Chicken Tikka Masala

Indian food is my absolute favorite! Here is a dish that I prepared using a recipe from Jamie Oliver's Essential Family Cookbook.

You will need:
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 inches fresh ginger, peeled
2 or 3 fresh red chilis, seeded
Olive oil
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
3 Tbsp garam masala, divided
3/4 cup plain yogurt
4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
1 Tbsp butter
2 medium onions, sliced very thin
2 Tbsp tomato purée
a small handful (1/3 to 1/2 cup) almonds, ground very fine
Salt
1/2 cup cream
Limes

Grate the garlic and ginger on the finest side of a grater and put to one side in a bowl. Chop the chillis as finely as you can and add them to the ginger & garlic mixture. Heat a splash of oil in a large skillet or sauté pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add them to the ginger, garlic, and chilli mixture. To this, add the paprika, cumin, ground coriander, and 2 tablespoons of the garam masala. Put half of this mixture in a bowl, add the yogurt and the chicken pieces to it making sure to coat all sides. Leave to marinate for at least half an hour.

Melt the butter in the saucepan and add the thinly-sliced onions and the remaining half of the garlic-spice mixture. Cook gently for about 15 minutes without browning too much. Add the tomato puree, ground almonds, 2 1/2 cups of water, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir well and simmer gently for a few minutes. Let this sauce reduce until it thickens slightly and then place to one side.

Put the marinated chicken on a hot griddle pan or barbecue and sear until just cooked through.

Warm the sauce and add the cream and the other 1 tablespoon of garam masala. As soon as it begins to boil, take off the heat & add the chicken. Check the seasoning, adding salt or cayenne pepper if desired. Squeeze a little lime juice over the top. Serve with basmati rice.