Name: Braaied butter chicken curry
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Braai
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup double cream plain yoghurt; 3 garlic cloves finely chopped; 1 knob fresh ginger finely chopped; 2 tbsp garam masala; 2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground turmeric; fresh lemon juice to taste; salt and black pepper; 2 kg chicken thighs deboned and skin removed; oil for frying; 1 knob butter; 2 onions peeled and chopped; 1 knob fresh ginger finely chopped; 1 tbsp garam marsala; 1 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1/2 tbsp ground coriander; 2 cup tomato purée; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 100 g crème fraîche; 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves crushed; salt and black pepper; naan bread or basmati rice; 1/4 cup flaked almonds toasted; fresh coriander

Recipe Disclaimer

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Ingredients (27)

1 1/2 cup	double cream plain yoghurt
3	garlic cloves — finely chopped
1 knob	fresh ginger — finely chopped
2 tbsp	garam masala
2 tbsp	kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp	ground cumin
2 tsp	ground turmeric
	fresh lemon juice — to taste
	salt and black pepper
2 kg	chicken thighs — deboned and skin removed

For the potjie

	oil — for frying
1 knob	butter
2	onions — peeled and chopped
1 knob	fresh ginger — finely chopped
1 tbsp	garam marsala
1 tbsp	kashmiri chilli powder
1 tbsp	ground cumin
1/2 tbsp	ground coriander
2 cup	tomato purée
2 tbsp	fish sauce
1 tbsp	brown sugar
100 g	crème fraîche
1 tsp	dried fenugreek leaves — crushed
	salt and black pepper

To serve

	naan bread — or basmati rice
1/4 cup	flaked almonds — toasted
	fresh coriander

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Method:

To make the chicken, mix all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a container with a lid, then add the chicken. Give it a good massage, then pop the container into the fridge to marinate overnight. The next day, remove the container from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Thread the chicken onto the kebab sticks and braai over very hot coals. You are not trying to cook the chicken through, you just need to char and caramelise it. Brush each kebab with extra marinade at each turn, then set aside when you are happy with them. Allow to cool before removing the chicken from the kebab sticks. At this point you can cut the chicken pieces into small pieces or leave as they are.

To make the potjie, preheat a number 3 potjie over medium-high-heat coals. Add a splash of oil and the knob of butter and fry the onions until they soften and start to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a minute until fragrant. Toss in all the spices and fry for another minute.

Stir in the tomato purée, fish sauce and sugar. Bring to a simmer over low-heat coals for 20 minutes to let the flavours make friends.

This next step is optional, but it does give you that awesome curry house gravy result. After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and use a hand blender to blitz the curry sauce until smooth. Return the pot to the heat and add the chicken. Stir in the crème fraîche and fenugreek leaves and simmer for another 15 minutes to cook the chicken. Season to taste, then remove the pot from the heat, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve it with naan bread or basmati rice with a sprinkle of toasted almonds and fresh coriander.

Beer Pairing: Pale Ale – in case you hadn’t guessed already, we love pairing pales with curry. With more rounded malt sweetness and a fruity hop kick, they just make sense – from the malt-loving char on the chicken to the curry aromatics, and a bitter kick to wash down the rich sauce.

Recipe extract from Beer Country’s Pots, Pans & Potjies by Karl Tassendorf and Greg Gilowey. Published by Penguin Random House South Africa.