Butter Chicken & Naan

Ingredients

  • 800 g Chicken Fillets
  • 1 Lemon
  • 5 cm Piece of Ginger
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 tsp Chilli Powder

Second Marinade

  • 1 tsp Chilli Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Coriander
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 100 g Plain Yoghurt

Sauce

  • 75 g Cashew Nuts
  • Milk Optional
  • 1 Onion
  • Groundnut Oil Optional
  • 1,5 kg Tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp Chilli Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 2 Green Chillies
  • 50 g Butter Unsalted
  • 50 g Double Cream

Onion Pickle

  • 1 Onion
  • Cider or White Vinegar

Mint Yoghurt

  • 1 Mint Bunch
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 tsp Mango Powder
  • 200g Plain Yoghurt

Naan

  • 375 g Self Raising Flour
  • 375 g Plain Yoghurt
  • 1 tsp Honey

Instructions

  • For the first marinade, put the chicken in a bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice. Peel the ginger and garlic and finely grate over the chicken. Add a pinch of sea salt and the chilli powder, and give it all a good rub and mix up. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
  • For the second marinade, stir the ground spices into the yoghurt and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Pour it over the chicken, mix well and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight
  • To get the first part of your sauce started, soak the cashews overnight, if using, in 150ml water. When you’re ready to cook your curry, drain the liquid then grind to a paste in a pestle and mortar (or use a powerful blender), adding a splash of milk to loosen, if needed. Set aside.
  • For the onion pickle, peel and finely dice the onion, then place in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Add a good pinch of salt, toss well and leave to pickle.
  • Now back to your sauce: peel and finely chop the onions and place in a large pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.
  • Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the pan with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, breaking them up with the back of a wooden spoon, until they’ve cooked right down. Add the chilli powder and cumin, cook for 1 minute more, then strain the tomato mixture through a coarse sieve set over a clean bowl.
  • Halve and deseed the green chillies, then place in a large clean pan on a medium-high heat with the butter. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and aromatic, then pour in the tomato sauce. Stir in the yoghurt and 1 heaped tablespoon of your cashew paste and leave to simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, cook the chicken in a hot griddle pan on a high heat, until gnarly all over but still slightly pink in the middle.
  • For the mint yoghurt, pick the mint and pound to a paste in a pestle and mortar. Squeeze in the lemon juice, then add the mango powder and a pinch of sea salt. Stir it through the yoghurt and set aside.
  • To make the naan, combine the flour, yoghurt and honey in a bowl and mix until combined. Tip onto a clean flour-dusted surface, knead until smooth, then cut into 6 even portions. Stretch and press each piece into an oval shape, then make pocket marks with your fingers.
  • Carefully remove the chicken from the griddle and cut into large chunks. Add to the sauce and simmer for a further 10 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through, then swirl through a little double cream.
  • Cook the naans in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes, or until golden, then flip over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Repeat, cooking to order. Brush with a little melted butter, if you like.
  • Dish up your curry with the naan, onion pickle and a dollop of mint yoghurt. Garnish with a few coriander leaves, and tuck in!