For Chef Rishi Anand Khatri, our newest café special is in fact an old family favourite. His earliest memory of eating Bhatti Chicken is aged 7 or 8, and he recalls his father – the late Khatri Saab – cooking it regularly, thanks to the tandoor on their Delhi terrace. (Bhatti refers to the scorching flame that the chicken is roasted over, until succulent).
Unlike tandoori chicken, its somewhat milder, more commercially-famous cousin – Bhatti Chicken is a dish typically made at home, for family. You will know it instantly by its potent flavour and distinctive black-hued masala, which includes whole lindi pepper, fragrant fennel and earthy dagar ka phool or black stone flower. Khatri Saab, who dreamed of opening his own restaurant one day, also chose to accentuate his masala with the inventive addition of fresh rose petals.
The outcome proved as popular with Chef Rishi’s neighbours as it was with his family. So much so that it was eponymously referred to as Khatri Saab Ka Chicken – Mr Khatri’s Chicken. Today, though the original Khatri Saab is no longer with us, his family Bhatti Chicken recipe (complete with rose petals) continues to live on in Chef Rishi, his son – and now as the Chef’s Special at Dum Battersea.
The trick to its rich, deep flavour lies in the double marination: once with its masala blend, and then again with more masala, lemon juice and a generous amount of yoghurt. But equally important is how it is finished: with a hearty helping of butter, chaat masala and cream. As Chef Rishi tells us, this final touch is Bhatti ki jaan: literally, the lifeblood of this very special dish.
We warmly encourage you to try it for yourself on your next visit to Dum Battersea. Available in both full and half portions, and accompanied by heapings of vibrant green chutney and onion salad, it makes for a most excellent pairing with our roomali roti. Wash down with the tipple of your choice – teetotal or otherwise.
