Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

1 kg boneless chicken skin removed
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your taste)
1 cup fresh yoghurt (must not be sour)
2 tsps garam masala
2 tsps coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
8-10 peppercorns
6 cloves
1" stick of cinnamon
Seeds from 3-4 pods of cardamom
2 bay leaves
8-10 almonds
2 onions chopped
2 tsps garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 litre chicken stock
3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
3 tbsps butter
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish
Method:

: Mix the chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a bowl and allow to marinate for 1 hour. Roast the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly and then grind into a coarse powder. Mix the yoghurt, whole spice powder and all the other spices together and add them to the chicken. Allow to marinate for another hour. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions. Fry till golden brown and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute. Add only the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry till sealed (chicken will turn opaque). Now add the chicken stock and remaining part of the mix to the chicken. Cook till the chicken is done and the gravy is reduced to half its original volume. Melt the butter and pour it over the chicken. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with naans and Kaali Daal. For an authentic and traditional cooked-over-the-coals flavour: Heat a briquette of coal till red hot and when the dish is done, put the coal in the pan and cover immediately. Remove just before serving.