Instructions: To prepare the marinade: Whisk yoghurt cheese in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk again till well blended. Evenly rub the chicken breasts with the marinade and keep aside for 30 minutes.

For the searing: Melt butter in a frying pan and add the marinated chicken breasts. Sear over high heat for four minutes, turning once.

Remove to an absorbent paper to drain excess fat and keep aside.

Whisk the curd in a bowl, add the green chilli paste and whisk again till well blended. Either crumble the mawa or pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove lumps. Heat desi ghee in a pan. Add peppercorns, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and shahjeera. Stir over medium heat until the cardamoms begin to change colour. Add the boiled onion paste and stir-fry until the ghee floats to top. Add ginger paste and garlic paste and stir-fry till specks of ghee begin to appear on the surface. Add the curd mixture and stir-fry until specks of ghee begin to appear on the surface. Add almond paste and mawa, and stir-fry until ghee floats on top. Add stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by a quarter. Remove and pass the gravy through a fine-mesh soup strainer into a separate pan. Return the gravy to heat. Add the seared chicken and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is quite thick. Add cardamom powder and rose petal powder. Stir well.

Sprinkle lemon juice, stir and remove from heat. Adjust the seasoning

To serve: Arrange two breast pieces on each of the four individual plates. Pour the sauce over and garnish with pistachio slivers. Cover with silver varakh and serve with baakarkhaani.

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