Join Us

Balancing Butter Chicken

The bird in its dying throes

04 May, 2015 by Phantom
The bird in its dying throes

It has been called the National Dish of Delhi rather sneeringly, and indeed it does appear like a rather simplistic, elemental preparation that is virtually idiot-proof to cook. However, in reality, butter chicken is a rather tough bird to crack. First of all, the classic recipe requires joints of chicken to be semi-cooked in the tandoor, a step that hardly any restaurant bothers about today: what you usually get is uncooked pieces stirred into the gravy.

But it is the gravy itself that is difficult to get right. The base has to be tomato, we all know that. But once they are cooked, the tomatoes have to become tangy rather than sweet. That is because you have to add a judicious quantity of cream to mellow the tomatoes down, and a sweetish tomato paste overlaid with the richness of dairy will result in a travesty. The difficulty is that you cannot use canned or processed tomatoes for butter chicken, because of the metallic taste that will result. And though the finished dish has to have a more or less homogenous consistency, it cannot be completely smooth on the one hand, nor lumpy on the other!

The spices – chilli powder and whole aromatic spices – have to lurk in the background in the final dish. The only ingredient that is allowed to be visible at all is dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi). The best butter chicken has to be red rather than pale pink; it has to be pleasantly tangy, the butter has to coat your palate, the cream has to add a velvety touch, the spices have to hover in the background and the chicken itself has to be succulent.

Not surprisingly, there are very few restaurants, dhabas and hotels that have cracked the code. The gold standard remains Mughal Mahal in Rajendra Place.

Written By

The bird in its dying throes
Phantom
Secret Restaurant Reviewer

Appearing incognito is The Phantom's style, so we are keeping this identity under wraps. What we can tell you is that this is one food critic that has earned the respect of restaurateurs and foodies alike. With an astute palate and an adventurous spirit, ​t​he Phantom Critic has more than 20 years of experience writing about food and reviewing restaurants

Food Trends by Phantom

Recent Food Trends

Understanding Indian Food Terms Kakori vs Galouti
50% Offer

Other Related Food Trends | All About Food in Delhi

Ring In The Spring Harvest By Celebrating Baisakhi At These Top 8 Restaurants In Delhi NCR

Ring In The Spring Harvest By Celebrating Baisakhi At These Top 8 Restaurants In Delhi NCR

By Reeth Naomi Puri
Enjoy The Festival Of Baisakhi With Your Family At These 8 Best Dining Destinations In Chandigarh

Enjoy The Festival Of Baisakhi With Your Family At These 8 Best Dining Destinations In Chandigarh

By Tanu Seth
Celebrate The Joyous Occasion Of Baisakhi At These Top 6 Restaurants In Ludhiana

Celebrate The Joyous Occasion Of Baisakhi At These Top 6 Restaurants In Ludhiana

By Shiv Sharma
Indulge In A Grand Baisakhi Dining Experience At These Top 7 Restaurants In Amritsar

Indulge In A Grand Baisakhi Dining Experience At These Top 7 Restaurants In Amritsar

By Reeth Naomi Puri
Restaurant Spotlight: Desi Villagio, A Rustic Village Themed Restro Bar That Wows Patrons With Its Luscious North Indian Flavors In Connaught Place, Central Delhi

Restaurant Spotlight: Desi Villagio, A Rustic Village Themed Restro Bar That Wows Patrons With Its Luscious North Indian Flavors In Connaught Place, Central Delhi

By Vishal Tewatia
Restaurant Spotlight: Karigari, An Elegant Dining Treasure Trove Offering Delectable Indian Culinary Indulgences With A Global Flair In Delhi NCR

Restaurant Spotlight: Karigari, An Elegant Dining Treasure Trove Offering Delectable Indian Culinary Indulgences With A Global Flair In Delhi NCR

By Kritika Tandon
Download EazyDiner app for Table Booking

Get the EazyDiner App

Earn 200 EazyPoints on registration.

Download Now

Google Play Store
Apple-store
EAZYDINER

About Us

Food trends (Blog)

Partner offers

Download App

Contact Us

Career

Discover

Table booking

Fast food near me

Prepaid deals near me

For you

Prime Subscription

PayEazy

EazyPoints Redemption

Refer & Earn

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

For restaurants

List your Restaurant

Livetable - Restaurants SaaS

More

Food Critics

Advisory council

Book Best Restaurants in
Delhi NCR | Mumbai | Bengaluru | Chennai | Pune | Kolkata | Dubai | Goa | Ahmedabad | Jaipur | Agra | Hyderabad | Lucknow | Kochi | Coimbatore | Ranchi | Patna | Amritsar | Bhubaneswar | Indore | Ludhiana | Mangalore | Mysuru | Thiruvananthapuram | Nagpur | Udaipur | Madurai | Abu Dhabi | Chandigarh Tricity | All Cities

Explore best restaurants nearby Delhi NCR!
© EazyDiner Private Limited.
786 100 4444