Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves, peeled

3 inches fresh ginger, peeled

2-3 Fresh red chillies, deseeded

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

3 tbsp garam masala

3/4 cup plain yoghurt

4 chicken breasts, skinned and cut into large chunks

1 tbsp butter

2 onions, peeled and finely sliced

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 handful of ground cashew nuts or almonds

1/2 cup of double cream

Method:

1. Grate the garlic and ginger and put to one side in a bowl.  Head a splash of oil in a pan, and add the mustard seeds.  When they start to pop, add the garlic and ginger mix, along with the paprika, cumin, ground coriander and 2 tbsp of the garam masala.

2. Put half of this mix in a bowl, add the yoghurt and chicken pieces to it, stir and leave to marinade (at least an hour).

3. Melt the butter in the saucepan the mustard seeds were in, and add the sliced onions and the rest of the spice mix.  Gently cook for 15 mins without browning too much.  Add the tomato purée, the ground nuts, 2 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt.  Stir well and simmer for few minutes.  Let this sauce reduce until it thickens slightly then place to one side.

4. Bake the marinated chicken in a hot oven (180C) for 20 mins.

5. Warm the sauce, and add the cream and the other tbsp of garam masala.  As soon as it boils, take off the heat and add the chicken.