Chicken tikka masala

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• small piece of cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp ground fenugreek
• 1½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground paprika
• ½–1 tsp hot chilli powder
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 20g root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 4 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 7 or 8 pieces
• oil, for greasing skewers
• salt

Masala Sauce

• 4 tbsp ghee, or
• 2 tbsp softened butter and 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 25g root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp double cream

To serve

• Rice

Method

1. Put the cumin and coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring regularly until lightly toasted. Tip everything into a mortar or an electric spice grinder, then add the fenugreek, turmeric, paprika, chilli powder and a teaspoon of salt. Grind everything to a fine powder.

2. Spoon 3 tablespoons of this spice mixture into a mixing bowl and stir in the garlic, ginger and yoghurt. Mix thoroughly and set aside. Stir the chicken pieces into the spiced yoghurt, cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight.

3. To make the masala sauce, heat the ghee (or butter and oil) in a large nonstick saucepan and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, increase the heat slightly and stir in the rest of the powdered spices, plus the half teaspoon of turmeric. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.

4. Stir in the tomato purée, caster sugar and a teaspoon of salt and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 400ml of water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes more, adding the cream for the last 30 seconds of the cooking time. Remove from the heat and blitz with a stick blender or in a food processor to form a sauce that’s as smooth as possible. Pour it into a bowl, cover and chill until you’re ready to cook the chicken.

5. Thread the chicken pieces on to lightly greased, long metal skewers. You should be able to fit about 6 chunks of chicken on to each skewer, leaving 1–2cm between each piece. Preheat the grill to its hottest setting and place the skewers on a rack over a grill pan lined with foil. Slide the pan on to a shelf, putting it as close as possible to the heat, and cook the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn each skewer, holding it with an oven cloth, and cook on the other side for another 4–5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through
   and lightly charred.

6. While the chicken is grilling, tip the masala sauce into a large frying pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring regularly. Take the chicken skewers from under the grill and slide a fork down the length of each skewer to plop the pieces into the hot sauce. Stir well and leave to bubble for a few seconds more. Serve hot with rice.