CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

A few years ago Chicken Tikka Masala was voted Britain’s national
dish, which is a shame in some ways … but never mind, here it is.
This is the home-made version though, so don’t expect it to
look exactly like the shocking pink Chicken Tikka Masala you find
in some Indian restaurants (how do they do that?) but still it’s a
good one – and much better than some I’ve come across, I have to
say.
This amount of curry sauce would be enough for double the
amount of chicken given here; you could also cook the chicken
pieces whole if you’re making the curry with four fillets, in which
case you should make a few cuts in the surface of each fillet with
a sharp knife.
2 chicken breast fillets, skin removed
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1⁄4 tsp turmeric
1⁄2–1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp paprika
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
3 tbsp natural yoghurt
Oil
Butter
Method
1. Wash and cut the chicken into large chunks.
2. Finely chop the onion and crush or finely chop the garlic.
3. Melt some butter and oil in a large pan; fry the onion and garlic
until soft and slightly golden then add the spices, stir well, and
cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée; add the
chicken, making sure the meat is covered by the sauce, then
cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 20–25 minutes,
depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
5. Add the yoghurt to the pan and warm through for another
5–10 minutes.
6. Serve with rice and sprinkle the curry with chopped coriander
leaves (or even fresh) if you have them.