Vegan Butter Chicken

Ingredient Spotlight

Garlic-ginger paste

A blended paste of garlic and fresh ginger used widely in Indian and other South Asian cuisines as a flavor base for curries, marinades and stir-fries. It has a sharp, pungent, spicy aroma and speeds cooking by providing a uniform, mellowed base note. You can find it jarred or in tubs at Indian/Asian grocery stores or in the refrigerated produce/ethnic section of many supermarkets. Substitute with equal parts freshly grated or minced garlic and ginger (or a quick food-processor blitz with a little oil) for best flavor.

Ingredient Spotlight

Coconut cream

The thick, high-fat layer extracted from coconut milk, used in Southeast Asian, Caribbean and South Asian cooking to add rich coconut flavor and body to curries and desserts. It tastes intensely coconutty and creamy, much thicker and less watery than canned coconut milk; note that “cream of coconut” is usually sweetened and not the same. Find it in cans in the international or baking aisle and at Asian markets; substitute by chilling a can of full-fat coconut milk and skimming the solid cream, or use a reduced saucepan concentrate of full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream for non-vegan dishes).

Ingredient Spotlight

Dried fenugreek (kasuri methi)

Kasuri methi are the dried leaves of the fenugreek plant, a common finishing herb in Indian cuisine used to add a savory, slightly bitter, maple-like and earthy aroma to curries, dals and breads. Its pungent, slightly sweet-bitter scent is distinctive and a little goes a long way. You’ll find it in Indian or well-stocked international markets and spice aisles; if unavailable, use a very small pinch of ground fenugreek (use less, as it’s stronger) or omit—some cooks add a touch of maple syrup or mustard greens as a crude flavor bridge, but the true aroma is unique.