CHEEKY BUTTER CHICKEN CURRY

Serves 4 I was always a bit scared to attempt making a butter chicken curry, because of there being such great already-made versions on offer. Now that I have attempted this cheat version, not only can I say, it's super easy to make, but tasty too.

INGREDIENTS

For the Butter Chicken:

• 100g butter chicken paste

• x2 410g tins of organic chopped tomato

• 4 heaped tsp brown sugar

• 800g (+- 8 fillets) chicken breast, cubed

• 60g butter

• 250ml double thick cream

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

• salt & pepper, to taste

For the Basmati Rice:

• 5 cups water

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 cups basmati rice

For Serving (Optional*):

• 1 1/2 cup full cream greek yoghurt

• 1 cup cashew nuts, lightly toasted & roughly chopped

• Handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

METHOD

1. You will need a wok, medium pot, small frying pan, small and medium glass bowls.

2. In you wok, on a medium heat, add half the sunflower oil and the chicken. Stir it in the wok for a few minutes, until the chicken pieces have browned on all sides (they don't need to be cooked through, because you will be returning them to the wok later). Then remove the chicken from the wok and place in the medium glass bowl for later.

3. Put the water for the rice into your medium pot onto the stove top, on a medium to high heat. Add the salt. While waiting for the rice water to reach boiling point move onto step 4.

4. Add the remaining sunflower oil to the wok, then add in the butter chicken paste. Fry the paste for a minute, and then add in the tinned tomatoes.

5. Allow the paste, and tomatoes to simmer for a minute or two, and then add in the chicken. Let the mixture cook away for +-15 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through.

6. By now your rice water should be bubbling away. Once the water is boiling, add in your rice and give the mixture a stir, to stop the rice grains from sticking together. Cook for +-15 minutes or until the the water is evaporated and rice is cooked through.

7. Check up on your chicken to make sure it is cooked through (I usually just take two chicken pieces out of the mixture and cut into them to check they are completely cooked. If they are cooked through, I also take a taste to see that there is enough seasoning in the curry, and if not, add what is missing).

8. Add the cream and butter to the curry mixture and let it simmer away for a further 5 minutes. While it simmers away in your small frying pan, add the cashews on a medium heat, and dry toast for a few minutes (keep and eye on them, as they can burn rather quickly). Once they have evenly toasted, remove them from the heat and place into the small glass bowl.

9. By now your rice, curry and toasted cashews are all ready, and you can call on your guests to come dish up.

10. I like to serve the butter chicken with a dollop of greek yoghurt on top, a sprinkling of toasted cashews and a little coriander for a pop of green. Yum!

My friend, Kirst inspired me to give this recipe a go because she was so convincing in telling me how easy it was to master. Now speaking from experience, I completely agree! Don't be scared to give this recipe a go, and believe me, even though this is the shortcut recipe, it is still a tasty and flavourful dish to serve up to your friends and family.

#food #dinner #chicken #curry #indianfood