When I lived in Minneapolis I started dating a guy from work who was living the bachelor life, with a diet to match. Like me, he was an expat, in his case from Delhi. He invited me over to his apartment and said he was going to cook dinner. I didn't know what to expect—I had imagined a fridge full of SlimFast or something.

Instead I got my first home-cooked Indian meal, butter chicken, and it was delicious. Butter chicken—or murgh makhani, as it's called in India—is a great entry point for people new to Indian food not just as a diner but a cook. Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients; it's mostly spices. My mother-in-law prefers Sri Lankan cinnamon, but you can use any type you want.

If you'd like, you can substitute paneer, a delicious fresh cheese, for the chicken. Serve with steamed basmati rice and naan.

The best butter chicken

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

Marination

- First Marinade

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chili powder (Kashmiri chili, bright red and less spicy)
1 teaspoon salt

- Second Marinade

1 cup greek yogurt
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon salt, or rock salt
2 teaspoons garam masala
2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons tandoori masala to sprinkle
1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves
few drops of orange red color

Sauce

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided Or ghee
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 dried red chili pepper, seeds removed
5 pods green cardamom
1 whole clove
1 bay leaf
2 medium onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste (or 8 minced garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger)
1 tablespoon of ground coriander powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
20 cashewnuts ground to fine paste
1 cans of 15-ounce tomato sauce
2 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon fenugreek leaves
½ cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Chopped cilantro (optional)
a drop of red color (optional)
1/4 cup heavy cream

1. In a large bowl, put chicken and add first marination ingredients. Coat chicken with the marination evenly. Leave it for 15 minutes.

2. Add the second marination ingredients in the chicken. Coat chicken with the marination evenly. Cover it with a plastic wrap and let them marinate in the fridge over night.

3. Next day, remove chicken from the fridge and bake chicken for 20 minutes in 400 degrees F. Check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer to ensure they've reached 165°F. Add additional cooking time if needed.

3. In a large pan with medium heat, add ghee and let the ghee melt.

4. Add cinnamon stick, a red chili pepper, green cardamon, clove and bay leaf. Let the aroma comes out.

5. Add sliced onion and ginger garlic paste. Cook until onions are translucent.

6. Add coriander powder and turmeric powder. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the onion turns light brown in color.

7. Add cashew paste, and tomato sauce. Let them cook for 15 minutes in low heat.

7. Pour above tomato sauce mix to blender and puree it and strain back to the pan.

8. Add Garam masala, paprika, and fenugreek leaves, and milk

9. Add salt to taste

10. If the sauce is too thick, add 1/4 cup of water or milk

11. Add chopped chicken and stir gently to coat the sauce evenly over chicken

12. Add half the amount of cream

13. Stir it and let it cook covered for 8-10 minutes on medium heat

14. Uncover it and drizzle the remaining amount of heavy cream.