Nepalese chicken curry

Ingredients

• 8 cardamom pods (green)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 200 grams Greek yoghurt (or other plain full fat yoghurt)
• 3 teaspoons garlic paste (or 3 cloves, minced)
• 3 teaspoons ginger paste (or freshly grated)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 kilogram chicken thighs (skin on, bone in)
• 200 grams chopped onion (equivalent to 2 medium onions)
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (or more to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 250 millilitre chicken stock (made with one full stock cube)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes - circa 400g (or 4-5 medium sized fresh tomatoes, chopped)
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• handful chopped coriander for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Prepare and marinate the chicken ---

2. 2

   Shell the cardamom pods and remove the seeds.

3. 3

   Add the cardamom seeds and fennel seeds to a small frying pan.

4. 4

   Toast the seeds over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan often, until a few seeds start to pop and they smell fragrant. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.

5. 5

   Tip the toasted seeds into a mortar and pestle.

6. 6

   Grind the toasted seeds down finely.

7. 7

   Add the yoghurt to a large bowl. Add the ground toasted spices, garlic paste and ginger paste, then mix well.

8. 8

   Add the chicken thighs to the yoghurt marinade.

9. 9

   Turn the chicken pieces until they are well coated on all sides.

10. 10

    Cover the bowl and transfer it to the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you have time.

11. 11

    --- Make and bake the curry ---

12. 12

    Preheat the oven to 180℃/356℉/gas mark 4.

13. 13

    Remove the chicken from the yoghurt marinade, scraping off as much of the yoghurt as possible. Keep the leftover yoghurt marinade for later.

14. 14

    Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan, casserole dish or hob-to-oven pan. I prefer using a large cast iron pot for this.

15. 15

    Add the chicken to the hot pan. Fry over medium-high heat for 5–6 minutes on one side, then turn and fry for a further 3 minutes on the other side. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this stage. You just want good colour on the outside.

16. 16

    Transfer the browned chicken pieces to a plate.

17. 17

    In the same pan, add the chopped onions, cumin seeds and cloves. Cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are soft and golden.

18. 18

    Add the ground cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, chilli powder and ground coriander. Fry with the onions for 1 minute, stirring so the spices don’t catch on the bottom of the pan.

19. 19

    Add the chicken stock and sugar. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. They add flavour to the sauce.

20. 20

    Let the stock simmer for 2–3 minutes.

21. 21

    Add the chopped tomatoes, leftover yoghurt marinade, bay leaves and salt to the pan.

22. 22

    Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over low heat, then remove the pan from the heat. Don’t boil it hard once the yoghurt has been added, as this can make the sauce split.

23. 23

    Place the browned chicken thighs on top of the sauce, along with any juices from the plate. Sprinkle a little salt over the chicken before baking.

24. 24

    Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.

25. 25

    The sauce should look rich and slightly reduced, not watery.

26. 26

    Sprinkle with chopped coriander, if using, and serve hot with rice or naan bread.