To know how good a Mughlai Restaurant is, First try their Butter Chicken

I subscribe to the school of thought where Gravy gets the pride of place as that is where the Chef's finer skills show in form of the Gravy's Texture, Appearance and Taste. The Chef may be a GOURMET Chef or THIS Chef or THAT Chef but what matters is that the Chef is a GOOD Chef.

Show me good Butter Chicken and I will point you to a kitchen from where a GOOD CHEF operates. Butter Chicken has become as basic to Mughlai Food as SA RE GA MA is to Music and that is the SA RE GA MA Dish of any Mughlai Restaurant. A Chef just cannot wish away this reality.

Butter Chicken tends to be very rich in Calorific value because of the Butter it contains and the Gravy just doesn't look good if the Butter makes a no-show. Most of the Chef's go the whole hog and make it a disguised heart attack on a Plate.

I try get around that by sauteing Onions and tomatoes till they are dark brown and then letting it stay in the refrigerator overnight. Next day when it is heated in a Pan, the natural oils from the Onion and Tomato ooze out and the gravy acquires the same consistency and appearance without the Butter.

For added effect run the Gravy through a Blender and add the standard spices with a dash of Chaat Masala. What you have is Gravy you may be tempted to dive into. But since that will be messy I decide to send in Pieces of Tandoori Grilled Boneless Chicken instead.

Depending on how good the Grilled Chicken is marinated, that tends to get over before the gravy, otherwise its a case of the tide going out first and those swimming naked getting caught. So the Grilled Chicken being deliciously good is equally important.

The testimonial to the best Butter Chicken is the Empty dish that served it, but now just has fingerprints of the ones who licked it clean.

Every job is a self portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your creation with excellence.