Butter Chicken Meatballs

“As my recipes turn 100
What better taste to post,
Than friend of every Indian
Our own Makhani Ghosht.
Marinated in time
Cooked with utmost care,
I threw out the tikka
And rolled in some meatballs spare
The aroma took me back
To childhood & school
Where this piece of art
Deserved every drool.
Memories flooded, scene by scene
The days that were,
And in one lip-smacking moment
I relived my 29 years…”
 
Ingredients
For the chicken meatballs
2 lbs minced chicken
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 tablespoons thick yogurt (greek works best)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon ground coriander powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
2 teaspoons chopped fresh coriander
Salt to taste
For the sauce
2 teaspoons garlic ginger paste
4 fresh green chilies, slit
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 green cardamoms
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
4 cloves
1 black cardamom
1 teaspoon methi/fenugreek seeds
340 gm tomato paste
1 tablespoon red chili powder
10 almonds, blanched, peeled and made into a paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
¾ pint heavy cream
Make the meatballs
Marinate the chicken mince in all the ingredients listed for the marinade. Refrigerate overnight. Oil your hands and shape into 25-30 tiny balls from the marinated mince. Brush with a little oil and bake at 350 degree F (180 degree C) for 25-30 minutes, or till the chicken is fully cooked. Make sure not to overcook or it’ll become dry. Keep aside to cool.
Make the sauce
Heat butter or oil in a non-stick pan. Add green cardamoms, black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon powder. Sauté for a couple of minutes till the ingredients start to get fragrant. Now add the fenugreek seeds. When the seeds begin to sizzle, add the garlic ginger paste and the green chilies. Cook for a few minutes and then stir in the tomato paste and all the dry spices and fenugreek along with 4 cups of water. Turn to medium heat and cover and cook for 15 minutes till the mixture thickens and the spices are blended into the tomato.
Add the almond paste, cooked chicken meatballs and let it simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes. In the end, stir in the cream and simmer at low heat for about 7-8 more minutes.
Garnish with fresh coriander and a splash of cream! Absolutely divine with fresh Naan or Parantha!