Butter Chicken Quesadillas

Quesadillas is a dish which is mexican in origin and derives its name from the spanish word for cheese (Queso). Don't let the name fool you, its a simple corn or flour tortilla filled with cheese and other ingredients, which are generally savory in nature and then folded in half (into a half moon shape). This filled mixture is then toasted or fried until the cheese melts. It is then cut into wedges or slices and served.

Quesadillas have undergone a lot of changes throughout history and numerous variations exist not only in different parts of the world, but even in different parts of Mexico.

Purists differentiate between a quesadilla froma taco or burrito by stating that in a quesadilla, the ingredients are filled and then it is cooked, whereas for the taco or burrito the ingredients are cooked before and then added.

I just added my own twist to the variations by bringing in an Indian angle to the quesadilla, and though, my ingredients for the filling were cooked before, I still prefer to call it a Quesadilla. It is a little more time consuming to make, however, it is a very good recipe if you are out to impress and the look and compliments make up for the time spent preparing this. For starters, I have used Chilla (Indian chickpea flour pancake), instead of the flour or corn tortilla. Since you do not get Chillas in the marketplace of the shelves (as you would in the case of tortillas), this will require preparation. Also, you need to ensure the chillas prepared are thin, else they will break once filled and folded. The filling being used is the traditional butter chicken with a thick gravy and Monterrey Jack cheese. Butter Chicken requires grilling chicken first and then cooking in a tomato based gravy.

This requires both time and rolling up your sleeves, but then this is a show stealer and a damn good one at that.

Butter Chicken Quesadillas

4 Portions ( 9 wedges)

Ingredients:

Chillas - 3 No.s (Check recipe here. make the chillas thin)

Butter Chicken - 250 gms

Cheese, grated - 2 Cups

Oil - 4 Tblsp

Method:

1. Prepare Butter Chicken as given here. The only variations to the preparation are as follows:

- After grilling the chicken pieces, cut them into small 2 cm pieces.

- Simmer sauce before addition of cream and kasoori methi, till sauce almost coats the chicken pieces. Reduce cream to quarter.

2. Take each chilla and lay it flat on the working surface.

3. Spread the thick butter chicken mixture on one semi circular side of the chilla.

4. Sprinkle grated cheese on that side on top of the butter chicken mixture.

5. Fold the other plain side to cover the fully and form a folded semi circle. Press lightly.

6. Heat a flat plate/tawa and add 2 teaspoons of oil.

7. Add the semi folded chilla with the stuffing and cook lightly. Flip it over to cook the other side.

8. The cheese will melt and bind the 2 halves of the chilla.

9. Take off the hot plate/tawa and cut into 3 wedges (or 2 as you desire).

10. Repeat with remaining chillas.

11. Serve hot with your choice of dip or sauce.

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Butter Chicken

Tomorrow is Baisakhi ...the Punjabi New Year, as is the new year of a lot of other regions. Sitting in Hyderabad, its nostalgia time. Not that, it would have been any different sitting in Delhi. Over the past few years, or say decades, such regional festivals have almost lost their fun, frolic and festivities associated with it. They remain...just a public holiday. A day to rest and make a visit to the mall.

The real charm of enjoying them lies still in the small towns and cities untouched by the westernization of the country, in the way that the metros and a few cities like Hyderabad have been.Ideally, a real great post on this occassion should have been a recipe for makki di roti and sarson da saag, or maybe a kheer or phirni recipe, but guess it'll have to wait.

Being a punju, and a real proud one at that, this blog of mine lacks some real great, eternal favorite punju dishes, even the crossover ones.
So, here let me start, with the one dish that comes to everyone's mind when they say Punju cuisine ...Butter Chicken!

Butter Chicken or Murg Makhani is a creamy, lip smacking dish made with grilled pieces of boneless chicken in a rich tomato gravy.

Now don't let the list of ingredients and various marinades get to you. It is really simple to cook and seriously takes me only a couple of hours to get this on the table. The trick is to plan and multi task. Start with getting your marinades ready and starting with marinating chicken first and getting the vegetables and pastes ready in the meanwhile. Now a lot of grocery stores have the butter chicken sauce already available so that you can make it even quicker, but I prefer doing it the hard way...the right way.

Butter Chicken (Murg Makhani)

2 Portions

Ingredients

Chicken Breasts, boneless, cleaned, washed & cut into 1 inch cubes - 3

For the Marinade:

First Marinade -

Lemon Juice - 45 ml

Garlic Paste - 15 gm ( 3 Tsp.)

Ginger Paste - 15 gm (3 Tsp.)

Second Marinade -

Yogurt - 1/4 Cup (55 gm)

Cream - 1 Tblsp

Garlic Paste - 15 gm ( 3 Tsp.)

Ginger Paste - 15 gm (3 Tsp.)

Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder) - 1/4 Tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Black Cardamom Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Green Cardamom Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Cinnamon Powder - 1/4 Tsp

Salt

For the Gravy -

Butter - 50 gm

Ginger, chopped finely - 2 Tsp

Garlic, chopped finely - 2 Tsp.

Tomatoes, roughly chopped - 500 gm

Ginger, chopped finely - 1 Tblsp

Cashew paste - 3 Tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1/2 Tsp.

Cream - 50 ml.

Green Chillies, cleaned, slit and deseeded - 1

Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek leaves) - 1 tsp.

Salt

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the 1st marinade and rub the chicken pieces with this. Keep aside

for 20 minutes.

2. Combine the ingredients for the 2nd marinade. Post 20 minutes add the chicken pieces to this 2nd marinade and mix well such that all pieces are covered with the marinade. Keep aside for a couple of hours in a refrigerator.

3. Melt half the butter in a large pan or handi. Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or till all mositure evaporates.

4. Add in the tomatoes and salt. Mix well. Cover and cook till the tomatoes are mashed.

5. Switch off the flame and allow this tomato mixture to cool. Post cooling, puree this mixture ina blender.

6. Skewer the chicken pieces and grill them at 180°C for 15-20 minutes or till 3/4th cooked. (Note: If grilling in an oven, then keep a tray underneath the skewers to collect the drippings.)

7. Take a handi/pan and put on flame. Melt the remaining butter. Add in ginger and the green chilly. Saute for a minute.

8. Remove the chicken pieces from the skewers and add them to the handi/pan. Combine well and cook for a minute.

9. Add the tomato puree and salt. Mix well and increase flame. Bring to a boil.

10. Reduce the flame to medium and add in the cashew paste. Stir and add in the red chili powder. Mix well.

11. Simmer and cook till the gravy attains a thick saucy consistency. Remove from flame and stir in the cream. Put back on flame.

12. Bring to a boil. Add in the kasoori methi and sprinkle the garam masala. Stir and adjust

seasoning.

13. Remove from the flame and serve hot.

Is ideal with some tandoori roti or pulao. Normal roti or steamed rice will also do.

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