BUTTER CHICKEN! You cannot have a Punjabi menu anywhere in the world and not include Butter Chicken on it.

The fine wining and dining Indian restaurants of New York and London have had it on their menus since Indian food went abroad in the 1960s.

And though the Butter Chicken there might not be as rich in gravy content and oil as it is here in India, and the spice levels will be tempered down a bit too, the dish is a big hit. Foreign food writers have come down to India in search of its origin.

And gone back to say that their Butter Chicken is almost as big as the Murgh Makhanwala is here in North India!

In Amritsar, the bird used for the Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhanwala is always country chicken. This chicken as compared to the broiler, is more tender, and the flesh more flavoursome to taste.

In Punjab, the chicken is a robust bird, and its flesh fortunately is not thin and stringy. It lends itself perfectly to the rich and gravied dish.

Of all the Punjabi poultry dishes, and these include such splendid fare as the Methi Murgh, Tandoori Murgh, the Chicken Tikka Masala and Dhaniye Wala Murgh, the Butter Chicken is most popular. Truckers rate roadside dhabas along the country's national highways according to the number of rotis they require to finish a dish of Butter Chicken.

The gravy is the kind that begs for a crisp piece of roti to be dunked into it. And the more the roti that is used to absorb the gravy, the better the Butter Chicken.

The butter used in Amritsar's preparation of this dish is a white butter that is sold commonly in the markets. It adds a flavour to the chicken.

The gravy for the chicken comes out of a cream and tomato base. A small amount of natural orange food colour is added to give the Butter Chicken its reddish, hearty look.

And some chefs cook it also with raisins and sultanas to bring a richness to the gravy.