Mughlai Chicken

The other night I cooked up this delicious curry form my new Nigella ‘Feast’ book.
As Nigella says “there is an elegance and depth of flavour in this pale, mild, creamy braise that bowls me over every time.” I have to agree, to look at its not overly exciting & there is no fieriness to it yet the end result is perfect. It’s also suggested to cook the day before, I did it in the morning & seemed to soak up the flavours very nicely.

Mughlai Chicken

Serves 8-10

2.5cm fresh ginger, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon dried chilli
4 tablespoons ground almonds
125ml water
5 cardamom pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 bay leaves
4 cloves
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5kg boned, skinned chicken thigh fillets, each cut in 2
2 onions
250ml Greek yoghurt
250ml chicken stock
125ml double cream
100g sultanas
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
75g flaked almonds, toasted

Put the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander & chilli into a food processor & blend to a paste. Add the ground almonds & water, then blend again & set aside.

Put the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, bay leaves & cloves into a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a large pan & add the chicken pieces – in batches so they fry rather than stew – and cook just long enough to seal on both sides, then remove to a dish.

Tip the bowlful of spices & turn them in the oil. Peel & finely chop the onions, add to the pan of spices, & cook until softened & slightly browned, but keep the heat gentle & stir frequently to avoid sticking. Pur in the blended paste and cook everything until it begins to colour. Add the yoghurt, 125ml at a time, stirring it in to make a sauce. Then stir in the stock, cream & sultanas.

Put the chicken back in the pan along with any juices that have collected underneath. Sprinkle over the garam masala, salt & sugar. Cover & cook over a gentle heat for 20 minutes.

The suggestion is to cook a day ahead so at this stage take off the heat & cool until reheating next day. Serve with toasted almond flakes.