Butter Chicken

This dish was introduced to us by a Bangladeshi friend whose family owned a restaurant in Canada where we used to reside. Of course having a healthy appetite for UNhealthy foods, we the Khan sisters savored every last bit of this deliciously dangerous dish. Our glorious cheeks can attest to that. Served alongside Naan bread or plain long-grain rice, this dish makes chocolate jealous...or not. The level of heat can be varied to your taste of course.The accompaniments of this dish (rice and naan) will be up on this blog soon. 

WARNING: May cause bloating, unwanted love handles and a fear of weight scales. Jenny Craig awaits.

What You'll Need:

• 1lb boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 a stick of unsalted butter
• 1/2 a cup of heavy cream
• 1 large onion sliced finely
• 1/4 cup roasted cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp. each of garlic and ginger paste
• 3 whole green chilies
• 10 oz can of crushed tomatoes (or 3 medium fresh tomatoes chopped coarsely)
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 2 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. ketchup
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro to garnish

Procedure:

• Pat dry the chicken to remove excess water.
• In a mixing bowl, add the ginger, garlic, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1tsp. coriander powder, salt to the chicken and mix to coat.
• In a large wok shallow fry the chicken mixture on med-high till about 80% done.
• Remove the chicken and keep aside any excess water from the wok.
• Fry the cumin seeds in hot oil for about 8 seconds and then saute the onions till translucent.
• Add the other 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. coriander powder, the green chilies, cashew nuts and 2 tbsp. of the excess water from the chicken to prevent the spices from burning. Cook for half a minute.
• Add the tomatoes; cover and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Once the tomatoes are soft, turn the heat off and let it cool. This is important, you don't want to burn your pretty faces.
• Transfer the COOLED sauce into a blender and puree till smooth.
• In your wok, add the butter, any left over water from the chicken and the puree. 
• Let simmer for a minute.
• Add water if the sauce is too thick.
• Add salt to taste, the sugar, the ketchup, the heavy cream and mix well.
• Finally, add the chicken, garam masala and mix well.
• Garnish with cilantro