lemon juice
> and place under a pre-heated grill for about 1-2 minutes to brown.
>
>
> Butter Chicken part 2
>
> Velvet Butter Chicken
> --from Julie Sahni's *Classic Indian Cooking*
>
> 16 pieces Tandoori Chicken
> 2 x 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes and their juice
> 4 green chilis, seeded and chopped, or half teaspoon cayenne pepper
> 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
> 155g/5oz unsalted butter
> 4 teaspoons ground cumin
> 1 Tablespoon paprika
> 2 Teaspoons salt
> 375 ml/12 fl oz double cream
> 2 teaspoons garam masala
> 2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds
> 4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
>
> Blend tomato, chillis, and ginger to a fine puree in blender or food
> processor.
>
> Heat 125 g/4 oz butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
Tilt
> pan so butter covers base and once foam subsides, brown a few pieces of
> chicken at a time (2-3 min. for each batch) and set aside, reserving
butter
> in pan.
>
> Add cumin and paprika to butter ; stir rapidly 10-15 seconds.
> Add the tomato puree. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, 5-8 minutes,
> stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning
>
> Add salt, cream, and chicken pieces, and gently stir to coat chicken with
> sauce. Reduce heat to med.-low.
> Simmer uncovered until a thin glaze appears on surface (about 10 min),
check
> and stir often to prevent burning. Stir in remaining butter, garam masala,
> and roasted cumin.
>
> You may at this point turn off the heat and let sit for a half an hour,
> refrigerate for a day, or freeze. Heat thoroughly before serving, and
> fold in coriander when ready to serve.
>
> Alternately try this recipe as a comparison. This following recipe is the
> nearest I have made to a UK restaurant style Chicken Tikka Masala.
>
> These recipes come from Pat Chapman, founder of the Curry Club in Britain
> and an acknowledged expert on Indian food, and can be found in his
> Bangladeshi Restaurant Curries.
>
> Part 1: Chicken Tikka for 4
>
> 675g(1.5lb) fresh chicken breasts, skinned, filleted and cut
into20-24x3.75
> (1.5 inch) cubes.
>
> Marinade
> 2 teaspoons paprika
> 2 teaspoons chilli powder
> 2 teaspoons ground coriander
> 2 teaspoons garam masala
> 1-teaspoon ground cumin
> 0.5-teaspoon turmeric
> 150ml (5fl oz) thick natural yoghurt (home made is best but not essential)
> 2 tablespoons mustard oil
> 4 large, plump garlic cloves very finely chopped
> 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
> 1-tablespoon tomato puree
> 1-teaspoon salt
> Approx 50ml (2fl oz) milk
> 1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large non-metallic bowl
> 2. Add the chicken pieces. Cover with cling film (Food wrap) and
refrigerate
> for 24-60 hours. (If chicken has previously been frozen do not exceed the
24
> hour marinating period, 60 hours can be achieved with fresh chicken which
> has not previously been frozen)
> 3. Just prior to cooking divide the chicken between four skewers. (Use the
> marinade in a curry or discard it)
> 4. Pre-heat the grill to medium. Place the skewered chicken on an oven
rack
> above a foil lined grill tray and place the tray in a midway position.
> Alternately the chicken can be barbecued.
> 5. Cook for 5 minutes, turn and cook foe another 5 minutes.
> 6. Cut through one piece of chicken to ensure it is fully cooked through,
> it should be white right through with no hint of pink. Cook further as
> necessary. When fully cooked raise the tray nearer to the heat and singe
> pieces to obtain little flecks of blackening. Do not overdo it and burn
> the chicken
> 7. Serve with Indian bread, rice etc and a raita or reserve for use in
> Chicken Tikka Massala.
>
>
> Part 2: Chicken Tikka Massala
>
> 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
> 3 large plump cloves of garlic, finely chopped
> 225g (8 oz) onions, very finely chopped
> 1.5 tablespoons bottled mild curry paste
> 1.5 tablespoons bottled tandoori paste
> 20-24 chicken Tikka pieces cooked to the previous recipe
> 6 tinned plum tomatoes, chopped
> 1-tablespoon vinegar, any type
> 1-tablespoon tomato ketchup
> 175ml (6 fl oz) canned tomato soup
> Half a green pepper, chopped
> 0-4 fresh green chillies, chopped (optional)
> 100ml (4 fl oz) single cream
> 1-tablespoon garam masala
> 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
> Salt to taste
> 1. Heat the oil in a large karai or wok
> 2. Stir-fry the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the onions and stir-fry
> for 8-10 minutes until golden brown
> 3. Add the pastes and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, then add the
chicken
> and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, adding just enough water to keep things
> from sticking
> 4. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, ketchup, soup, green pepper and chillies if
> using. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or so.
> 5. Add the cream, garam masala and chopped coriander leaves. Simmer for a
> further 2 minutes, adding a little water if needed. Add salt to taste and
> then serve
>
>
>
>
>