From the menu of -- Café Bombay

A. Café Bombay couldn’t share the recipes for everything on the menu, but it did provide the recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala, its most popular dish since opening in 2004. If you have extra gravy, it would be delicious with lamb, fish or shrimp, or the Indian cheese called paneer that you can find at any international market or an Indian grocery, along with ginger-garlic paste. You’ll also need to go to the Indian grocery for kasuri methi, dried fenugreek leaves, although the owners of Café Bombay, Jay and Ricky Walia, say you could leave out that one ingredient. Ginger-garlic paste is a great addition to your kitchen staples, perfect for a variety of Asian dishes. Finally, this version is very mild. Adjust the cayenne according to your taste.

Café Bombay's Chicken Tikka Masala

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes, plus marinating time

Serves: 6

For the chicken:

2 cups yogurt

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 tablespoon yellow food coloring

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 pinches kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

6 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

For the gravy:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup ketchup

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

To prepare the chicken, in a medium bowl, combine yogurt, red and yellow food coloring, ginger-garlic paste, cayenne, coriander, cumin, turmeric and kasuri methi. When well blended, add chicken breasts and toss to be sure breasts are well covered with marinade. Let rest in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes. Can be prepared up to 2 hours in advance.

Prepare gravy while chicken is marinating. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add salt, cayenne, coriander and cumin and stir to combine. Add water, tomato puree, crushed tomatoes and ketchup. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add cream and sugar; keep boiling until the layer of butter rises to the top, another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Can be made up to 3 days in advance.

When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain chicken from marinade and arrange on well-greased roasting dish. Discard marinade. Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through. While chicken is cooking, reheat gravy.

Remove chicken from oven and cut into serving size pieces; add to the gravy. Serve with rice or in a bowl with naan. Drizzle with extra cream if desired.

Per serving: 681 calories (percent of calories from fat, 63), 45 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 48 grams fat (29 grams saturated), 251 milligrams cholesterol, 1,314 milligrams sodium.

Is there a restaurant recipe you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to svanatten@ajc.com and put "From the menu of" in the subject line.