Weekend Wellness / Indian Meals

Almond "Butter" Chicken Curry

4 skinless chicken breasts


Ingredients

The Marinade

4 finely chopped garlic cloves

½ finely chopped thumb sized piece ginger

2 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder

100ml yoghurt

2 tbsp almond butter

½ tbsp sea salt

The Sauce

2-3 tbsp avocado oil

1 finely diced large onion

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

½ finely chopped thumb sized piece ginger

1 ½ tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

½ tbsp chilli powder

½ tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

300g chopped tomatoes (or freshly crushed tomatoes)

1 tbsp tomato puree

200ml evaporated milk

Sea salt to taste

Coriander (to garnish)


Preparation

Chop the chicken into large dices and then massage all “The Marinade” into the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl. Cover and place in the fridge to soak in the marinade for at least 1 hour, if not overnight for added flavour.

Finely chop or finely dice the onions, garlic, and ginger and then start to cook the sauce.


Cooking

Heat the avocado oil in a large saucepan to a medium heat and then add the finely diced onions into the pan. Fry the onions for 5–10 minutes to soften and allow them to brown a little. Now add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Next, add the ground cumin, coriander, chilli powder and kasoori methi and tomato puree and cook through for a further 1–2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and a generous pinch of sea salt and cover with a lid. Allow the salt to bring the moisture of the tomatoes out for about 4–5 minutes before then lifting the lid. Pour in the evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the sauce down to a low heat and allow to simmer for 15–20 minutes. Once the sauce has taken a turn in colour, use a hand blender to blitz the sauce into a smooth curry sauce. Then add the chicken pieces to the smooth sauce and continue to simmer on a low-medium heat for 20–30 minutes. Stir the curry every 5–10 minutes to avoid sticking on the base of the pan. Garnish with coriander.