Really Fast Butter Chicken

This curry has proved to be one of the nicest, and certainly the easiest curries I have made from scratch. The chicken is very tender and the sauce is beautifully thick and creamy. This recipe is certainly worth trying, especially if you are a bit apprehensive about cooking Indian from scratch.

One of the things that sets this recipe apart, is that it only has 2 spices in it: garam masala and turmeric. No curry pastes to make, nothing overly complicated to do. So no excuses not to give this one a go!

Ground spices loose their flavour after a short time, so buy them in small quantities, and replace often.

Ingredients

The marinade

• 140 g (1/2 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
• 3 cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbs garam masala ( Herbies Spices brand if possible)
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra, to grease
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander, plus extra leaves, to serve
• 800 g chicken thigh fillets, each one cut into 3
• Salt and pepper

The sauce

• 2 tbs ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tbs garam masala
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 long red chillies, seeded, finely chopped
• 260 g (1 cup) passata (sieved pureed tomatoes)
• 300 ml pouring cream
• 1/2 bunch mint, leaves picked, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken

1. Combine yoghurt, ginger, garlic, garam masala, lemon juice and zest, oil And coriander in a large bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Better still, seal in a zip-lock bag.

The sauce

1. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onions and chillies, gently cook until softened.
2. Add the tumeric, garam masala and tomato paste and cook gently for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the passata and cream and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened.
4. Now add the chicken and marinade. Stir well and cook on a high simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. If you are not sure, take a piece out and cut it to see.
5. Season with salt, add the mint and stir well.

To Serve

1. Scatter with extra coriander and serve with steamed jasmin rice and pappadams.

Notes

Make at least twice as much rice as you need for one meal. Package the remainder in zip-lock bags and store in the freezer. Great if you need rice in a hurry and the flatpack bags use much less space than plastic takeaway containers.

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