INGREDIENTS
| 6 garlic cloves, finely grated 4 tsp finely grated peeled ginger 4 tsp ground turmeric 2 tsp garam masala 2 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp ground cumin 1½ cups natural yogurt (not Greek) – 1 tbsp salt – 1kg boneless chicken thigh – 3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil |
– 1 small onion, thinly sliced – ¼ cup tomato paste – 6 cardamom pods, crushed – ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes – 1 x 400g can whole peeled tomatoes – 2 cups thickened cream – ¾ cup chopped fresh coriander plus sprigs for garnish |
METHOD
1. Combine garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl
2. Cut chicken into bite size pieces.
3. In a separate bowl add yogurt, salt, and half of spice mixture and mix well. Add chicken and mix thoroughly to coat all the chicken. Cover and chill 4-6 hours. Cover and chill remaining spice mixture to be used later.
4. Heat ghee in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, tomato paste, cardamom, and chilli and cook for about 5 minutes or until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, stirring often. Add remaining half of spice mixture and cook until bottom of pot begins to brown, remembering to stir often5
5. Add tomatoes with juices, crushing them with your hands as you add them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until sauce thickens, 8-10 minutes.
6. Add cream and chopped coriander and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 30-40 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, heat some ghee or oil in a grill pan and grill chicken until just cooked. About 5 minutes on each side.
8. Add grilled chicken to sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Serve with basmati rice and fresh pappadums and coriander sprigs for garnish.
