Gordon, spare the butter chicken! Here's how you can get the classic dish right

There are some things that are sacred in every culinary tradition Chef Gordon Ramsay might just have stepped too far with the desi ones this time The Michelinstarred celebrity chef is known for his style and diversity but his latest creation split opinion between the West and the EastFor his latest lsquocurry in a hurryrsquo segment on his social media Ramsay whipped up a quickfire butter chicken recipe that took less than 15 minutes to make While the time was not the major issue his decision to forgo the use of cashew and opt for tomato sauce in the marinade led to a furore on social media lsquoEverything was almost fine until he said lsquotomato saucersquo wrote one commenter in disdainSince it was first created in Delhirsquos Daryaganj neighbourhood in postPartition India the dish has grown into an icon of Indian cuisine For Jaibhir Kohli fourthgeneration owner of the cityrsquos iconic Punjabi destination Pritam da Dhaba butter chicken traces back to six decades of evolutionThe dish he explains started out as an entreacutee with tandoori chicken served in a gravy of curd and butter before its current form ldquoThe advent of the curry culture led to this muchloved item transforming into the main course with an addition of the makhani gravy mdash creamy aromatic and gently spiced The dish therefore was rechristened as murgh makhanirdquo he remarks While Kohli admitted that he hasnrsquot seen Ramsayrsquos take on the iconic dish he remarks ldquoThere is no secret recipe or special masalas and certainly no secret ingredients to good butter chicken Itrsquos all in the way we treat the producerdquo he reminds usEasy on spiceA common complaint across the board of Ramsayrsquos social media forum was his generous use of garam masala and spices Kohli points out ldquoYour taste buds wonrsquot thank you for overpowering the dish with too much salt or spice The key to a juicy flavourful butter chicken is finesse Be gentle with the seasoningrdquoButter chicken at PritamHigh on qualityThe other key element is high quality ingredients ldquoTake your time and use highquality ingredients mdash from cashews to spices mdash when making butter chicken Avoid any unnecessary additions that might mask the traditional tasterdquo Kohli remarksJaibhir KohliTake your timeWhile Ramsayrsquos recipe demanded speed for the restaurateur at Pritam slowcooking is key to the dish ldquoDo not skip the marinating processrdquo he says adding ldquoThat infuses flavour and keeps the chicken tender No one wants rubbery dry chickenrdquoIn conclusion Kohli says some dishes are best done the old way ldquoThe butter chicken has been worked on for years and perfected by chefs to induce that delicate smoked flavour from the tandoor to the gravy It pays homage to our rootsrdquoMake it rightButter chicken at IshaaraINGREDIENTSpound 150 gm chicken tikka bonelesspound 40 gm butterpound 20 gm gheepound 20 gm creampound 5 gm deggi chillipound 2 gm kasuri methipound 200 gm tomato gravypound 20 gm cashew nut pastepound 15 gm red chilli pastepound 10 gm ginger garlic pastepound 3 gm jeera powderpound Salt to tasteMETHODIn a pan heat ghee and oil Add ginger garlic paste and red chilli paste Sauteacute for three minutes Once it has browned add cashew nut paste and simmer Add tomato gravy and shredded chicken along with jeera powder salt to taste and cook it to perfection In the end add kasuri methi cream and butter mdash Chef Sanjay Singh head chef IshaaraThe better butter chickenShalimar RestaurantAT Vazir Building Shalimar Corner Mohammed Ali Road Bhendi BazarCALL 223456632COST Rs 380Jaffer Bhairsquos Delhi DarbarAT Patthe Bapu Rao Marg Grant Road EastCALL 223875697COST Rs 274 half Rs 430 fullPalrsquos Fish CornerAT 8 Kailash Shopping Centre Pali Hill Bandra WestCALL 226004318COST Rs 340KareemrsquosAT Gloria Building Bandstand Bandra WestCALL 9619176543COST Rs 370Goila Butter ChickenAT Shop 1 Lalani Residency Ghodbunder Road Thane WestCALL 8588887718COST Rs 370 onwardsMasala Library byJiggs KalraAT Ground floor G Block BKCCALL 66424142Mini PunjabAT Shop No 28 Linking Road Malad WestCALL 9152914444COST Rs 380Golden PunjabAT Shop 30 Plot 77 Mahavir Centre Sector 17 VashiCALL 8108129222COST Rs 360