Indian
1Preparation
- Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, marinade garlic, Kashmiri chili, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, salt and oil.
- Toss the chicken in the marinade until fully coated.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for deeper flavour.
- Finely chop the onions and crush the sauce garlic.
2Cooking
- Heat the oven to 240°C with the top grill on and spread the chicken on a foil-lined tray.
- Grill the chicken on the top shelf, turning halfway, until charred in spots and cooked through.
- Melt the butter with the oil in a wide pot, add the onions and cook until golden.
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute until the raw smell is gone.
- Add the tomato paste, Kashmiri chili, coriander and cumin and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, water, sugar and salt and simmer until the sauce thickens and oil shows at the edges.
- Blend the sauce until smooth for a silky texture, or leave it rustic.
- Add the grilled chicken with its juices and simmer until the sauce coats the pieces.
- Crush the dried fenugreek leaves between your palms over the pot, add the garam masala and cream and stir without letting it boil.
3Serving
- Spoon it into a serving dish and garnish with fresh coriander.
- Serve with naan or basmati rice.
💡 Tips & common mistakes
- Common mistake: boiling the sauce hard after the cream goes in, which makes it split. Add the cream last, over very low heat.
- Do not skip charring the chicken; those browned spots give the smoky flavour.
- Cook the onions until truly golden: they set the sweetness and body of the sauce.
🔁 Substitutions
- Kashmiri chili: 1½ tsp paprika with a pinch of cayenne.
- Oven: a very hot cast-iron pan, browning the chicken in batches.
- Cream: full-fat yogurt stirred in off the heat.
