Take a simple idea and execute it well and you’ve got a meal worth remembering. As soon as restaurateur Zorawar Kalra, the man behind Massive Restaurants, launched his new cloud kitchen-based delivery brand called Butter, we dialled in. The reputation set by his restaurants Farzi Café, Made in Punjab, Pa Pa Ya and others, was enough for us to give Butter a try.
It’s a small menu with 10 dishes, all Indian favourites. You have Butter Tandoori Chicken, Butter Tandoori Paneer, Butter Chicken (the recipe of which was created by the acclaimed food writer and restauranteur Jiggs Kalra), Butter Dal, Butter Paneer and the likes, all ‘unapologetically high on calories’, according to Kalra. First things first, the delivery timing is precise. The food comes securely packed in brown biodegradable containers in papercraft material and the white ones are made of corn starch. It doesn’t spill or drip, but on the downside, the packaging doesn’t keep the food warm.
That’s forgiven though because what lies inside makes up for it. The Butter Paneer Masala comes with a rich, thick gravy that’s been cooked thoroughly. It doesn’t have the standard sweetness of a makhani gravy (if you like that, order Butter Paneer), which makes it rather nice. It tasted even better the next day as it was allowed to sit overnight with its ingredients amalgamating to make for a more pronounced flavour profile. The daal makhani—creamy and buttery—assimilates all its spices well.
Under ordinary circumstances, tandoori dishes, especially those made of paneer, lose their suppleness. Not the case with the Butter Tandoori Paneer as it retained sharpness of texture and taste.The biryani locks in subtle aromas of whole spices and falls freely on the plate when you serve it. It comes with whisked curd with plucked coriander and a sprinkling of chilli powder. In breads, you may want to give the naans a miss. The butter on them doesn’t keep them soft, neither does reheating.
There are meal combos too that are true value for money for one person. Expanding to nine cities in the future, this is just the beginning of a new experiment that Kalra wants to get right. It could go either way, but driving on his hunch, that post Covid-19, people have begun to find joy in simple, non-fussy things, including food, he is pushing for a successful innings with Butter.
Tandoori Butter Chicken
Ingredients
✥ 1 whole chicken
✥ 150 gms hung curd
✥ 40 gms Amul fresh cream
✥ 120 gms butter
✥ 10 gms cardamom powder
✥ 10 gms jeera powder
✥ 20 gms garam masala
✥ 15 gms yellow chilli powder
✥ 10 gms ginger garlic paste
✥ 10 gms Kasuri methi
✥ 5 gms turmeric powder
✥ 5 gms kitchen king powder
Method
✥ Put chicken, salt, pepper and hung curd in a bowl. Marinate for 45 minutes.
✥ Make the master masala by taking one tsp turmeric powder, one tsp red chilli powder, one tsp cumin powder, one tsp coriander powder, two tsp kitchen king masala, two tsp tandoori masala powder, one tsp garam masala powder, two tsp curd, two tsp ginger-garlic paste,and 1/2 tsp salt. Grind it. Take half the masala and add to the chicken and marinate for two hours.
✥ Cook the chicken in an air fryer/tandoor
✥ In another pan, add 100 gms butter and the ground master masala. Add two tsp ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric powder, yellow chilli powder, kasturi methi.
✥ Add two tsp cashew paste and cook till the masala is well done and make it into a fine paste.
✥ Strain into a pan and cook on low flame. Add cream and the chicken and cook.