This week is curry week so I am sharing my favourite butter chicken recipe. This so fragrant and delicious, you will be making it again and again.
Ingredients
- 8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs. (Substitute with 3 blocks of tofu for a vegan version)
- 130mls lactose free double cream e.g. Emlea plant
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (check ingredients – some brands contain onion/garlic)
- 1 tablespoon garlic infused oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 75g plain/greek lactose free yoghurt
Tomato curry base:
- 2 tablespoons garlic infused oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 2 cans of plum tomatoes blended into a fine puree or passata
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 2 black cardamom
- large piece of cinnamon bark or cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
Method
- Start off by marinating the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks.
- Blend all the marinade ingredients together into a paste. Add to the chicken and cover well.
- Let the chicken to marinate overnight, to allow the flavours to develop.
To prepare the tomato base:
- Place a large pot on medium to high heat. Add the garlic infused oil. Add the bay leaves, cardamom and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the ginger paste and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, salt and chilli powder.
- Simmer for 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Once reduced, add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for a further 15 minutes.
Cooking the chicken and assembling the dish:
- If you want to make this really special and have access to a barbecue, skewer the chicken and cook over the barbecue. Otherwise cook this in the oven on the grill setting. Preheat the oven to 220C. Place the chicken into a lined baking tray and grill for approximately 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the tomato base sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Finally, add the double cream. You can garnish with coriander.
I served mine with lemon rice. You can find the recipe for the lemon rice here.
Enjoy!
