Butter chicken: It is undoubtedly one of the most popular Indian dishes in the world. Cooking butter chicken mainly comprises two steps — first is to make tandoori chicken, followed by the gravy. Then they are combined and allowed to simmer to enhance the taste. This dish has a nice sweet and smokey flavour and is mildly spiced. Numerous versions of the recipe exists, my version is listed below.
Ingredients
Chicken 800g (1 no)
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Kashmiri chili powder 1 tsp
Hung curd ¾ cup
Garam masala ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Cumin powder ½ tsp
Coriander powder 1/3 tsp
Cardamom powder ¼ tsp
Mustard oil 1 tbsp
For gravy
Tomato 1 kg
Ginger 1 inch cube
Garlic 4—5 cloves
Green chilli 2 no
Cashewnut 1/3 cup
Red chilli powder ½ tbsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala powder ½ tsp
Honey 2 tbsp
Cream 1 cup
Butter 50g
Kasoori methi 1 tbsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Method
Wash and clean the chicken, cut into 4 pieces and keep aside.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl using a whisk to a smooth marinade.
Rub the marinade onto chicken pieces and refrigerate for 2— 3 hours or preferable overnight.
Skewer the chicken pieces and cook over charcoal fire in tandoor or cook in a greased baking tray till the chicken is almost cooked.
Remove from skewer/ oven and cut into desired pieces and keep aside.
Take tomato, ginger, garlic, green chilli, cashew nuts, red chilli powder, salt and boil in water till the tomatoes are completely mashed.
Remove from flame and allow to cool, blend and strain the mixture to get a smooth tomato puree.
Melt 2tbsp butter in a heavy bottom container and return the prepared tomato puree and cook over slow flame till the oil comes on top and the gravy becomes shiny.
Add the roasted chicken pieces to the gravy and simmer for 12— 15 minutes to cook the chicken pieces and allow the chicken to impart flavour to the gravy.
Add the remaining butter, cream and honey and stir to mix.
Meanwhile heat a tawa separately and dry cook kasoori methi to it to extract the taste.
Remove the prepared butter chicken from flame and serve hot sprinkled with kasoori methi on top and a dollop of butter and cream drizzle.
Enjoy with choice of tandoori bread or rice.
Swiss roll
Swiss roll is a pinwheel shaped layered pastry mainly comprising sponge made of flour, eggs, and sugar and layered with jam or choice of icing. While many different types of sponge cakes can be used, the cake needs to be fairly light and pliable enough to roll without breaking. Just about anything with a spreadable consistency can be used as the filling for this cake, though fruit jelly, lemon curd, chocolate icing, and buttercream frosting are commonly used. The initial Swiss rolls were made in Europe and are now a popular dessert. The preparation however varies from place to place. The popularity of the Swiss roll in Hong Kong and Chinese baking is so great that they are prepared and sold by many bakeries in American Chinatowns.
Chocolate Swiss roll
Ingredients
For sponge
Whole egg 6 no
Castor sugar 1 cups
All—purpose flour 2 cup
Cocoa powder 1 cup
Baking powder ½ tsp
Vanilla essence few drops
Chocolate cream
Whipping cream 500ml
Cocoa powder ½ cup
Castor sugar 2 tbsp
Chocolate shavings to garnish
Method
Pre heat oven to 350 degree F.
Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together and keep aside.
Whip sugar and eggs till light and fluffy, add vanilla essence.
Fold in flour mixture into the creamed butter and sugar.
Pour the mixture into a greased square baking tray lined with baking paper.
Bake for 20— 25 minutes until a knife inserted in the sponge comes out clean.
Remove and allow to cool, remove baking paper and cut
into two and slice into three
layers.
For the icing whip the cream combined with sugar and cocoa powder till light and fluffy.
Layer the sponge with the prepared icing and roll the sponge width wise to make a roll and wrap in butter paper.
Refrigerate for 1 hour, remove paper and ice with the prepared icing and chocolate shavings.
You can also garnish as per your choice.
* Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
[email protected]
SWEET & SPICY: Butter chicken.
