Butter Chicken/Murg Makhani

Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani)

Butter Chicken, also known as Murgh Makhani, is one of the most loved dishes in Indian cuisine. Juicy chicken pieces are marinated in aromatic spices and yogurt, then simmered in a rich, creamy tomato-based gravy. This recipe gives you restaurant-style butter chicken at home – perfect with naan, parathas, or steamed basmati rice.

Ingredients

For the Chicken Marinade:

• 500 g chicken (washed and cleaned)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp hung curd (thick yogurt)
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbsp gram flour (besan)
• A few drops of mustard oil
• Salt to taste

For the Gravy:

• 2 medium onions (roughly chopped)
• 3–4 ripe red tomatoes (roughly chopped)
• 1-inch ginger piece
• 5–6 garlic cloves (or 1 tbsp paste)
• 8–10 cashew nuts
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp butter + 1 tsp oil
• 2 tbsp fresh cream
• 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• ½ tsp garam masala powder

Method

Step 1: Marinate the Chicken

1. Mix chicken with lemon juice, chili powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin, garam masala, hung curd, ginger-garlic paste, besan, mustard oil, and salt.
2. Marinate for at least 1–2 hours (30 minutes if short on time).

Step 2: Cook the Chicken

1. Heat a wide-bottomed pan with a little oil.
2. Shallow fry the marinated chicken pieces until browned on both sides.
3. Remove and set aside.

Step 3: Prepare the Gravy

1. In the same pan, sauté onions until golden.
2. Add butter, ginger-garlic paste, salt, sugar, and chili powders. Sauté well.
3. Add tomatoes and cashews. Cook for 1–2 minutes, then add water and simmer.
4. Blend into a smooth paste once slightly cooled.

Step 4: Assemble the Butter Chicken

1. Return the paste to the pan and add 1–2 dollops of butter.
2. Add chicken pieces and simmer for 8–10 minutes.
3. Stir in cream, kasuri methi, and garam masala.
4. Garnish with cream and serve hot with naan or rice.

Tips & Variations

• For a smoky flavor, place hot coal in a bowl inside the curry, drizzle ghee over it, and cover for 2 minutes.
• Swap cashews with almonds for a nutty variation.
• Adjust cream quantity to control richness.

✨ Your homemade Butter Chicken is ready – rich, creamy, and delicious!

Sprouted Moong Curry/Goan Mooga Gathi - Ganesh Chaturthi Special

🌱 Sprouted Moong Curry – A Nourishing & Flavorful Delight

If you’re looking for a comforting, protein-packed Indian dish that pairs beautifully with rice or puri, this Sprouted Moong Curry is just what you need. It's wholesome, rich in flavors, and surprisingly easy to prepare.

In this post, I’ll walk you through everything – from how to sprout moong at home to crafting a delicious, aromatic gravy with freshly ground spices and coconut.

🛒 Ingredients

Main Ingredients:

• Whole green moong (sprouted)
• Freshly grated coconut – 2–3 tbsp
• Turmeric (haldi) powder
• Dry red chillies
• Tamarind paste
• Coriander (dhaniya) seeds
• Cumin (jeera) seeds
• Cardamom (elaichi)
• Cloves (laung)
• Cinnamon (dalchini)
• Black pepper (kali mirch)
• Green chillies – 2, slit
• Salt – to taste
• Sugar – to taste

For Seasoning (Tadka):

• Oil
• Asafoetida (hing)
• Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves

🌿 How to Make Sprouted Moong at Home

1. Wash and soak the whole green moong in water for 7–8 hours or overnight.
2. In the morning, drain the water and wrap the moong in a soft, clean cloth to form a potli (bundle).
3. Place the potli in a bowl, cover it, and let it rest in a warm place for 8–10 hours.
4. Check after that — you’ll find beautifully sprouted moong beans, ready to use.

🍲 Method – Let’s Cook!

Step 1: Boil the Sprouts

• Add sprouted moong and 2 slit green chillies to a pressure cooker.
• Cook for 1 whistle to keep the moong soft but intact.

Step 2: Make the Masala Paste

Grind the following ingredients into a smooth paste:

• Fresh coconut
• Turmeric
• Dry red chillies
• Tamarind paste
• Coriander seeds
• Cumin seeds
• Cardamom
• Cloves
• Cinnamon
• Black pepper

Step 3: Prepare the Gravy

• Add the ground paste to the boiled moong in the cooker.
• Turn on the flame and mix well.
• Add salt and sugar to taste.
• Let it simmer and boil for 5–8 minutes.

Step 4: Tempering (Tadka)

• Heat oil in a small pan.
• Add asafoetida, mustard seeds, and curry leaves.
• Let them splutter, then pour over the moong curry.
• Mix well and turn off the heat.

🍛 Serving Suggestions

Your Sprouted Moong Curry is ready to enjoy!

Serve it hot with:

• Steamed rice
• Jeera rice
• Puri or chapati

This dish is perfect for lunch or a light dinner – nutritious, hearty, and packed with flavor!

Parshe Machher jhol/Bengali fish curry

 

This fish is known as 'Parshe' in bengali, 'shevte' in konkani and 'mullet' in english.Machher jhol is a kind of a stew with veggies and fish.It is a wholesome dish to be served with rice.It's a favourite in almost every bengali home..with veggies and fish so nothing else is much required :)

Ingredients -
parshe machh/mullet fish
brinjal/egg plant/baigan
potato/alu
ginger paste
tomato
mustard oil
black cumin/kala jeera/kalonji/nigella/onion seeds
green chillies
coriander/dhaniya powder
cumin/jeera powder
turmeric/haldi powder
red chilly/mirchi powder
sugar
salt
coriander leaves/dhaniya patta(optional)

Method -
Wash the fish pieces well.
Marinate the fish with salt,turmeric,red chilly powder.
Chop the brinjal and potato length wise(not small).
Heat mustard oil in a kadhai/wok.
Once the oil becomes hot fry the fish pieces in it.
Keep the fried fish aside.
In the same oil add some kala jeera seeds.
Once they splutter add freshly made ginger paste and roughly chopped tomatoes,brinjal and potatoes.
Add chopped green chillies.
Add salt,haldi,mirchi,dhaniya,jeera powder,sugar(pinch).
Saute for sometime till rawness of ginger,masala powder is gone.
Add some water to get a consistency and add the fried fish pieces.
Let the fish and veggies cook till they are soft for about 5-8min.
Check the salt for taste and finally garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Server this machher jhol with hot steamed rice and kachha posto :)
kachha posto is a paste of - poppy seeds/posto/khus-khus,green chilly,salt,mustard oil. 

Goan green masala fish fry

A tasty fish fry can melt the heart of any fish-lover.Here is a famous Goan recipe of fish fry which includes a green masala.I have used king fish here but you can also use pomfret. Please give it a try as its super easy with almost no preparation time required. 

Ingredients -

king fish/surmai/visvon
fresh bunch of coriander leaves/dhaniya patta
green chillies
onion
ginger
garlic
black pepper corns/kali mirch
cumin seeds/jeera
cardamom/elaichi
turmeric/haldi powder
tamarind pulp/lemon juice
salt
oil/butter/ghee

Method -
Wash the fish pieces well.
Roughly chop the onion,ginger,garlic,chillies.
Wash the coriander leaves well.
Make a paste of the following with less water - 
coriander leaves,chillies,ginger,garlic,onion,black pepper,cumin,cardamom,turmeric powder,tamarind pulp.
Add salt to the paste.
Apply this paste to the fish pieces and let it marinate for atleast an hour.
Heat a non-stick tawa/frying pan.
Add oil or butter or ghee as per your choice.
Shallow fry the fish pieces on the tawa on low heat on both sides.
Green masala fish is ready to serve :)

Shukto

 

Shukto is a popular vegetable dish in Bengali cuisine usually served with rice.It has a slightly bitter taste.The tradition of starting a meal by consuming bitters, is considered to have a medicinal value as per Ayurveda.This dish is full of vitamins as it is loaded with veggies.Please try out this authentic and very healthy Bengali dish for yourself :)

Ingredients -
bitter gourd/karela
lady finger/okra/bhendi
plaintain/kachha kela
carrot/gajar
potato/alu
brinjal/egg plant/baigan
arbi/colocasia/kochu,bori
drum sticks
freshly made ginger paste
salt
green chillies
coriander/dhaniya powder
cumin/jeera powder
sugar
milk - 2tspn

shukto dry masala -
Dry roast and make powder of the following :-
cumin/whole jeera
panch foran
whole red chilly
poppy seeds/posto

Method -
Heat mustard oil in a kadhai/pan.
Fry all veggies separately except for drum stick pieces.Fry them with less oil by covering with lid on low flame and not deep fry.
Once done, remove the veggies out and keep them aside.Add panch foran to the oil.
After adding pach foran, add all veggies except bhendi,baigan and karela.
Once all the veggies have been sauted, add the drum sticks pieces,ginger paste,salt, green chillies, dhaniya jeera powder,sugar.
Add water and let all the veggies boil properly.
Once done,add the bhendi,baigan and karela.
Let it cook for another 2min, then switch off the flame.
Add 2tspn of milk to the shukto.The gravy will be of medium consistency.
Heat ghee in a separate tadka pan,add shukto masala to it.
Now pour this over the shukto.
Shukto is ready to serve with steamed rice :) 

Kandgachi Nevri/Sweet Potato gujiya/karanji (Goan sweet) - Gudi Padwa special

 Wishing everyone a very Happy Gudi Padwa !!

Kandgachi Nevri is a traditional Goan delicacy made from sweet potato.Sweet potato is known as "kandga" in konkani.It is known as "ratale" in marathi.Nevri is a D-shaped similar like gujiya.These are made up of sweet potato as the outer layer with coconut-jaggery stuffing inside.It is one of the unique Goan dishes which you will never find anywhere outside Goa.So please give it a try once and am sure you will love it :)

Ingredients -
sweet potato
wheat flour/atta
freshly grated coconut
jaggery
cardamom powder(elaichi)
salt
ghee

Method -
Wash the sweet potatoes well and boil them till soft with peel.
Cool down and peel off the skin and grate them.
Add a pinch of salt to it.
Add wheat flour approx 2-3 tbspn to the grated sweet potatoes and mix well.
The mixture must be well formed so that you can make small balls out of it.
Heat a non stick pan/kadai.
Add freshly grated coconut to it and add jaggery.
The sweetness is as per your taste.
Sprinkle some cardamom powder and let it cook.
Cook it on low flame for say 7-8min.
This is the stuffing or "chunn" as we call it in konkani.
Spread a plastic sheet on the rolling pin.
Keep 1 ball of the sweet potato dough on it.
Lightly roll it in the shape of a poori.You cant roll it without a plastic sheet as it is sticky.
Add the coconut stuffing in it on one side.
Fold it from the other side to make a D-shape. Similarly as you do for gujiyas.This is called a "nevri" in konkani.
Heat a non-stick tawa.
Add ghee to it. Shallow fry the nevris on both sides till light brown.
Delicious sweet potato nevris/gujiyas are ready to serve :)

Fish Cutlet/Macher Chop(Kolkata style)

Fish chop is a spicy fish croquette that can be made with any fish. In Bengali homes it is usually made from Rui/Katla(carps) but I made this from bhetki fish. Bhetki as its known in Bengali is also known as Chanak in Konkani and Sea Bass in English. This fish cutlet or chop as its known in Bengali is a delicious cutlet which is soft/juicy inside with a crispy breaded coating outside. Although it's quite easily available in Kolkata, I request you to try it at home once and you will never like the outside chops anymore.. just like us :) This is a must try delicacy for fish lovers !!

Ingredients -

Fish - Sea bass/Bhetki/Chonak

onion

ginger

garlic

green chillies

potatoes

oil

turmeric powder(haldi)

red chilly powder(mirchi)

coriander powder(dhaniya)

cumin powder(jeera)

freshly coarsely ground garam masala - cardamom(elaichi),cinnamon(dalchini),black pepper(kali mirch)

bhaja masala - powder made by dry roasting - whole cumin(jeera), red chilly, cardamon(elaichi),cinnamon(dalchini),black pepper

salt

sugar

oil for deep frying

for coating-

corn flour

egg

salt

black pepper powder

bread crumbs

Method -

Wash the fish pieces well.

Marinate the fish with salt,turmeric powder,red chilly powder for 30min.

Heat oil in a wok/kadhai.

Fry the fish pieces in oil(medium to high temperature).

Allow the pieces to cool,then separate the bones and mash them.

Boil potatoes till soft,then peel and mash them.

Sprinkle salt on the potatoes as per taste.

Finely chop the onions and green chillies.

Make a paste of ginger,garlic.

In the same kadhai heat some more oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, green chillies,ginger-garlic paste,salt.

Add all the seasoning powders - turmeric,red chilly,coriander,cumin.

Coarsely grind the following - cardamom,cinnamon,black pepper.Add this to the above mixture.

Add the mashed fish and cook for sometime.

Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.

Now add the bhaja masala.

Adjust the salt and add bit of sugar for taste.

The stuffing is ready.

Take small balls and make oval shaped cutlets out of them.

To fry the cutlets -

Heat oil in a deep wok/kadhai for deep frying.

Beat 1 egg in a wide bowl and whisk it well.

Add 1-2 tspn of cornflour to it.

Add salt, pepper powder for taste.

Mix it well to get a consistent batter with no lumps.

Sprinkle bread crumbs over a plate.I have used the ready made bread crumbs.

Take 1 oval shaped cutlet deep it in the corn flour mixture on both sides.

Now roll it in the bread crumbs on both sides.

Deep fry in the oil.

Fry on medium flame till golden brown on both sides.

Serve the hot chops/cutlets with mustard sauce/kasundi or tomato ketchup.

Veg Hakka Noodles/Kolkata Chowmein

 

Chowmein is a very common street food found in every neighborhood in Kolkata. It is a hot favorite may it be for breakfast/dinner or even lunch.So if you have never tried this chowmein then you are definitely missing something on Earth !! Please try out this hakka noodles/chowmein recipe...loaded with veggies and yes its healthy because its home-made :)

Ingredients -
Hakka noodles
onion
ginger
green chillies
veggies - cauliflower,carrot,beans,capsicum,green peas
oil
salt
sauces - tomato,red chilly,green chilly,soya
sesame oil - 1tspn for tossing

Method -
Heat water in a pot/large vessel.
Once water starts boiling add the noddles.
Make sure they are well cooked,then drain off the water.
Spread the cooked noodles on a wide plate.

Heat a non-stick wok/kadhai.
Add some oil.Once hot fry in the cauliflower florets.You can also use cabbage.It should be very finely chopped lengthwise.
Stir fry for 2-3min on high flame.
Remove the florets and keep aside.
Add some more oil.
Add the chopped onions,ginger.
Fry for for 2min.
Next add all the chopped veggies - carrot,beans,capsicum,green peas,chillies,florets.
Add salt as per taste.
Add the sauces - tomato,red chilly,green chilly,soya.
Make sure the veggies are well cooked/tossed in the sauces for 3-4min.
Next add in the boiled noodles.
Add salt as per the quantity of noodles.
While mixing the noodles add 1 spoon of sesame oil.It gives an authentic Chinese flavour.This step is optional.
Toss the noodles with the veggies on a high flame.
You can also add in scrambled eggs/fried shrimps/prawns as a topping.This is optional.
Thats it - yummy Hakka noodles are ready :-)
You can garnish the noodles with grated cucumber.

Semolina/Sooji/Rava Gulab Jamuns

 

I knew about only the typical gulab jamuns we normally get.The ones which are bought from sweet shops or those made out of the ready-made-mix.But I had never heard of sooji/rava gulab jamuns.These can be made with very few ingredients and time.Please try them out,they are very simple. Believe me ! :)

Ingredients -
semolina/sooji/rava - 0.5 cup
ghee - 1tspn
milk - 1cup
sugar - 1.5cup
water - 1.5cup
cardamon/elaichi
oil for deep frying

Method -
Heat a kadhai/pan.
Add ghee and milk.
Let the milk boil for a while.
Then add semolina/rava slowly batch by batch.
Stir continuously so that there are no lumps.
Cook till entire milk is absorbed in the rava.

Remove from the flame onto a plate/bowl.
Knead the sooji lump mildly.Make small round smooth balls without any cracks.

For the sugar syrup -
Add equal quantities of sugar and water.
Let it boil for 5-7min.
Add 1-2 cardamom/elaichi to it.

Heat oil in a kadhai.
Deep fry the balls on a low-medium flame.
Turn them carefully so that balls get fried light brown on both sides.
Put the fried balls into the sugar syrup.
Let them soak the syrup for 3-4hours.This quantity made 20 jamuns.
Delicious gulab jamuns are ready to serve :-)

 

Mix Dal Uttapam

 This is a dish which is full of protein and no carbohydrates...very easy to prepare.You can go for this even when you have not planned in advance,as traditional uttapams require fermenting the batter etc.They look yummy as they are very colourful..aren't they ? try it out for yourself and do let me know :)


Ingredients -
dals - tur,urad,chana,moong,masur.
onion
green chillies
capsicum
tomato
carrot
coriander leaves
ginger
cumin seeds/jeera
turmeric powder
salt
oil

Method -
I took majorly moong dal(1cup) and the rest were 2tbspn each.
Wash the dals and soak them(together) in water for 6-7hours or overnight.
Grind the dals with very less water, and with a piece of ginger and green chillies in a mixer.
Take care that you do not add more water, or else the batter will become watery.Remember we are preparing an uttapam, so we need the batter a bit thick.
Chop the following finely - onion,tomato,carrot,capsicum,green chillies,corinader leaves.
To the ground batter add whole jeera,pinch of haldi powder and salt as per taste.
Adjust the salt taste in the batter now, as you will not be able to add salt after making the uttapams.
Heat a non-stick tawa.
Drizzle some oil.
Add a laddle full of batter in the center and lightly dab it.
Put in pinch of all veggies over it and adjust salt for the veggies.
I prefer to make small uttapams so that 3-4 can be prepared at a time, to save time :)
Let it cook for 3-4min and then flip it to cook on the other side.
Cook for another 2-3min.
Serve hot uttapams with tomato ketchup or chutney of your choice :)

Chole Bhature

Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year 2018 !!
Bhature chole is a famous Punjabi dish which is a combination of chana masala and bhatura, which is a fried bread made from maida or all purpose flour.I have prepared chole many times and we used to have it with roti.This was the first time that I tried making bhatures and we realized that having chole with bhature-the combination is so delicious that you shall never want to have chole with roti anymore :P My son loved them too and had bhatures as-is just like he eats puris.
 
Ingredients-
all purpose flour/maida
curd
salt
sugar
oil
lukewarm water
chickpeas/kabuli chana
tea bags
water
onion
ginger
garlic
green chillies
tomatoes
turmeric/haldi powder
red chilly/mirchi powder
coriander/dhaniya powder
cumin/jeera powder
chole masala powder
coriander leaves/dhaniya patta

Method -
First prepare the dough for the bhature as per the below steps.
Take maida in a large bowl.
Make a well-like in the center of the maida.
Add curd,salt and sugar in that well.
Mix it with a spoon.
Now add some oil and mix.
Add little warm water and knead the dough.
Knead the dough really well.
It should be a soft and smooth dough.
Keep it covered with a wet muslin cloth.

In the meanwhile the bhature dough is kept covered, prepare the chana masala as below.
Wash the chana and soak it in water for 7-8hours or overnight.
Boil the chana with water and 2-3tea bags.
The tea bags give a nice brown colour to the chick peas.
Roughly chop the onion,tomatoes,green chillies and coriander leaves.
Make a paste of ginger and garlic.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan/kadhai.
Put in the onions and fry till light brown.
Add in the ginger-garlic paste.
Fry it for a while.
Add the chopped tomatoes,salt,haldi,mirchi,dhaniya,jeera powder.
Let it cook till the oil separates out.
Now add the boiled chanas.
Add sufficient water as the gravy.
Put in the chole masala powder and cook for 5min.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Now to fry the bhatures -
Prepare round balls out of the dough.
With some maida roll with a rolling pin into an oval shaped puri.
Heat oil in a deep pan.
Fry the bhatures till light brown on both sides.
Chole bhature is ready to serve.

Banana Cake - Christmas Special

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and here goes my cake recipe which I prepared on Xmas.I used half wheat flour and half all purpose flour so that the cake gets a bit more healthy.I tried to include bananas so that my fussy kid can get the fruit through the cake..just a medium to feed fruits.A simple and yummy home made cake which am sure all of you will like.

Ingredients-
wheat flour/atta(2cups)
all purpose flour/maida(2cups)
baking soda(1tspn)
baking powder(1tbspn)
eggs(4)
sugar(3cups)
melted butter(1cup)
vanilla essence(1tspn)
banana(2)

Method-
Beat the eggs together.Add sugar to the eggs and mix well.
You can also blend the egg-sugar mixture.
While blending chop the bananas and add to this mixture and blend.
Mix the atta, maida,baking soda and baking powder.
Start adding butter little by little and knead the dough simultaneously.
Now add this dough to the egg-sugar-banana mix.
Sprinkle some drops of vanilla and mix well so that the batter is consistent and smooth.
Preheat the oven.
Grease a baking dish and bake it in microwave(convection option) for 40min.
If you are using a cake pan,grease the pan and bake it for around 40min.
Yummy banana cake is ready :)

Dum Aloo/Alu Dum

Dum aloo is a potato based dish which is a part of Kashmiri cuisine.In Bengal it is typically known as Aloor Dum and served as a hot accompaniment with pooris or luchis as they are called in bengali .The recipe I have posted below is obviously the bengali version which has certain differences with the kashmiri one.So please do give it a try..


Ingredients-
potatoes
onion
ginger
garlic
tomato
green chillies
red chilly powder
turmeric powder
coriander powder
cumin powder
garam masala powder
salt
coriander leaves
water
oil

Method -
Cut the potatoes into medium size cubes.
Chop the onions,ginger,garlic,green chillies,tomatoes roughly.
To prepare the garam masala, dry roast the following ingredients and then make a paste out of it - dhaniya,jeera,sukhi laal mirch,elaichi(choti and badi),dalchini,laung,kaali mirch,khuskhus.This powder remains good for many days or months when kept in an air-tight container.
To reiterate the masala names in english - coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red chilly,cardamom,cinnamon,cloves,black pepper,poppy seeds.
Now heat oil in a non-stick pan/kadhai.
Put in the potato cubes and chopped onion and fry till light brown.
Make a paste of the ginger and garlic which you chopped.
Add the paste and fry.
After 5min add the chopped tomatoes and gren chillies.
Let it cook until the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes away.
It will take about 5-7min on medium flame.
Now add the salt,red chilly powder,haldi powder,dhaniya jeera powder.
Let all the masalas cook for another 2-3min.
Now add water and let the potatoes get cooked well.
You can adjust the amount of water as per the amount of gravy you require.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add finely chopped coriander leaves and the garam masala powder which we just prepared.
Thats it..the garam masala aroma will make the magic:)
Serve delicious aloo dum with phulkas/parathas/pooris.