Butter chicken is an Indian restaurant dish made by combining leftover sauce
from mattar paneer (about which I posted here in May 2006) and leftover
tandoori chicken. It's a popular dish, probably because that tomato sauce is
so fragrant and delicious.

My local Safeway started carrying a line of so-called "simmer sauces", and
one of them purported to be the sauce for butter chicken, so I thought I'd
give it a try. The chicken was slowly cooked with butter and salt[1]. While
it was cooking, I caramelized some onions in a mixture of butter and
grapeseed oil, then simmered in that sauce. I added some quartered mushrooms
and thick slices of salted zucchini for additional flavor. When the chicken
was done, it was cut into big chunks and added to that sauce. The remaining
menu items were brown basmati rice pilaf with onions and pistachios, diced
vegetables (celery root, fennel bulb, white beans, and onions) with Madras
curry powder, and bok choy with mustard. We had homemade chai to drink.

Verdict: That damned Safeway sauce dragged the whole meal down. It was just
insipid; not NEARLY as flavorful as the real stuff. So now I know, and I
hope that others will learn from my experience: That butter sauce isn't a
good shortcut; it's a waste of money.

Bob
[1] Specifically, three large boneless skinless chicken breasts were
individually vacuum-sealed with about a half-tablespoon of butter each, and
cooked sous vide at 144°F for an hour.

On Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:32:06 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> Butter chicken is an Indian restaurant dish made by combining leftover sauce
> from mattar paneer (about which I posted here in May 2006) and leftover
> tandoori chicken. It's a popular dish, probably because that tomato sauce is
> so fragrant and delicious.
>
> My local Safeway started carrying a line of so-called "simmer sauces", and
> one of them purported to be the sauce for butter chicken, so I thought I'd
> give it a try.
<snip>
>
> Verdict: That damned Safeway sauce dragged the whole meal down. It was just
> insipid; not NEARLY as flavorful as the real stuff. So now I know, and I
> hope that others will learn from my experience: That butter sauce isn't a
> good shortcut; it's a waste of money.
>
Sorry to hear that, Bob... but your verdict is in line with my
experience with that kind of thing too.

Tonight's dinner for me was a fish stew that was made with coconut
milk (which I served over a mound of rice). I've been obsessing over
for days over that recipe and finally got the chance to make it.
When Hubby goes beyond "thank you for dinner", he rates them: as
Restaurant Quality or Restaurant Quality plus Home Run and tonight I
hit a Grand Slam! He's right, it's really good.

I went to the grocery store thinking I'd buy cod, but they had catfish
on sale that looked better and was half the price of cod, so I came
back with that. I plan to make notes on my "inspiration recipe" and
make it again, trying to measure what I put in it next time. For now,
I can say my recipe includes coconut milk, onion, bell peppers, fresh
ginger, Aleppo pepper and cilantro.

http://oi47.tinypic.com/5mkfba.jpg

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

sf wrote:

> Tonight's dinner for me was a fish stew that was made with coconut milk
> (which I served over a mound of rice). I've been obsessing over for days
> over that recipe and finally got the chance to make it. When Hubby goes
> beyond "thank you for dinner", he rates them: as Restaurant Quality or
> Restaurant Quality plus Home Run and tonight I hit a Grand Slam! He's
> right, it's really good.

Wow! I thought about making the Good Eats Thai catfish stew late last year
but never got around to it:

Thai Catfish Soup
Good Eats

2 cups dashi
2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemongrass
1 tablespoon julienned galangal or ginger
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
1 habanero pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 pound US farm-raised catfish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
14 ounces coconut milk

Bring the dashi to a simmer in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the
lemongrass, galangal, cilantro, habanero, fish sauce and lime juice and
bring the liquid to a simmer. Add the catfish and the coconut milk and cook
until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the
heat, ladle into soup bowls and serve immediately.

Was your fish stew anything like that?

Bob

On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:49 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> Wow! I thought about making the Good Eats Thai catfish stew late last year
> but never got around to it:
>
> Thai Catfish Soup
> Good Eats
>
> 2 cups dashi
> 2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemongrass
> 1 tablespoon julienned galangal or ginger
> 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
> 1 habanero pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
> 1/4 cup fish sauce
> 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
> 1 pound US farm-raised catfish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
> 14 ounces coconut milk
>
> Bring the dashi to a simmer in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the
> lemongrass, galangal, cilantro, habanero, fish sauce and lime juice and
> bring the liquid to a simmer. Add the catfish and the coconut milk and cook
> until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the
> heat, ladle into soup bowls and serve immediately.
>
> Was your fish stew anything like that?

Similar. Mine was supposedly Brazilian. It used thinly sliced onions
and bell peppers. I had a jalapeno pepper that I considered using,
but decided on aleppo pepper instead. I used so much aleppo, that I
think I should have used the jalapeno, but I'll keep a note for aleppo
if I ever want to serve children or Ophelia. (Just poking a little
fun your way, O!). I used lemon juice instead of lime (personal
preference) and was going to use a spritz of lime as garnish but
forgot. Darn! I lightened it up (calories and fat) by using approx
half coconut milk and half vegetable stock, but it was plenty thick
anyway.

The recipe says an authentic ingredient is palm oil (dendê) but I
wasn't going to buy it just for that recipe and used EVOO instead.

4 T olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 ripe tomato, skinned, seeded, and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 inch ginger, freshly grated
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 T palm oil (dendê) - I used EVOO
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 T tomato paste
Salt and aleppo pepper (I needed a lot more of it than I expected)
1¾ lb (800g) firm white fish cut into large chunks or strips
1 T lemon or lime juice and more as garnish
1 - 3 T chopped cilantro to mix in and more as garnish

I used half a bag of Trader Joe's frozen bell pepper mix, but it
turned out regular bells were 10 for $1 at Safeway, so (duh) it must
be the middle of summer South of the Equator. That's the nice thing
about them owning farms in South America - we get summer produce twice
a year now.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:27:26 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:49 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:
>
>> Was your fish stew anything like that?
>
>Similar. Mine was supposedly Brazilian. It used thinly sliced onions
>and bell peppers. I had a jalapeno pepper that I considered using,
>but decided on aleppo pepper instead. I used so much aleppo, that I
>think I should have used the jalapeno, but I'll keep a note for aleppo
>if I ever want to serve children or Ophelia. (Just poking a little
>fun your way, O!). I used lemon juice instead of lime (personal
>preference) and was going to use a spritz of lime as garnish but
>forgot. Darn! I lightened it up (calories and fat) by using approx
>half coconut milk and half vegetable stock, but it was plenty thick
>anyway.
>
>The recipe says an authentic ingredient is palm oil (dendê) but I
>wasn't going to buy it just for that recipe and used EVOO instead.
>
>4 T olive oil
>1 onion, thinly sliced
>1 ripe tomato, skinned, seeded, and chopped
>1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
>1 inch ginger, freshly grated
>1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
>2 T palm oil (dendê) - I used EVOO
>1 cup canned coconut milk
>1 T tomato paste
>Salt and aleppo pepper (I needed a lot more of it than I expected)
>1¾ lb (800g) firm white fish cut into large chunks or strips
>1 T lemon or lime juice and more as garnish
>1 - 3 T chopped cilantro to mix in and more as garnish

That does sound good... I might have to try this as I have access to
plenty of rainbow trout at the moment.
In the mood for a coconut milk based dish... mmm.

On Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:27:13 +1100, Jeßus > wrote:

> On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:27:26 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
> >On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:49 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Was your fish stew anything like that?
> >
> >Similar. Mine was supposedly Brazilian. It used thinly sliced onions
> >and bell peppers. I had a jalapeno pepper that I considered using,
> >but decided on aleppo pepper instead. I used so much aleppo, that I
> >think I should have used the jalapeno, but I'll keep a note for aleppo
> >if I ever want to serve children or Ophelia. (Just poking a little
> >fun your way, O!). I used lemon juice instead of lime (personal
> >preference) and was going to use a spritz of lime as garnish but
> >forgot. Darn! I lightened it up (calories and fat) by using approx
> >half coconut milk and half vegetable stock, but it was plenty thick
> >anyway.
> >
> >The recipe says an authentic ingredient is palm oil (dendê) but I
> >wasn't going to buy it just for that recipe and used EVOO instead.
> >
> >4 T olive oil
> >1 onion, thinly sliced
> >1 ripe tomato, skinned, seeded, and chopped
> >1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
> >1 inch ginger, freshly grated
> >1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
> >2 T palm oil (dendê) - I used EVOO
> >1 cup canned coconut milk
> >1 T tomato paste
> >Salt and aleppo pepper (I needed a lot more of it than I expected)
> >1¾ lb (800g) firm white fish cut into large chunks or strips
> >1 T lemon or lime juice and more as garnish
> >1 - 3 T chopped cilantro to mix in and more as garnish
>
> That does sound good... I might have to try this as I have access to
> plenty of rainbow trout at the moment.
> In the mood for a coconut milk based dish... mmm.

Google for Brazilian Fish Stew with Coconut Milk. There are lots of
variations. FYI, I used Trader Joe's frozen multi colored bell pepper
strips not knowing my grocery store would have fresh bells of all
colors at 10 for $. It's the middle of summer South of the Equator
and I just wasn't thinking about us getting summer #2 in midwinter.
This is the time I start looking for fresh blueberries, but I've never
clued into fresh bell peppers at a screamingly reasonable price at
this time of year.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Butter chicken is an Indian restaurant dish made by combining leftover
> sauce from mattar paneer (about which I posted here in May 2006) and
> leftover tandoori chicken. It's a popular dish, probably because that
> tomato sauce is so fragrant and delicious.
>
[snip]

I am fairly knowledgeable about Indian food but have never read
this about the origin of butter chicken (makhani). Source?

On Thursday, January 17, 2013 2:27:13 PM UTC-6, Jeßus wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:27:26 -0800, sf > wrote:
>
>
>
> >On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:49 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
>
> > wrote:
>
> >
>
> >> Was your fish stew anything like that?
>
> >
>
> >Similar. Mine was supposedly Brazilian. It used thinly sliced onions
>
> >and bell peppers. I had a jalapeno pepper that I considered using,
>
> >but decided on aleppo pepper instead. I used so much aleppo, that I
>
> >think I should have used the jalapeno, but I'll keep a note for aleppo
>
> >if I ever want to serve children or Ophelia. (Just poking a little
>
> >fun your way, O!). I used lemon juice instead of lime (personal
>
> >preference) and was going to use a spritz of lime as garnish but
>
> >forgot. Darn! I lightened it up (calories and fat) by using approx
>
> >half coconut milk and half vegetable stock, but it was plenty thick
>
> >anyway.
>
> >
>
> >The recipe says an authentic ingredient is palm oil (dend�) but I
>
> >wasn't going to buy it just for that recipe and used EVOO instead.
>
> >
>
> >4 T olive oil
>
> >1 onion, thinly sliced
>
> >1 ripe tomato, skinned, seeded, and chopped
>
> >1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
>
> >1 inch ginger, freshly grated
>
> >1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
>
> >2 T palm oil (dend�) - I used EVOO
>
> >1 cup canned coconut milk
>
> >1 T tomato paste
>
> >Salt and aleppo pepper (I needed a lot more of it than I expected)
>
> >1� lb (800g) firm white fish cut into large chunks or strips
>
> >1 T lemon or lime juice and more as garnish
>
> >1 - 3 T chopped cilantro to mix in and more as garnish
>
>
>
> That does sound good... I might have to try this as I have access to
>
> plenty of rainbow trout at the moment.
>
> In the mood for a coconut milk based dish... mmm.

Here in Missouri we have trout hatcheries at four of our large springs.
They release the trout, and anglers stand damned near shoulder to shoulder
to catch the tame trout. They do taste good.

--Bryan

Jean B. asked:

>> Butter chicken is an Indian restaurant dish made by combining leftover
>> sauce from mattar paneer (about which I posted here in May 2006) and
>> leftover tandoori chicken. It's a popular dish, probably because that
>> tomato sauce is so fragrant and delicious.
>
> I am fairly knowledgeable about Indian food but have never read this about
> the origin of butter chicken (makhani). Source?

Owner of the Indian restaurant where I frequently dined in Kuwait in the
late 1990s. (I'm pretty sure it was authentic, because it had a large Indian
clientele. Ever seen the way Indians eat curry with their hands?)

Bob

On Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:07:32 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> Jean B. asked:
>
> >> Butter chicken is an Indian restaurant dish made by combining leftover
> >> sauce from mattar paneer (about which I posted here in May 2006) and
> >> leftover tandoori chicken. It's a popular dish, probably because that
> >> tomato sauce is so fragrant and delicious.
> >
> > I am fairly knowledgeable about Indian food but have never read this about
> > the origin of butter chicken (makhani). Source?
>
> Owner of the Indian restaurant where I frequently dined in Kuwait in the
> late 1990s. (I'm pretty sure it was authentic, because it had a large Indian
> clientele. Ever seen the way Indians eat curry with their hands?)
>
I've read a lot of mentions of Butter Chicken, but I don't think I've
actually seen it on a menu - or else I would have satisfied my
curiosity and ordered it. We have a local Indian restaurant that does
the stereotypical buffet for lunch, but we've only gone once. It was
pretty good, but I had no idea what I was eating. Maybe Butter
Chicken was one of them. Everything had a sauce, except the rice and
vegetables.


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:29:29 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:27:13 +1100, Jeßus > wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:27:26 -0800, sf > wrote:
>>
>> >On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:49 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Was your fish stew anything like that?
>> >
>> >Similar. Mine was supposedly Brazilian. It used thinly sliced onions
>> >and bell peppers. I had a jalapeno pepper that I considered using,
>> >but decided on aleppo pepper instead. I used so much aleppo, that I
>> >think I should have used the jalapeno, but I'll keep a note for aleppo
>> >if I ever want to serve children or Ophelia. (Just poking a little
>> >fun your way, O!). I used lemon juice instead of lime (personal
>> >preference) and was going to use a spritz of lime as garnish but
>> >forgot. Darn! I lightened it up (calories and fat) by using approx
>> >half coconut milk and half vegetable stock, but it was plenty thick
>> >anyway.
>> >
>> >The recipe says an authentic ingredient is palm oil (dendê) but I
>> >wasn't going to buy it just for that recipe and used EVOO instead.
>> >
>> >4 T olive oil
>> >1 onion, thinly sliced
>> >1 ripe tomato, skinned, seeded, and chopped
>> >1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
>> >1 inch ginger, freshly grated
>> >1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
>> >2 T palm oil (dendê) - I used EVOO
>> >1 cup canned coconut milk
>> >1 T tomato paste
>> >Salt and aleppo pepper (I needed a lot more of it than I expected)
>> >1¾ lb (800g) firm white fish cut into large chunks or strips
>> >1 T lemon or lime juice and more as garnish
>> >1 - 3 T chopped cilantro to mix in and more as garnish
>>
>> That does sound good... I might have to try this as I have access to
>> plenty of rainbow trout at the moment.
>> In the mood for a coconut milk based dish... mmm.
>
>Google for Brazilian Fish Stew with Coconut Milk. There are lots of
>variations.

Thanks very much, will look that one up shortly.

A few days ago I bought some squid, cut into pieces, fried in butter
and then made a simple sauce with coconut milk, red curry paste,
cilantro, ginger, a bit of garlic, salt & pepper... when I added juice
from half a lime, that really made the sauce just right.

>FYI, I used Trader Joe's frozen multi colored bell pepper
>strips not knowing my grocery store would have fresh bells of all
>colors at 10 for $. It's the middle of summer South of the Equator
>and I just wasn't thinking about us getting summer #2 in midwinter.
>This is the time I start looking for fresh blueberries, but I've never
>clued into fresh bell peppers at a screamingly reasonable price at
>this time of year.

Yes, summer down here also of course and enjoying the cherry and
blueberry glut. I have about 30KG of cherries and about 10KG of
blueberries in the freezer, put away for making mead... have one batch
of cherry mead going now, looks good already. I've made blueberry mead
a few times now and very pleased with it, can't wait to see how the
cherry mead turns out.

On Sat, 19 Jan 2013 20:52:48 -0800 (PST), Bryan
> wrote:

>On Thursday, January 17, 2013 2:27:13 PM UTC-6, Jeßus wrote:
>> That does sound good... I might have to try this as I have access to
>>
>> plenty of rainbow trout at the moment.
>>
>> In the mood for a coconut milk based dish... mmm.
>
>Here in Missouri we have trout hatcheries at four of our large springs.
>They release the trout, and anglers stand damned near shoulder to shoulder
>to catch the tame trout. They do taste good.

Similar here Brian, I have friends who live close to a trout and
salmon hatchery and very large trout and salmon can be caught when
fishing near their spillway... we all had plenty of both fish over the
Christmas period, to the point where I needed a break from it... but
this recipe sounds so good I just have to make it.

"sf" > wrote in message
...

> Similar. Mine was supposedly Brazilian. It used thinly sliced onions
> and bell peppers. I had a jalapeno pepper that I considered using,
> but decided on aleppo pepper instead. I used so much aleppo, that I
> think I should have used the jalapeno, but I'll keep a note for aleppo
> if I ever want to serve children or Ophelia. (Just poking a little
> fun your way, O!).

;p

I used lemon juice instead of lime (personal
> preference) and was going to use a spritz of lime as garnish but
> forgot. Darn! I lightened it up (calories and fat) by using approx
> half coconut milk and half vegetable stock, but it was plenty thick
> anyway.

--
--
http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:20:43 +1100, Jeßus > wrote:

>On Sat, 19 Jan 2013 20:52:48 -0800 (PST), Bryan
> wrote:
>
>>On Thursday, January 17, 2013 2:27:13 PM UTC-6, Jeßus wrote:
>>> That does sound good... I might have to try this as I have access to
>>>
>>> plenty of rainbow trout at the moment.
>>>
>>> In the mood for a coconut milk based dish... mmm.
>>
>>Here in Missouri we have trout hatcheries at four of our large springs.
>>They release the trout, and anglers stand damned near shoulder to shoulder
>>to catch the tame trout. They do taste good.
>
>Similar here Brian, I have friends who live close to a trout and
>salmon hatchery and very large trout and salmon can be caught when
>fishing near their spillway... we all had plenty of both fish over the
>Christmas period, to the point where I needed a break from it... but
>this recipe sounds so good I just have to make it.

A friend and I did a taste test one weekend. We fried up a couple
brook trout that had been stocked about a month ago- and a couple
brookies that were native.

There was absolutely *no* comparison in color, texture, or flavor of
those fish. Neither of us ever kept another stocked fish. [they clip
a fin of the stocked fish- so even if the 'fight' didn't clue you in,
you could tell when you landed one. ]

Jim

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Jean B. asked:
>
>>> Butter chicken is an Indian restaurant dish made by combining
>>> leftover sauce from mattar paneer (about which I posted here in May
>>> 2006) and leftover tandoori chicken. It's a popular dish, probably
>>> because that tomato sauce is so fragrant and delicious.
>>
>> I am fairly knowledgeable about Indian food but have never read this
>> about the origin of butter chicken (makhani). Source?
>
> Owner of the Indian restaurant where I frequently dined in Kuwait in the
> late 1990s. (I'm pretty sure it was authentic, because it had a large
> Indian clientele. Ever seen the way Indians eat curry with their hands?)
>
> Bob

I would question why his word would be taken at face value. Did
he have any particular reason that he was sure of this?

Jean B. wrote:

>>>> Butter chicken is an Indian restaurant dish made by combining leftover
>>>> sauce from mattar paneer (about which I posted here in May 2006) and
>>>> leftover tandoori chicken. It's a popular dish, probably because that
>>>> tomato sauce is so fragrant and delicious.
>>>
>>> I am fairly knowledgeable about Indian food but have never read this
>>> about the origin of butter chicken (makhani). Source?
>>
>> Owner of the Indian restaurant where I frequently dined in Kuwait in the
>> late 1990s. (I'm pretty sure it was authentic, because it had a large
>> Indian clientele. Ever seen the way Indians eat curry with their hands?)
>
> I would question why his word would be taken at face value. Did he have
> any particular reason that he was sure of this?

I'm guessing it's because that's the way his restaurant made it, the way
every restaurant he knew of made it, and the way he learned to make it.

Bob

On Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:53:57 -0500, Jim Elbrecht >
wrote:

>On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:20:43 +1100, Jeßus > wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 19 Jan 2013 20:52:48 -0800 (PST), Bryan
> wrote:
>>
>>>On Thursday, January 17, 2013 2:27:13 PM UTC-6, Jeßus wrote:
>>>> That does sound good... I might have to try this as I have access to
>>>>
>>>> plenty of rainbow trout at the moment.
>>>>
>>>> In the mood for a coconut milk based dish... mmm.
>>>
>>>Here in Missouri we have trout hatcheries at four of our large springs.
>>>They release the trout, and anglers stand damned near shoulder to shoulder
>>>to catch the tame trout. They do taste good.
>>
>>Similar here Brian, I have friends who live close to a trout and
>>salmon hatchery and very large trout and salmon can be caught when
>>fishing near their spillway... we all had plenty of both fish over the
>>Christmas period, to the point where I needed a break from it... but
>>this recipe sounds so good I just have to make it.
>
>A friend and I did a taste test one weekend. We fried up a couple
>brook trout that had been stocked about a month ago- and a couple
>brookies that were native.
>
>There was absolutely *no* comparison in color, texture, or flavor of
>those fish. Neither of us ever kept another stocked fish. [they clip
>a fin of the stocked fish- so even if the 'fight' didn't clue you in,
>you could tell when you landed one. ]

Yep, you can't beat fish from clean streams, rivers or the sea.

Years ago when I lived in the far north of Australia, it was easy to
catch Barramundi in 'Billabongs' (basically a waterhole linked to
rivers), however there was no avoiding the muddy taste compared to
those caught in the rivers or sea.

Here in Tasmania, we only have brown and brook trout in our rivers and
streams, not so salmon and rainbow trout... apart from near the
aformentioned fish farm (and possibly other fish farms elsewhere in
Tasmania).

--
If god made everything, he must be from China.

Steve wrote:

>> Verdict: That damned Safeway sauce dragged the whole meal down. It was
>> just insipid; not NEARLY as flavorful as the real stuff. So now I know,
>> and I hope that others will learn from my experience: That butter sauce
>> isn't a good shortcut; it's a waste of money.
>
> Was this a Safeway branded product?

Yes, it was their store brand.

Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Jean B. wrote:
>
>>>>> Butter chicken is an Indian restaurant dish made by combining
>>>>> leftover sauce from mattar paneer (about which I posted here in May
>>>>> 2006) and leftover tandoori chicken. It's a popular dish, probably
>>>>> because that tomato sauce is so fragrant and delicious.
>>>>
>>>> I am fairly knowledgeable about Indian food but have never read this
>>>> about the origin of butter chicken (makhani). Source?
>>>
>>> Owner of the Indian restaurant where I frequently dined in Kuwait in
>>> the late 1990s. (I'm pretty sure it was authentic, because it had a
>>> large Indian clientele. Ever seen the way Indians eat curry with
>>> their hands?)
>>
>> I would question why his word would be taken at face value. Did he
>> have any particular reason that he was sure of this?
>
> I'm guessing it's because that's the way his restaurant made it, the way
> every restaurant he knew of made it, and the way he learned to make it.
>
> Bob

I find that very odd. That has not been my observation in the
Boston area. Nor have I read anything like it in my many Indian
cookbooks or any other source.