Grilled marinated chicken tikka folded into a smooth tomato and cream gravy. Built from scratch with no jarred paste, so it is reliably gluten free.
Prep
30 mins
Cook
45 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£2.38
Difficulty
medium
The two halves of this dish are usually cooked separately and only meet at the end, which is exactly why it works: the chicken gets real charring under the grill rather than poaching in sauce. Blending the gravy smooth before the chicken goes in gives that glossy restaurant texture.
Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice, 4 crushed garlic cloves, half the ginger, 1.5 tsp of the Kashmiri chilli, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, the turmeric and 1 tsp of the salt. Add the chicken and coat well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Heat the ghee in a heavy pan and cook the chopped onions over a medium heat for 15 minutes until soft and golden. Add the remaining garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes.
Stir in the remaining chilli powder, cumin and coriander for 30 seconds, then add the tomato purée and cook 1 minute.
Add the tinned tomatoes, the remaining salt and 200ml water. Simmer for 20 minutes until thick and darkened.
Blend the sauce until completely smooth, then push it through a sieve back into the pan for the silkiest result.
Sieving is the single thing that separates a home curry from a restaurant one. It takes two minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the grill to its highest setting. Spread the marinated chicken on a foil-lined tray and grill for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
Add the grilled chicken and any juices to the blended sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the cream, crush the dried fenugreek leaves between your palms into the pan and add the garam masala. Warm through for 2 minutes, then finish with coriander.