Curry Special: Chicken Tikka Masala

The Defra report suggested that of this £4bn, eating-out accounted for £3.6bn and Indian ready-meals and ready-to cook-meals accounted for only £400m.

If you are among the minority and fancy making your own Chicken Tikka Masala, here’s how to get it right!

Ingredients:

Marinade ingredients

Plain yoghurt: 1 cup

Ginger-Garlic Paste or freshly minced ginger and garlic: 2 tablespoons

Salt: to taste

Ground black pepper: 1.2 spoon

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: bite-size chunks, skewered

Gravy Ingredients:

Oil: 1 tablespoon

Butter: 1 tablespoon

Ginger-Garlic Paste: 1/3 cup

Peppers: 2 chopped

Tomato puree: 3 tablespoon

Garam Masala: 1-2 teaspoon garam masala

Paprika: One pinch

Tomatoes: 5, diced

Salt: to taste

Water: 1-2 cups

Full cream: ½ cup

Coriander: for garnishing

Method:

Making the marinade:

Mix together all the marinade ingredients except for the chicken thighs. Add the chicken to the mixed ingredients until fully coated and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. If you are in a hurry, you can let the chicken marinate for just one hour.

Making the sauce:

Start making Chicken Tikka Masala with the sauce. Place a large pan over medium heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the ginger-garlic puree and peppers. Sauté the ingredients until they turn golden. Add the tomato puree and cook until it thickens. Add the spices such as garam masala and paprika and sauté for 2 more minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, full-cream and 1 cup water. Turn down to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

If you like your sauce smooth, you can put the cooked sauce content into a blender. Leave it as is if you like sauce chunks in your curry.

Making the curry:

In another wider pan, add some butter. When it is melted, place the chicken after wiping the excess marinade. Cook until it's grilled – about 4-5 minutes. The chicken won’t cook fully. But that’s OK. It will cook with the sauce later.

Add the grilled chicken to the sause and cook on low flame until chicken is tender. Add salt and some more garam masala to taste. Garnish with lemon juice, coriander and some raw red finely chopped onions if you like!

Try with plain rice or naan bread or chappati with a pint of bitter ale for your typical British curry experience!