Tikka Massala
Marinade
750g skinned boned chicken
1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
2 tsp mild paprika
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
Grind the seeds from 12 green cardamom pods
25g garlic, roughly chopped
2Sg peeled ginger. chopped
4 tbsp natural yogurt
2 tbsp oil
Mix and marinade the chicken
Sauce
3 tbsp oil
200 g onions finely sliced
15g garlic, crushed
25g peeled ginger, grated
1.5 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder
½ tsp mild paprika
225g tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp ground almonds
120ml single or double cream
3—4 green cayenne chilies
1 tsp Garam masala
1,5 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Ingredients
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan/wok and add the sliced onions and fry for 6-8 minutes until soft and richly golden - don’t rush this bit.
Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger and cook for 2—3 minutes more. Add the reserved ground cumin, freshly ground coriander, chilli powder and paprika and fry for a further 1—2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and fry until they have broken down into a sauce.
Add the tomato purée, ground almonds, 300ml boiling hot water and ½ teaspoon salt and simmer for 10 minutes.
Lift the pieces of chicken out of the marinade and thread onto metal skewers. Stir the remaining yogurt marinade, the cream, green chillies (slit open) and garam masala into the sauce until a little reduced.
Meanwhile, heat a ridged cast-iron griddle over a high heat lower the heat to medium and brush with a little oil.
Put the skewers on it and cook for 8 minutes turning occasionally.
Check they are cooked through and slightly charred in places.
Push the pieces of chicken off the skewers and into the sauce and bring back to a simmer.
Stir in the lemon and chopped coriander and simmer for 2—3 minutes, then serve.