Recipe of the day: Chef Athizaam Rassool’s butter chicken curry

Craving a delicious curry? This butter chicken curry recipe, shared by Chef Athizaam Rassoo from The Edward Hotel in Durban will satisfy your tastebuds.

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Butter chicken curry

Ingredients

For the chicken marinade

• 350g or 2 skinless chicken breast fillets cut into 2cm cubes
• ½ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ tsp garlic crushed
• ½ teaspoon ginger crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin / jeera
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 25g finely chopped coriander

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp butter ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped or ginger paste
• 2 tsp garlic finely chopped or garlic paste
• 20g finely chopped coriander leaves
• ½ cup tomato puree or 4 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp ground cumin / jeera
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder (adjust to your taste preference)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp kasoori methi leaves (dried fenugreek)
• 1 cup heavy cream or double cream plain yoghurt
• 1 tbsp sugar or honey
• Salt to taste

Method

1. In a bowl, combine chicken with all the ingredients for the chicken marinade, allow it to marinade for an hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan or pot over medium heat, when sizzling, add the chicken pieces in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, grill the chicken until brown and set aside (chicken will finish cooking in the sauce).
3. Heat oil and butter or ghee in the same pan, sauté onions until golden brown while scraping up any browned bits stuck in the pan.
4. Add garlic, ginger, ground cumin, coriander and chilli powder and cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant while stirring.
5. Add tomato puree or paste and salt, let it simmer for about 10-15 mins until sauce thickens.
6. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a blender and blend until smooth (you may need to add some water to help it blend).
7. Pour the blended sauce back into the pan, add in the cream / yoghurt, kasoori methi leaves and the chicken cubes with the juices into the pan and cook for a further 10-15 mins over medium heat until the sauce is thick.
8. Taste for salt, garnish with fresh coriander, a tsp of plain yoghurt on top and serve with homemade naan bread, basmati rice or roti.

*This recipe was developed by Chef Athizaam Rassool from The Edward Hotel and is courtesy of Southern Sun.

Butter chicken curry

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Serve your butter chicken curry with homemade naan bread, basmati rice or roti.

• Author: Chef Athizaam Rassool
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Dinner, Chicken
• Method: Stove top
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the chicken marinade

• 350g or 2 skinless chicken breast fillets cut into 2cm cubes
• ½ cup plain yoghurt
• ½ tsp garlic crushed
• ½ teaspoon ginger crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin / jeera
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 25g finely chopped coriander

 

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For the sauce

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp butter ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped or ginger paste
• 2 tsp garlic finely chopped or garlic paste
• 20g finely chopped coriander leaves
• ½ cup tomato puree or 4 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp ground cumin / jeera
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder (adjust to your taste preference)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp kasoori methi leaves (dried fenugreek)
• 1 cup heavy cream or double cream plain yoghurt
• 1 tbsp sugar or honey
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine chicken with all the ingredients for the chicken marinade, allow it to marinade for an hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan or pot over medium heat, when sizzling, add the chicken pieces in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, grill the chicken until brown and set aside (chicken will finish cooking in the sauce).
3. Heat oil and butter or ghee in the same pan, sauté onions until golden brown while scraping up any browned bits stuck in the pan.
4. Add garlic, ginger, ground cumin, coriander and chilli powder and cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant while stirring.
5. Add tomato puree or paste and salt, let it simmer for about 10-15 mins until sauce thickens.
6. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a blender and blend until smooth (you may need to add some water to help it blend).
7. Pour the blended sauce back into the pan, add in the cream / yoghurt, kasoori methi leaves and the chicken cubes with the juices into the pan and cook for a further 10-15 mins over medium heat until the sauce is thick.
8. Taste for salt, garnish with fresh coriander, a tsp of plain yoghurt on top and serve with homemade naan bread, basmati rice or roti.