Mum's Chicken Curry

A well loved chicken curry recipe from Meera Sodha. Taking inspiration from her mum's homemade curry recipe, the dish is best
served with a stack of chapattis.

From the book

Made in India: Cooked in Britain: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen by Meera Sodha

Introduction
I left Lincolnshire at the age of 18 to go to university in London. Secretly homesick, I would stop in Indian-owned newsagents on the
way back from class, lingering over the magazines and quietly listening to the owners speaking in Gujarati, just for comfort.

When it came to food, I was at the mercy of the halls chef, a Jamaican with an adventurous streak who would create delights such as
sweetcorn and strawberry salad, indiscriminately seasoning everything with pepper. With every bite, I’d be thinking about home and
my ultimate comfort food, my mum’s chicken curry.

Serves 4
Easy
Ingredients
2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 x 4cm cinnamon sticks

2 large onions, finely chopped

6cm ginger, peeled and grated

6 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 fresh green chillies (or 1 teaspoon chilli powder)

salt

200g tomato passata

2 tbsp tomato purée

1½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground turmeric

3 tbsp whole-milk yoghurt (plus extra to serve)

1.2 kg skinless chicken legs, or 800g skinless, boneless chicken thighs

3 tbsp ground almonds

1 tsp garam masala

Instructions
Put the ghee and oil into a wide-bottomed, lidded frying pan on a medium heat and, when it’s hot, add the cumin seeds and cinnamon
sticks. Let them infuse in the oil for a minute, and then add the onions. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden
brown.

Meanwhile, put the ginger, garlic and green chillies into a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt and bash to a coarse paste.

Add the paste to the pan and cook gently for 2 minutes, then pour in the passata and stir. Cook the passata for a few minutes until it
resembles a thick paste, then add the tomato purée, ground cumin, turmeric and ½ teaspoon of salt (or to taste).

Whisk the yoghurt and add it slowly to the curry. Cook it through until it starts to bubble, then add the chicken. Pop the lid on the pan
and continue to cook on a gentle heat for around 30 minutes. Add the ground almonds and the garam masala and cook for another 5
minutes.

Serve with a tower of chapattis, hot fluffy naan bread or rice, and offer yoghurt at the table.