#interesting texture. its curry but better imo

[mistyycowoa]

I am not hungry. It's dinner time. I have no appetite. I await the impending hunger pains that will soon to be. For now, food is disgusting.

[prettyboykatsuki]

Hey, I've been trying to make butter chicken for a really long time and no matter what I do the food cart in my city makes it better. I was wondering if you have a recipe that you would like to share since you said you're really good at making butter chicken. Totally okay if you want to keep it private or just not respond to this ask. Also, I love your writing. Long time fan.

HI!!

i was supposed to answer this last night but i took my melatonin super early and fell asleep on accident. i do have a recipe to share and i saw a few people were interested. im not very good with writing down like... formal recipes i cook by heart so to speak so i hope thats alright

but also thank u!! i see u in my notifs a lot so i was happy to see your ask

FANGS BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE:

a couple of things to know prior, making a really good curry usually takes a long time. im not one to be super picky on authenticity but if you're wanting to eat something super delicious it will take you upwards of an hour ++ some, start to finish.

ingredients for chicken

chicken breast / chicken thighs (i normally use a little less than two pounds of chicken thighs, boneless and cubed)

yogurt for marinade, about a half to three quarters cup

a tablespoon of premade ginger-garlic paste or equal parts of fresh ginger and garlic

about two teaspoons of garam masala, and one teaspoon of cumin, coriander, chili powder, tumeric and salt

FOR THE CHICKEN: it's up to preference what cut of meat you want to use for butter chicken, but i personally used cubed chicken thighs that i manually clean the fat off of.

in my opinion, the biggest difference this will make is in the marinading process. if you are using chicken breast, i would recommend marinating for up to twenty four hours. if you're using chicken thighs, you can get away with less time. but you need to marinade your chicken up to at 30 minutes.

mix everything together and set aside until ready.

ingredients for the sauce:

one large onion, medium diced (about a cup and a half)

half a head or garlic, finely chopped (i use a lot but you can use less)

some freshly chopped ginger or a tablespoon of garlic-ginger paste. about a tablepoon.

tomatoes (roughly two cups)

for the tomatoes, there are various substitutions you're welcome to make. most restaurants used crushed, canned tomatoes but if you're wanting the smooth texture without blending - used jarred tomato sauce as your base.

with whatever type of tomato you use, you will have to adjust for acidity and sweetness. i use a mix of fresh tomatos and tomato paste for depth and adjust for acid with sugar.

if you are using jarred tomato sauce or canned tomatos, you will need about a cup and 3 quarters or 14ozs of liquid over all.

if you are using a fresh tomato and paste combo like me - i recommend about a cup and a half of diced tomatoes and a 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.

spices including, 2 teaspoons of garam masala, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of coriander, chili powder to taste and a table spoon of pre-packaged butter chicken spice mix.

you will also need kasoor methi powder or fenugreek powder which imo is not optional

NO MORE than a half-teaspoon of fenugreek

salt to taste

sugar to taste (i use about a tablespoon)

for seasoning: while i use the teaspoon measurement here - it's more important you understand the ratios. im much more heavy handed with my spice mixture because i make it according to my own tastes and i like strong flavors.

i used pre-packaged spice mixes to add flavor but if i dont have it i wont use it and use about a teaspoon more each of the plain spices.

the one thing you shouldn't skip imo is the kasoor methi aka fenugreek powder. this is probably the thing most people are missing butter chicken at home. it's savory and mildly bitter, a bit like fennel and its what gives it a very classic indian flavor

3/4 cup of cream + 1/2 cup of milk (you are welcome to use one cup of cream if you like a thicker gravy, but i prefer a thinner one. you can also replace the milk with half and half)

a little oil to coat the bottom of my pan (a teaspoon or two)

3 tablespoons of ghee (or 2 tbps of butter + 1 tbsp oil)

cilantro to taste (optional)

if you can find ghee or make it at home, i would highly reccomend using it over butter and oil. ghee makes a huge difference to the flavor profile.

while i say 3tbsps, i would say be heavy handed and use enough to cover the pan. this is a fat heavy dish as is.

ONTO THE COOKING PROCESS:

first: you will want to grill / char your chicken. you can pick what method you use for this. i use a searing hot pan (i use a dutch oven for this entire recipe) and little oil to get the best cook.

fry the chicken on high heat until charred and take it off once all sides are cooked. DO NOT OVERCROWD YOUR PAN. it will released too much water.

set aside the charred pieces. the chicken will finish cooking in the sauce.

NEXT, THE SAUCE

after you've cooked off the chicken, turn your heat down to medium, drop your ghee and your onions and cook until totally soft

this will take roughly 15 minutes of stirring and watching.

once the onions are translucent and halved in size, drop in your garlic and ginger

cook until fragrant. i like to go a little under ten minutes

add in your spices here (EXCEPT THE KASOORI METHI). this step is crucial

the key to good desi curry is understanding the process of bhuna, which is essentially frying your spices together for optimum flavor. you will want enough oil in your pan to fry / cook the seasoning which is why i say you might want to be heavy handed.

stir your spice mix with your onions, garlic and ginger - making sure it doesn't stick and burn in the process. let it cook until very fragant.

i let it go for a few minutes but if you don't cook often, a minute or less will be okay. too long and the spices will burn.

(i also like to add a pre-emptive amount of salt at this stage but you can salt afterwards)

next, add your tomatoes. if you are using tomato paste, add it before you add your other tomatoes and let it fry for about a minute to soften and cook down the taste

if you are are using jarred sauce or canned tomatoes feel free to toss it all in at once.

THIS IS IMPORTANT BUT LET THE LIQUID COOK OFF YOUR TOMATOES AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

i would recommend up to twenty minutes if possible, being careful it doesn't burn on the sides. the sauce will change color as a result, turning a deep brown / red and that's when you know it's ready. the pan should feel almost dry.

if you like a blended sauce - now is the time for you to take out from the pan and blend with a little water *

i do not like a completely blended sauce, so i will instead use the back of my spoon to crush up my tomato and onion mixture as much as possible once cooked soft enough.

THIS IS NOT TRADITIONAL OR COMMON. but i prefer a bit of texture in my sauce and once soft enough i find the sauce still turns out silky smooth.

after you sauce is blended / smooth, add in your cream mixture, your sugar, and fenugreek powder, and cook your chicken for another few minutes

usually a little under 10 minutes for thighs and around 8 minutes for breasts if you're picky about timing.

turn your heat off and wait for the curry to stop boiling before adding in chopped cilantro

AND YOU'RE DONE YIPEEEEEE. serve with white basmati rice or naan/paratha of course 🫡

OTHER GENERAL TIPS:

the seasonings i list are intentionally light handed but i honestly use about double of everything above, so if you find that the taste is too light for you after cooking - fry more seasoning in oil in a separate pan and add it afterwards.

depending on your preference, you might like a thicker or thinner gravy. if you prefer it thinner, add more liquid (preferably water or milk) and if you prefer it thicker, feel free to just use one or the other.

be careful during the spice frying process and watch like a hawk if you dont anywhere else, because the burning will make it bitter.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND ME ASKS IF YOU WANT TO TROUBLE SHOOT!!!