Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic
• 1 small brown onion
• thumb size piece fresh ginger
• 4 tbsp light oil
• 4 green chillies
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tbsp tomato puree
• 6-8 skinless boneless chicken thighs
• 6 tbsp passata
• 3 tbsp (heaped) Patak’s garlic pickle
• 150 ml (2/3 cup) water
• handful fresh coriander
• plain rice, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel all the garlic cloves. Set three aside, and thinly slice the rest.

2. 2

   Peel and roughly chop the onion and ginger, before blitzing in a mini chopper or small food processor along with the reserved garlic cloves to create a rough paste.

3. 3

   Heat the oil over a medium high heat in a large frying pan. Add the paste and fry for a few minutes until just starting to soften.

4. 4

   De-seed (if wished) three of the chillies and thinly slice before adding to the pan along with the sliced garlic. Cook for another few minutes to cook until the sliced garlic is soft. It is only if things start to colour a little, but you don’t want to let anything burn.

5. 5

   Stir in the spices and allow to toast for another minute or so while you cut the chicken into bite sized chunks. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for a few minutes more.

6. 6

   Add the chicken to the pan and cook for another few minutes until the chicken has gained some colour. Stir in the passata, garlic pickle and water. Once the mixture is bubbling, reduce to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened a little and the chicken has cooked through.

7. 7

   Finely chop the coriander and stir into the curry just before serving with the remaining green chilli thinly sliced and brought to the table for those who like their curries with a bit more heat!