Given it was created from leftovers, butter chicken is laudable for the near cult status it has acquired in many a culinary circle. The dish holds pride of place in nearly every Indian restaurant in the world alongside tandoori chicken, from which it evolved. Incidentally, both dishes were the brainchild of one man.
Delectable origins
The story begins with the 1947 partition of India, when Kundan Lal Gujral, a Punjabi Hindu, fled from the newly formed Pakistan to India. On reaching the capital city of Delhi, Gujral, along with two partners, Kundan Lal Jaggi and Thakur Dass, started a restaurant called Moti Mahal. It soon became famous for tandoori chicken, a recipe Gujral had created and brought with him from Peshawar.
All the dishes invented by grandfather were out of necessity, be it butter chicken, dal makhani or tandoori chicken
Chef Monish Gujral,
grandson of Kundan Lal Gujral
As business grew and patrons poured in, Gujral noticed a lot of food was getting wasted, especially his star dish tandoori chicken, as there were no refrigerators to store leftovers in those days. This led him and his team to experiment, and they created a thick curry made from spiced tomato paste, cream and loads of butter, in which diced chicken pieces were cooked to perfection. Little did Gujral know his experiment would introduce India to its most popular chicken curry of all time.
“All the dishes invented by grandfather were out of necessity, be it butter chicken, dal makhani or tandoori chicken,” chef Monish Gujral, Kundan Lal’s grandson, tells The National. “Whenever he noticed wastage, he became worried and started experimenting to preserve the dish for the next day.”
While Monish owns the Moti Mahal Delux chain and has set up franchise outlets in major cities around the world, the original Moti Mahal restaurant in Old Delhi was sold by his grandfather to the current owner, Vinod Chadha. “I bought the restaurant from Gujral in a dilapidated condition,” says Chadha. “I just made a few changes, but not to the taste or the recipe of its famous dishes.”
A taste test of the butter chicken, served here on simple steel plates, reveals a light and airy dish that belies the richness of the cream and butter that goes into it.
Celebrity status
In only a short span of time, butter chicken acquired celebrity status and was to be found in all Indian restaurants. The reason behind its popularity, reckons chef Hardev Singh Saini, from Crowne Plaza Greater Noida, is the sweet and tangy taste thanks to the addition of fenugreek, which resonates with almost all palates. “Also, its thick gravy can be consumed with anything, chapatti, rice or even by itself,” says Saini.
Sandeep Pande, executive chef, JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity, says the dish is just as popular among non-Indians because it does not have overpowering spices, but a buttery and creamy flavour. Despite these rich ingredients, the dish is not perceived as unhealthy because the chicken is cooked in a traditional wood-fired clay oven, or tandoor.
Whatever the reason, a bevy of global celebrities and political bigwigs, including former US presidents John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon, and even former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto, sought the dish out during state visits to India.
As the country’s first education minister Abul Kalam Azad told the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi: “If you have visited Delhi and haven’t tasted the butter chicken of Moti Mahal, it’s like visiting Agra and missing the Taj Mahal.”
Recipe: butter chicken by Monish Gujral
Ingredients for the chicken
680g boneless, skinless chicken (white and/or dark meat), cut into 4cm chunks
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp garam masala
1½ tsp salt
¼ cup plain, full-fat yoghurt
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
Ingredients for the sauce
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, hulled and chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp peeled minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp salted butter
1/3 cup thick cream
Method
● Combine the chicken meat with lime juice, chilli powder, garam masala, salt, yoghurt, garlic and ginger in a mixing bowl, and then spread evenly over the baking sheet.
● Roast on the middle rack for 15 to 18 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through.
● Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pot over medium heat to make the sauce. Once the oil simmers, add the onion and cook for two to three minutes until softened. Stir in the tomato, cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
● Use a spatula to press the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer back into the pot, or puree with an immersion (stick) blender right in the pot.
● Stir in the garlic, ginger, chilli powder, garam masala and cumin until well blended. Add the chicken pieces, stirring to coat with sauce.
● Cook for three to five minutes, until heated through. Add the butter just before serving. Once the butter has melted, stir in the cream, until it is well mixed in.
● Remove from the stove immediately and serve warm.
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
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Wednesday
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CSKA Moscow Manchester United
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Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
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The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
SPEC%20SHEET
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000