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Revealed: Long term Sydney Indian restaurant reveals the secret to the perfect butter chicken

Newtown Indian institution Delhi O Delhi has been operating for 18 years. They serve over 100 butter chicken dishes a week. So know what it needs.

Want to know the secret to the perfect butter chicken? It’s in the name says Delhi ‘O’ Delhi founder Javed Khan.

“When it comes to the butter in the dish, more is more,” said Khan.

Khan has been operating Newtown Indian institution Delhi ‘O’ Delhi, on the corner of Erskineville Road, for 18 years. He’s served everyone from delegates from India to the local inner west community.

Butter chicken has been on the menu since day one. It’s the venue’s most popular dish. They make at least 100 butter chicken dishes a week – and that’s just dine in.

Khan, and his chef Kailash, believe the secret to their butter chicken is the butter they use. The restaurant infuses the comfort dish with batch churned, handcrafted cultured Pepe Saya butter. A curl of this cultured gold literally sits on top of the dish when it’s plated.

Delhi ‘O’ Delhi’s famed butter chicken. Picture: Rohan Kelly
Delhi ‘O’ Delhi’s famed butter chicken. Picture: Rohan Kelly

“When we started the restaurant 18 years ago, we served butter chicken the way we would in Delhi but we got a push back straight away,” said Khan.

“In the Northern part of India where this butter chicken belongs to, it’s always on bones. And the marinade was different, there was more of a spice level. But [the one today] is more subtle.”

One of nine children growing up in India, Khan’s parents wanted him to become a doctor or lawyer. When his school marks weren’t good, his mother would say, “You’ll end up washing dishes in a restaurant” as a curse. But that was a blessing for Khan. He worked in India’s luxury hotels like The Oberoi and Hyatt Regency.

Owner Javed Khan at his restaurant Delhi ‘O’ Delhi. The restaurant celebrates its 18th birthday. Picture: Rohan Kelly
Owner Javed Khan at his restaurant Delhi ‘O’ Delhi. The restaurant celebrates its 18th birthday. Picture: Rohan Kelly

When he moved to Sydney in 2000, he decided he wanted to bring that five-star service to locals, opening the restaurant in 2007.

The reason he’s managed to survive for so long in the fickle Sydney hospitality scene is because of that “old school” service.

“When a customer walks through the hospitality door, they become a guest. If you can distinguish between a customer and a guest, you’ve done the work. In Indian, guest is god!,” he said. “That’s the gold principals of why we’ve lasted.”

He still greats patrons at the door of his restaurant every night. And he has no plans of stopping anytime soon.

“Everyday when I come here my excitement is still the same. That hasn’t changed,” he said.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/revealed-long-term-sydney-indian-restaurant-reveals-the-secret-to-the-perfect-butter-chicken/news-story/e9aa595aa99beacada10a9e6656fcbd8