IS THIS REALLY THE ORIGIN OF BUTTER CHICKEN?

Introduction to Butter Chicken

Butter chicken is the most loved dish in Indian Cuisine. 

When it comes to Indian Cuisine, the list is heavily incomplete without Butter Chicken. 

But do you know, although Butter Chicken is related to India, it has a fascinating history behind it? 

Let's dig in more and solve the mystery behind the history of Butter Chicken. 

Butter chicken - The most wanted dish

Butter chicken is prepared in a traditional clay oven or tandoor. It's marinated in a mixture of spices, including cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger, yogurt, and lemon juice. After that, a tomato sauce with butter and cream is poured over it. Time and innovation have resulted in several variations of the recipe, many of which use a range of different spices.

This dish combines classic tandoori Chicken with makhani (or butter gravy)—the original Moti Mahal recipe called for fewer butter chicken species than many versions available today.

Butter Chicken - The Real History

Butter Chicken is originally a restaurant named Moti Mahal's contribution to the world. 

During these difficult times, many people came to India due to separation, bringing their diverse talents and culture. In the pre-partition of India and Pakistan, Moti Mahal was a restaurant in Peshawar founded by Mokha Singh Lamba. It was closed down just before the partition. When the opportunity to resurrect the original Moti Mahal in Delhi arose, Peshawar cuisine found a new home.

With great struggle, the entrepreneur and his friends of Peshawar gained popularity first by selling tea and biscuits, and later tandoori Chicken and fish. Once on the demand of a Bengali customer, the chef made a butter curry to go with Chicken, which gave birth to the legendary dish Butter Chicken. 

The Moti Mahal became one of Delhi's most prestigious and well-known restaurants. It played home to several prominent names during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Famous names like American President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev dined there. Jackie Kennedy famously dined with John F. Kennedy, and Queen Elizabeth II also paid a visit. Khrushchev used to bring delegations to the restaurant for official events, which led to the establishment of a restaurant in Moscow in 1963.

The Moti Mahal grew from a single restaurant in Daryaganj to a global brand with locations from India to New Zealand and Saudi Arabia to Tanzania.

Butter Chicken and Naan - Why is it so popular?

Butter chicken has traveled the world since its invention in the 1950s. It is available in almost every town and city with an Indian restaurant. Go online and discover hundreds of versions of the original recipe, some by the world's most famous chefs.

But, at the basics, butter chicken is a simple recipe. The mix of Chicken tandoori with creamy and slightly spicy tomato gravy is relishable. While other, more complex recipes may catch your eye from time to time, the home-cooked comfort food that butter chicken embodies will always be a winner.

While the trio of entrepreneurs has passed away, they have left behind their impact on Indian food and Delhi as a culinary destination. They are, maybe more than any other group, responsible for internationalizing Indian cuisine and putting innovative delicacies like butter chicken on the globe.

Health Benefits of Butter Chicken 

DISCLAIMER-  This blog does not provide you with any medical advice. It is strictly meant to be an informational and recipe blog only. Please consult your physician or medical expert for what works best for you.

There might be a misconception that a rich dish full of butter, chicken spices, and rich ingredients like Cashews, Yogurt cannot be healthy. 

But here's happy news for all those health freaks. Butter chicken has many health benefits, which are as follows, 

• Carbohydrates account for over half of the calories in a well-balanced diet. A serving of butter chicken has around 3 grams of fiber and approximately 14 grams of carbs.

• Another critical component of our diet is protein. The recommended daily protein consumption ranges from 50 to 175 grams. A serving of butter chicken recipes contains approximately 30 grams of protein. As a result, just one serving of the mild spicy dish provides more than half of the daily protein requirement.

• The sodium content of the different butter chicken recipes is always high because it is made of tomato paste sauce. All kinds of its preparation use some tomato- either whole, canned, or puree. Each serving of butter chicken contains more than 750 milligrams of sodium.

Conclusion 

Butter Chicken is a simple recipe made up of a few components that complement each other well in this basic sauce. The spices used are light, but what makes the meal so delicious is the subtle balance of tomato sauce and lemon juice and the deep and creamy smoothness of the gravy provided by butter and cream. It also includes properly cooked beef and a sauce balanced with tanginess and spices like garam masala.

To cook a home-style healthy butter chicken, you can get Butter Chicken Indie Bowl from Alcoeats. 

The easy-to-cook gravy mix with Spices will help you cook a traditional and delicious butter chicken at home.