← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 600 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 400 g Spinach, washed (or frozen spinach, thawed)
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Ghee
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 small piece of cinnamon stick (optional)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 3 cm piece Ginger, finely grated
• 2 Green chilli, chopped
• 1 Tomato, finely chopped
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 2 tsp Ground coriander
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crushed between your palms
• 3 tbsp Double (heavy) cream (optional)

Method

1. Drop the spinach into a pan of boiling water for 1 minute, drain and cool it under cold running water. Squeeze lightly and blend to a coarse purée with one of the green chillies and a splash of water.
2. Heat the oil and ghee in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cinnamon and let them sizzle for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the onion and fry for 8–10 min, stirring often, until golden. Stir in the garlic, ginger and the other chilli and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Add the chicken with the turmeric, ground coriander, chilli powder and salt. Turn up the heat a little and stir-fry for 5 min until the chicken is sealed all over.
5. Tip in the tomato and cook for 5 min, until it breaks down and the oil glistens at the edges of the pan.
6. Stir in the spinach purée, cover and simmer gently for 10–12 min, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked through (75°C / 165°F) and the sauce has thickened.
7. Finish with the garam masala, kasuri methi and the cream, if using. Taste for salt and serve with naan, roti or rice.

Tips

• Blanching keeps the spinach bright green; once it goes into the pan, don’t cook it for much longer than the chicken needs or it turns khaki.
• Bone-in chicken pieces give a deeper flavour: add about 10 min to the simmering time.

Sources

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

BBC Good Food Ministry of Curry Tea for Turmeric