Authentic Indian Recipes Required!

[pebilz]

Hi Everyone

So I've tried countless premade bottle sauces and packet mixes for Butter Chicken and nothing ever tastes remotely like what you get in an Indian restaurant or takeaway. It's always so tomato-ey and not at all creamy. So my question is does anyone have an authentic recipe for butter chicken that will taste like the real thing? I have friends coming for dinner tonight and I really want to make that and perhaps a korma or vindaloo as well.

Even a link to a website with the recipes you have tried and taste authentic would be great too. I have found heaps myself but of course I don't want to have to try every single one to find the right one!!!

Thanks everyone! :smiliedance:

[cjb/jbvd]

i can't help you with a recipe, i think that maybe if you try using a good coconut cream rather than coconut milk it should work a little better.

but if you have an indian food store close by then i've always found the older ladies in there to be very helpful!!

and big surprise, most of their stuff is from a packet too!! (although they are the less commercial ones and the instructions are in indian) it's their version of fast food, and their daughters are always using them. but the ladies always explain them to me, and tell me what to do. they're lovely and we have a good laugh about it all. you can also find all the neccessary ingrediants in the same store.

if you're in sydney, then it's worth a trip to liverpool as there are literally heaps of the stores. to make it even more special, there are also traditional handmade indian sweets by the shelf load!!

happy cooking

[MariaO]

This is from Ajoy Joshi's Indian home cooking. He owns and runs Nilgiri's restaurant in St Leonards Sydney. The portion sizes are huge and it requires a lot of spices but here goes....

Ingredients
1kg Chicken Thigh Fillets
1/4 cup white vinegar or lemon juice
1/3 cup coriander seeds
5 brown or black cardamon pods
10 green cardamon pods
1 teaspoon whole cloves
3 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 cup natural whole milk yoghurt
2 1/2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt to taste

Sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil and melted unsalted butter combined
1kg yellow (brown) onions (about 6 medium) chopped
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste
2 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 teaspoons chilli powder
3 teaspoons round turmeric
2 teaspoons chopped fresh green chilli peppers
1 kg tomatoes (about 7 medium) chopped and pureed in blender or fp
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)

Cut chicken fillets into quarters. In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine chicken with 4 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice, and turn to coat. Set aside

In a spice ginder (or mortar/pestle) grind coriander seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves to a powder. Place in a bowl and combine with turmeric, chilli powder, paprika, nutmeg, mace, remaining vinegar or lemon juice, yougurt, garlic,ginger and oil, and mix well. Season with salt and add to chicken. Mix well and cover and place in regrigerator to marinate for 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 475 or 240c or Gas 9. Oil a shallow roasting pan and place chicken pieces in a pan in a single layer. Bake, without turning, for 12 mins. Remove from oven and set aside.

To make sauce:-
In a large frying pan, heat oil and butter mixture over med low heat. Add onions and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until onions aare dark golden brown, 15-20 mins. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Add chilli powder, turmeric and chilli pepper and cook for 1 min.Add tomatoes and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until tomatoes are soft, 5-10 minutes.

Add cream and butter to pan, and cook, stirring until butter melts.

Stir in chicken, honey and fenugreek, and cook , stirring often, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 mins. Stir in cilantro (coriander). Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve immediately.

Apparently serves 10 as part of an indian meal - I have not cooked the butter chicken but I have cook a few recipes from this book and the results were very good. One for a special occasion I think!

[pestiferous]

Hi Everyone So I've tried countless premade bottle sauces and packet mixes for Butter Chicken and nothing ever tastes remotely like what you get in an Indian restaurant or takeaway.

Do you want an authentic indian recipe or one that tastes like that offered in australian indian restuarants? because theres a HUGE difference in method and taste. if you want some authentic recipe's i can scan some if you let me know which dishes you like.


here's one Indian version of butter chicken. though different regions have different recipes for the same dishes, so it may not be exactly the same as the one your looking for or used too.

hope it helps.

ingredients

* 150 ml natural yogurt (farmers union greek style yoghurt works well in cooking for best taste)
50g ground almonds
1 1/2 tsp ground chilli powder
1/4 tsp freshly crushed bay leaves
1/4 tsp freshly ground cloves
1/4 tsp fresh ground cinnimon
1 tsp garam masala
4 green cardamom pods
1 tsp ground ginger
2-3 lge tomatoes (diced)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 Kg skinned, boned, and cubed chicken
6 tbsp of butter
1 tsp of oil
2 onions, sliced
2 tbsp chopped coriander
4 tbsp cream

Method


Mix well >> yogurt, almonds, dry spices, ginger, garlic, tomatoes salt .
pour mixture over the chicken & gently mix to coat all pieces.
Melt the butter and oil in a medium karahi / deep (thick based) fry pan.
Add the onions and fry for 3 minutes.
Add chicken mixture, fry for 7 - 10 minutes.
Stir in half of the coriander and mix well.
add cream and bring to gentle boil.


garnish with left over coriander.

[JenNT]

Hi, Friends of ours used to own a Indian Restuarant and they gave us some tips, firstly nothing beats a pressure cooker.
We bought one a few months ago and using the spices from scratch you would swear a pro made it....unreal. Not hard to do either.Here is a recipe he gave us



Put some Oil to cover base of pressure cooker
Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds until they pop
Add 3 large chopped onions
Put the pressure on until it whistles
Add 2 cans chopped tomatoes
Add 2 tsp garlic and ginger
Pressure cook until whistle
Add 1/2 tsp marsala,1/2 tsp curry powder, salt,1 tsp tumeric powder and a small dash of chilli paste. Mix & simmer
Add 1 kg beef or chicken when a paste of the above ingredients has formed
Add a small splash of water and mix
Put pressure on for 2 whistles starting on high for 2 mins then reduce to lower temp. Add sweet paprika to colour.


Enjoy:yelclap: