India's most popular curry: Butter chicken

Whether you love it or hate it, butter chicken – or murgh makhani as it's known in Hindi – is one of India's best-known and, indeed, loved dishes. Today, it may be a takeaway classic, but when 'butter chicken' first popped onto the Delhi scene in the middle of the 20th century, it was merely as an effort to use up leftover chicken. 

The humble beginnings: 

One cannot understand the origins of butter chicken without first delving into its culinary parent, tandoori chicken, the latter of which is thought to have first popped up in Peshawar, Pakistan 100 years ago. At the time, a young chef named Kundan Lal Gujral ender was experimenting with the tandoor, a clay oven that reaches soaring temperatures and, up until that point, was primarily used to cook bread.

Wanting to expand his tandoor repertoire, Gujral began coating pieces of chicken with yogurt and spices, skewering them, then placing these sticks into the tandoor. He discovered that not only was this chicken cooked from the hot coals, it took on an unrecognizable smokiness and char. The spiced yogurt mixture turned a vibrant red, thanks to the inclusion of Kashmiri chili powder, and the chicken pieces developed crisp exteriors, with tender insides. (Gujral probably didn't know it at the time, but yogurt actually tenderizes the meat, which explains why the chicken remained so moist.)

Fast-forward to the 1950s and Gujral had fled from Peshawar due to conflicts caused by the Partition of India. Settling in Delhi, he opened his own restaurant, called Moti Mahal, and again began experimenting with chicken-cooking hacks. Realizing the leftover tandoori chicken skewers were going to waste, Gujral decided to use a 'gravy' of tomato, onions, and cream. This idea not only kept the tandoori chicken moist, it revitalized the meat for another meal.  

The flavour profile:

Mildly spiced and slightly sweet, butter chicken was, from the beginning, accessible to all tastes. When he first conceived this recipe, Gujral would use the leftover chicken juices in their marinade trays, mixing in tomatoes, butter and cream. While this dish isn't hot, a great number of spices are involved. Typically, you'll find garam masala (made from pepper, cloves, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, bay leaf and cumin), along with ground coriander, fenugreek seeds and chilli powder. 

The sauce: 

Like many curries, the secret to a good butter chicken is in the gravy or, as it's commonly known, sauce. When it comes to butter chicken, the extensive use of spices delivers complexity and depth, onions and tomatoes add sweet notes and the finishing touch of butter and cream ensures the mixture is creamy and smooth. To cut through the richness, its best to serve butter chicken with a citrus-spiked condiment, such as raita, along with fresh herbs.

The legacy:  

Butter chicken has certainly treated its creator well. Kundan Lal Gujral's restaurant Moti Mahal became a hotspot in Delhi's dining scene, attracting the patronage of Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy and, more recently, Gordon Ramsay. Today, there are more than 100 Moti Mahal franchises all over the world, headed by Gujral's grandson Motish. While butter chicken remains a menu mainstay, you'll now find various interpretations of this classic dish. Some versions feature nuts and sultanas, for extra sweetness and crunch; others par-cook the tandoori chicken; while others still rely on sauté techniques, instead. If there's one thing we're sure of, it's that butter chicken has a saucy future ahead.