I am excited to present a guest post by the BEST COOK I KNOW. I also happen to be married to him. My husband, Justin! He is also cheerfully imperfect, but more in the strong silent type way. So, without further ado, Murhg Makhni!

Murhg Makhni – Curry Cooking Adventures

This recipe is by far my favorite to make. It is a fun cooking process, and the end result is a fantastic tasting dish, that is far superior to any other curry dish I have made. However, it does take a fair chuck of time to complete so you will want to start part of it early in the day, or even prepare part of it the day before.

 

Ingredient list

• 6-8 Boneless chicken thighs (you can use chicken breast instead, but its not as good for this recipe)
• 1 tsp Ginger & garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 cup Plain yoghurt
• Chilli powder (Kashmiri if you can find it)
• Several lugs of sesame seed oil
• Thumb sized piece of ginger
• 4-6 Serrano peppers
• 4 Cinnamon sticks
• 5 Cardamom pods
• 5 Cloves
• 2 Bay leaf
• 11-13 Whole tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Heavy cream
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1/2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 3/4 oz Butter
• Couple handfuls of cashew nuts
• Cilantro
• Couple of lemons

 

 

Step 1: Open a bottle of wine

Take a sip or two of wine and prepare your workspace.

 

Wash your produce.

Step 2: Prepare the Chicken

Wash the chicken thighs cold water. Put them into a colander and pat dry. Trim off any large fatty pieces, or skin that may have been left on. If using chicken breasts, trim into large strips.

 

Step 3: Season the Chicken

Add the 1 tsp of garlic/ginger paste into a bowl, along with half a teaspoon of salt.
Mix everything together in the bowl, to make sure the chicken gets a really even coating of the mix.

 

Step 4: Create Yoghurt mix

In a new bowl whisk 1/4 cup of natural yoghurt, 1/2 tsp of oil and 1/2 tbs of chilli powder together until smooth

 

Step 5: Add to chicken

Cover the chicken with the whisked mixture. Use your hands to make sure that the chicken is thoroughly coated in the mixture. Add a tablespoon of oil and keep mixing.

 

Step 6: Refrigerate

Cover the chicken in cling film and put it in a refrigerator.
Leave the chicken to marinate for no less than 4 hours.

 

Step 7: Wine

Enjoy some more wine while you wait

 

Step 8: Grill

After 4 hours, put the pieces of chicken on some greaseproof paper. If using a gas stove place chicken under the grill for 10 to 15 minutes. If using an eclectic stove, turn to broil and place tray halfway up the stove. Another option is to grill chicken on an outdoor BBQ. Make sure chicken does not get overcooked and dried out.

Step 9: Cut the chicken

Once cooked let the chicken cool for a few minutes. Then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Cover with cling film or plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator.

 

Step 10: Wine

Refill your glass, its time to move on to the next phase.

 

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Step 11: The Makhni sauce

Start by peeling and finely chopping a thumb-sized piece of ginger. Then heat a few lugs of oil in a large saucepan, on a medium to high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the four sticks of cinnamon to the pan.
Then, add the 5 cardamom pods.
5 cloves
and a few bay leaves
stir for a couple of minutes, making sure none of the spices burn.

Add the chopped ginger, cook for a further minute and then add the Serrano peppers .

 

Step 12: Add whole tomatoes

Put as many of the whole tomatoes you can fit into the pan (without stacking) and stir for a few minutes. Turn the heat down low and leave to sit for about a minute. Add a cup of water, put the lid on, and leave to simmer for about 30-45 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked to a purée.

 

Step 13: Purée

Take the pan off the heat and let cool. Remove any whole spices, counting to making sure you do not miss any cinnamon sticks or cardamom pods.

Add mixture to a blender, or use soup blender to Puree until smooth.

Step 14: Strain

Use a tight mesh strainer to strain the puréed mixture into the saucepan to get rid of any lumps. Add a little water to get all the mixture out. Put the pan on a high heat to bring it back to the boil.

 

Step 15: Wine

Take another sip, or glass depending on how your day has been.

 

Step 16: Cashew nuts

While your sauce is coming to a boil, use the blender to grind a handfull of the cashew nuts into powder. Then add a tiny amount of water and blend into a paste.

 

Step 17: Finish the sauce

Once the sauce is hot and bubbling, add one tablespoon of tomato paste
Then the ground cashew nuts.
Add half a teaspoon of chilli powder
and a tablespoon of honey
and stir for about 3 minutes.
Then add 50g of butter and stir until it melts. Next, a generous sprinkling of salt.
Leave the sauce gently bubbling over a medium until it begins to reduce down. This usually takes about 30 minutes. Once its reduced down add about a 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

Taste sauce and add more salt if needed.

 

Step 18: Fry chicken

In another frying pan melt a little butter. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop another handfull of the cashew nuts and add them to the pan. Then, throw in the seasoned chicken that you grilled earlier.
Fry for about 3 minutes on a high heat.

 

Step 19: Add the sauce

As things start to stick to the frying pan add a splash of the sauce to deglaze the pan. Then add rest of sauce over chicken. Let it buble away for another couple minutes.
Then remove from heat, drizzle a little more cream into the pan for presentation.

 

Step 20: Garnish and serve

Pick off leafs and roughly chop a couple handful of cilantro. Slice a lemon.

Serve by itself or with rice. Sprinkle top with cilantro and drizzle with lemon juice. Also add a spoonful of yogurt on the side to take the edge of the spice.

 

Step 21: Wine

One last glass to celebrate the completion of this fabulous dish.

 

 

Need something simpler for tonight? Try:

 Turkey Mash, easy one dish dinner!