We make it from scratch every day. Rich tomato gravy, real butter and cream, chicken grilled over charcoal first. The way it has always been done.
About the dish
You can find it in London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, and just about anywhere else. The problem is that what most places serve has drifted a long way from the real thing. It comes out sweet, thin, and tasting like it came from a jar.
A proper Butter Chicken has weight to it. The tomato gets cooked down slowly until it goes deep and rich. The butter and cream go in at the end to round everything off, not to cover it up. The chicken is soft, the spice is balanced, and the gravy is thick enough to scoop with bread.
That is what we cook at Kebabish.
Butter Chicken at Kebabish — served with naan, a swirl of cream, and the gravy thick enough to scoop.
Where it comes from
Most food writers trace Butter Chicken back to Delhi in the early 1950s, to a restaurant called Moti Mahal. The cooks there had leftover Tandoori Chicken at the end of each day. They started putting it into a tomato, butter, and cream gravy to keep it tender. The dish caught on, spread through Delhi, through India, and eventually across the whole world.
What most people do not know is that those cooks at Moti Mahal were Punjabi refugees who had crossed the new border after Partition. Butter Chicken was born from that. Punjabi people, Punjabi ingredients, a city full of families starting over.
Our family is Arain, with roots deep in the Punjab. Before 1947 we were in Amritsar. After Partition we ended up in Faisalabad. The food culture that gave the world Butter Chicken is the same food culture our family grew up cooking in. Different city, different side of the new border, and the same Punjabi kitchen underneath.
Butter Chicken belongs to all Punjabis, on both sides of that border.
The real thing
If you have only eaten Butter Chicken from a chain or a supermarket tub, a proper one is going to feel quite different.
No added sugar
There is a gentle natural sweetness from the slow-cooked tomato and a little cream, but it should never taste like a dessert. Most mass-produced versions are loaded with sugar to cover up cheap tomato. We cook the base down slowly so the sweetness comes from the tomato itself.
Gravy that actually coats
The tomato base needs a long time on the fire to become thick and concentrated. When the cream and butter go in, the gravy should cling to the chicken. If your spoon comes out clean, it was cooked too fast.
Spice you can actually taste
Cardamom, garam masala, dried fenugreek leaf, ginger, garlic. Each one sitting in balance with the others. The butter and cream soften everything at the end, they do not bury it.
The method
The chicken gets marinated in yoghurt and spices and goes onto the charcoal grill first, the same way we cook our Chicken Tikka. That char from the fire gives the dish its smoky depth. Butter Chicken made from raw chicken cooked straight in the gravy is a completely different thing.
While the chicken is on the grill, the gravy goes on the fire. Tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, and whole spices cook down slowly together until the mixture is thick and dark. You cannot rush this part. A tomato base cooked fast stays thin and sharp.
Once the gravy is reduced, it gets blended smooth, the seasoning gets checked, and the butter and cream go in. The grilled chicken pieces go back in at this point so they soak up the gravy without overcooking. Dried fenugreek leaves go in right at the end. That is the note that makes a proper Butter Chicken smell the way it does.
Key spices in the gravy
Worth knowing
Once Butter Chicken became popular worldwide, a lot of restaurants started looking for faster ways to make it. Canned tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes cooked down. Sugar to balance out the acidity that comes from rushing the base. Pre-cooked chicken from a supplier. Long-life cream. Ready-mixed spice powder.
You can taste all of it. The gravy is flat and one-note. The chicken is rubbery. The colour is too bright because food colouring went in to make up for the missing tomato depth. And underneath everything is that sweetness that does not belong there.
We cook Butter Chicken the way it takes to cook it properly. The tomato base goes on the fire and stays there until it is ready. The chicken goes on the charcoal grill for every order. If you want something fast, there are quicker dishes on the menu. If you want a proper Butter Chicken, that is what you will get.
Know the difference
A lot of people in South Africa use the names interchangeably, which makes sense because they look similar in the bowl. They come from different places though, and once you eat them side by side you can feel the difference.
Butter Chicken
Delhi, early 1950s. More butter, more cream, a deeper and mellower tomato base. The original version, and the richer of the two.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Glasgow, 1970s. Brighter, a little sharper, more tomato coming through. This one became Britain's most popular curry. We make this one too.
Both start from the same place: chicken marinated and grilled, then finished in a spiced creamy sauce. Order them both on your next visit and the difference will be obvious from the first spoonful.
How to eat it
It comes out in a bowl with the chicken pieces sitting in the gravy and a swirl of cream on top. Naan is the traditional pairing. You tear it and use it to scoop the gravy, and you keep going until the bowl is clean.
Plain basmati rice works well too if you prefer, or you can have it as part of a bigger spread alongside our Chicken Biryani. A fresh salad and lemon come with it. Some people like a green chilli on the side as well.
Visit us
We have branches across Durban in Florida Road, North Beach, and Overport. You can sit down with us, collect a takeaway, or have it delivered. The gravy is thick enough that it holds up well in a box and still tastes the same by the time you get home.
For bigger orders, call us on 031 303 7806 ahead of time so the kitchen can prepare.
Good to know
Yes. Kebabish is a fully halal restaurant and all our chicken is halal certified.
Very mild on heat. You get a lot of spice flavour from the cardamom, fenugreek, and garam masala, but it does not have much chilli heat at all. Most people who do not usually enjoy spicy food are comfortable with our Butter Chicken.
Yes, both are available. The gravy is thick so it holds up well in a box and still tastes good by the time you sit down to eat it.
Boneless. The chicken is marinated, grilled, and cut into pieces before it goes into the gravy.
They both start from grilled marinated chicken in a creamy tomato sauce, but they taste different in the bowl. Butter Chicken came from Delhi in the 1950s and has more butter and cream, so it feels richer and mellower. Chicken Tikka Masala came from Glasgow in the 1970s and has a brighter, sharper tomato flavour. We make both.
Naan is the classic choice. You tear it and use it to scoop the gravy. Plain basmati rice works well too if you prefer. A fresh salad and lemon come with the dish as standard.
Grilled first on the charcoal grill, the same way we cook our Chicken Tikka. The char from the grill is what gives Butter Chicken its smoky note. The chicken then goes into the gravy to finish, so it soaks up the flavour without drying out.
We have three branches in Durban: 49 Florida Road (Berea), Summer Square at North Beach, and Raboobees Corner in Overport.
Ask the kitchen about Paneer Makhani. It uses the same style of gravy with paneer instead of chicken and is the closest vegetarian equivalent. You can also see our full menu for more options.
A lot of restaurants add sugar to their Butter Chicken because they use a cheap tomato base that is too acidic and sharp. We cook our tomato base down slowly over a long time, which brings out a gentle natural sweetness on its own. No sugar needed.
Sit down with us, collect a takeaway, or order for delivery. The kitchen makes it fresh every day.
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