4-6 chicken thigh fillets, skinned and chopped into chunks
Pinch of saffron
2 tbsp milk
Marinade: 3cm ginger, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
150g Greek yoghurt
1 tsp gram flour, heaped
1 tbsp coriander seeds
6 black peppercorns
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt or to taste
Sauce: 1 tbsp ghee
2 onions, minced
1-3 dried red chillies
3 cloves
3 cardamoms
3cm pieces cassia bark
1 tsp garam masala
75g creamed coconut/400ml coconut milk
2 heaped tbsp almonds, ground
1 tsp white poppy seeds, ground
Handful coriander leaves, finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
Method
STEP 1
Crumble saffron into a small bowl and add the milk and leave to steep.
STEP 2
Place the coriander seeds, salt and peppercorns into a pestle and mortar and crush.
STEP 3
Then add the roughly chopped ginger and garlic and pound to create an aromatic paste.
STEP 4
Place chicken into a large bowl and add the yoghurt, gram flour, turmeric and the paste from the pestle and mortar. Stir thoroughly, cover and leave to marinade for an hour or longer if possible.
STEP 5
Heat ghee in a pan and add the cloves, cardamom, cassia and the dried red chillies and fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
STEP 6
Add the minced onions and fry gently on a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until they just begin to brown.
STEP 7
Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry for about 5 minutes on a medium heat.
STEP 8
Place the lid on the pan, reduce the heat and leave to cook for about 15-20 minutes.
STEP 9
Pour in the creamed coconut, with the ground almonds and poppy seeds then stir to thicken.
STEP 10
Increase the heat and simmer until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened to the consistency you want. Pour in the saffron milk for added decadence and remove the pan from the heat.
STEP 11
Add the garam masala and fresh coriander. You can also add a squeeze of lemon juice for added freshness, then serve.