Butter Chicken

Mix the chicken with the yogurt, lemon juice, half the ginger-garlic paste, half the garam masala, half the Kashmiri chile powder, and a little salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes; keep the remaining seasoning for the sauce.

Melt the butter and briefly cook the remaining ginger-garlic paste until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and remaining ground spices; cook, stirring, until the raw tomato aroma disappears and the fat begins to separate. For a smoother sauce, pass it through a sieve, or cool slightly before blending in a heat-safe blender according to its instructions. Return the sauce to the pan and reheat.

Broil or sear the chicken in uncrowded batches until its edges are browned. Immediately continue cooking it in the sauce; do not refrigerate partially cooked chicken to finish later.

Add the browned chicken to the simmering sauce and cook until the thickest pieces reach 74°C / 165°F on a food thermometer. Lower the heat, stir in the cream and crushed kasuri methi, and heat gently without boiling hard. Taste and adjust the salt before serving.