Having enjoyed perhaps more than my fair share of wonderful Indian butter masala (makhani) recipes, I’m a tough critic of “butter” recipes. From the original Moti Mahal restaurant in Old Delhi (which claims to have invented the dish) to the scruffy airport restaurant in Bagdogra, India, eating on a free meal voucher from Indian Airlines after a problematic flight to restaurants in Artesia’s Little India, I’ve enjoyed the dish in many of its permutations–chickpeas, dal, paneer.
I can say without equivocation that this is a really tasty recipe, reminiscent of the original if not as spicy.
This recipe is adapted from one that appears in the New York Times. You can find that recipe here.
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Indian Butter Chickpeas
April 14, 2024
Ingredients
- 4 T. unsalted butter
- 1 large onion (minced)
- 1 1/2 t. kosher salt (or more to your taste)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 T. fresh ginger (grated)
- 2 t. ground cumin
- 2 t. sweet paprika
- 2 t. garam masala
- 1 small cinnamon. stick
- 1 28-ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can coconut milk
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (drained)
- Ground cayenne
- Cooked white rice
- Chopped cilantro (for garnish)
- Heavy cream
Directions
- Step 1 Saute onion and 1/2 t. salt in melted butter in a large pan or Dutch oven until the onions begin to brown on the edges. Stir as the onions are sauteeing. This will take about 20 minutes.
- Step 2 Add ginger and garlic to the pan with the sauteed onions and saute for another minute. Add cumin, paprika, garam masala and cinnamon stick to the pan and saute for about 30 seconds.
- Step 3 Break the tomatoes up by crushing them with your hands or cutting them with scissors or a knife. Add tomatoes to the pan. Add the coconut milk and the remaining 1 t. of salt. Stir to mix well and cook this mixture for about 10 minutes.
- Step 4 Add the chickpeas to the pot. I added a generous pinch of cayenne pepper at this point but you can omit it if you don’t want your finished dish to be spicy. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to your taste adding more salt if necessary.
- Step 5 To serve, add some heavy cream and top with chopped cilantro. Serve with rice or naan.
