Chicken Tikka Masala-style creamy tomato curry

Ingredients

Marinade

• 600 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 150 g Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp salt

Masala sauce

• 3 tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400 g chopped tomatoes (tinned)
• 200 ml double cream
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

To finish

• Fresh coriander, chopped

Method

1. Marinate. Mix chicken with all marinade ingredients. Rest in the fridge, ideally overnight (minimum 1 hour).
2. Cook chicken. Thread onto skewers. Grill under a hot grill, 8 minutes, turning. Or sear in a pan. Set aside.
3. Onions. Heat ghee. Fry onions 8 minutes until deep golden.
4. Aromatics. Add garlic + ginger, 1 minute.
5. Sauce. Stir in tomato purée, cook 1 minute. Add chopped tomatoes, salt, sugar. Simmer 15 minutes until thickened.
6. Blend. Cool slightly, then blitz smooth with a stick blender.
7. Combine. Return to heat. Stir in cream and garam masala. Simmer 5 minutes.
8. Finish. Add chicken pieces, simmer 5 minutes. Top with coriander.

Tips

• Marinate overnight. The yoghurt tenderises the chicken beautifully.
• Splash of cream at the end. The colour is the signature.
• Garam masala off the heat. Blooming it in hot oil changes everything.