← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 750 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
• 100 g thick plain or Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Ginger, finely grated
• 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp Ground turmeric
• ½ tsp Salt
• 40 g Butter
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 small cinnamon stick (optional)
• 3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed (optional)
• 1 Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 2 cm piece Ginger, finely grated
• 300 ml passata (or 500 g ripe tomatoes, chopped)
• 40 g Cashews, soaked in hot water for 15 min
• 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed between your palms
• 150 ml Water
• 100 ml Double (heavy) cream
• ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp Coriander (cilantro), chopped, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients with the chicken until every piece is coated. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour (overnight is even better).
2. Heat a heavy frying pan or grill pan until very hot, brush with a little oil and sear the chicken in batches for 3–4 min per side, until charred in spots. It doesn’t need to be cooked through yet. Set aside.
3. In a wide pan, melt half the butter with the oil over medium heat. Add the cinnamon and cardamom, then the onion, and cook for 6–8 min until soft and pale gold. Stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute.
4. Add the passata, drained cashews and chilli powder. Simmer for 10 min, stirring now and then, until thick and the raw tomato smell is gone. Fish out the whole spices.
5. Blend the sauce with the water until completely smooth, then pour it back into the pan. Add the sugar, garam masala and salt.
6. Slip in the chicken with any juices and simmer gently for 8–10 min, until cooked through (75°C / 165°F in the thickest piece).
7. Stir in the cream, the remaining butter and the kasuri methi, and warm for 2 min without boiling. Taste for salt, scatter with coriander and serve with rice or naan.

Tips

• Kashmiri chilli gives the famous colour with mild heat; if you only have hot chilli powder, use a third of the amount plus some paprika.
• Contains cashews and dairy. For a nut-free sauce, skip the cashews and add a little extra cream.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

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