Indian Butter Masala & Basmati Rice Recipe
Tender chicken in a rich, creamy tomato-based sauce with butter, cream, garam masala, and fenugreek. The iconic Indian dish from Delhi's Moti Mahal restaurant, perfect with naan or basmati rice.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Basmati rice
- 15-18 oz Crushed tomatoes
- ½ Onion chopped
- 5-7 oz Coconut cream or heavy cream
- ¼ cup Masala spice blend
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1-2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
- 1-2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) or Kashmiri
Proteins (choose 1):
- 2 cups chicken shredded rotisserie, cubed chicken, paneer, or chickpeas
- 1 cup peas
Instructions
Cook the Rice
- Place basmati rice in a rice cooker or medium pot with lid.
- Rinse the rice by adding cold water to pot, swirling, and carefully draining 2-3 times until the water runs clear. Optional: soak rice in water for 20 min. before cooking to achieve longer grains.
- Add 1.5 cups of water to rice, half of the ghee, and half of the Himalayan pink salt.
- Rice cooker: press start/cook.
- Stovetop: bring rice to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Continue with recipe while the rice cooks...Once the rice is done, fluff it with a fork to ensure you have perfectly cooked rice, which will serve as the base for your Butter Chicken.
Prep Ingredients including Tomato Paste
- Open tomatoes and coconut cream.
- Prepare about 2 cups of protein by cleaning and cutting into bitesize pieces, if needed.
- (Optional) Finely dice half of a medium onion (about ½ cup).
Create the Masala
- Spoon the remaining half of the ghee into a large saucepan with lid, heat over medium. Add diced onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent, stirring often.
- Reduce heat to low and add the masala spice blend and desired amount of Kashmiri chili powder. Cook for another minute until a paste forms.
Add Protein & Seasonings
- Add the tomatoes, your protein, coconut cream, sugar, and the remaining half of the Himalayan pink salt.
Develop the Flavors
- (Optional) if adding peas, stir into the butter masala now.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has a gravy-like consistency.
- Tip: to thin, gradually add water, to thicken, simmer without a lid.
Plate & Enjoy!
- When the basmati rice has finished cooking, fluff with a fork to release excess moisture.
- Serve butter masala with a side of cooked basmati rice.
- Enhance your experience with an Indian music playlist (takeoutkit.com/playlists).
- “Enjoy your meal” kripyā bhojan kā ānnand lijīyai!
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