Tasty Chicken Tikka Masala

Britain's favourite curry, may have been invented by mixing proper Indian chicken tikka with a curry sauce to satisfy our love of gravy. A dish that's great to prepare ahead of time and full of flavour.

#Chicken #BritishCurry

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Source: Daily Mail, Date unknown

Ingredients:

FOR THE SPICE MIX

2 tbsp ground cumin

2 tbsp ground coriander

2 tbsp Kashman chilli powder

1tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground fenugreek

Pinch of cloves

FOR THE CHICKEN TIKKA

1 tbsp spice mix or 1 tbsp tandoori masala powder

3 garlic cloves, crushed

20g fresh root ginger, grated

2 tbsp yoghurt

Juice of ½ lemon

4 boneless chicken breasts, skinned and diced

Fresh coriander, to serve

FOR THE SAUCE

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely sliced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

25g fresh root ginger, grated or finely chopped 1 tbsp spice mix

3 tbsp tomato puree

½ tsp caster sugar

2 tbsp yoghurt

Method: IF MAKING the spice mix from scratch, simply mix the ground spices together until they are completely combined into a rich ochre mixture. Next marinate the chicken Com bine the spice mix with the gartic, ginger and yoghurt. Put the chicken in a bowl and season it well with salt. Add the lemon juice and toss the chicken pieces in it so it is well coated, then pour over the spice and yoghurt mix, Mix thoroughly, then cover and put it in the fridge for several hours or preferably overnight.

Next make the sauce. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring until the onion has softened. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes over a higher heat to allow the onions to take on some colour. Add the spices and stir for another minute, then add the tomato purée and sugar.

Season with salt and pepper, then stir for a few minutes. Add 400ml of water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for a further 5 minutes.

Blitz the contents of the saucepan with either a stick blender or try transferring the mixture to a jug blender The sauce should be completely smooth. Stir in the yoghurt.

If using the sauce straight away, keep it warm while you cook the chicken. Otherwise it can be stored in the fridge for several days until you need it. To cook the chicken, heat a griddle until it is too hot to hold your hand over Remove the chicken from the marinade, wiping off any excess, then place it on the griddle

Cook for several minutes or until char lines appear and the pieces lift off the griddle easily. Cook them on the other side until just cooked through. You may have to do this in a couple of batches. Alternatively, heat up your grill to its highest setting and grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to the sauce and simmer until everything is piping hot. Serve sprinkled with coriander and with lemon wedges for squeezing over.