750 g /1lb 10oz chicken thighs, boneless and skin removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
100 g /3½oz tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
4 tbsp vegetable oil
3 dried mild red chillies (or dried Kashmiri chillies), left whole
300 g /10½oz onions, finely chopped (about 2 medium onions)
1 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp garam masala
salt
chopped fresh coriander, to garnish
Method
Method
To make the marinade, blend the garlic, ginger and a splash of water to a smooth paste in a food processor or blender. (You can finely grate them if you don't have a food processor.)
Put the garlic-ginger paste in a large bowl with the remaining marinade ingredients and mix to combine. Add the chicken to the bowl and mix well. Cover and put in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour, or overnight preferably.
To make the bhuna, blend the tomatoes and tomato purée to a smooth paste in a food processor or blender, then set aside. (Again, you can grate the tomatoes on the coarse grater over a bowl to catch all the juices.)
Heat the oil in a non-stick kadhai or large lidded frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chillies, fry for a few seconds then add the onions. Stir well and fry gently for 25 minutes, until browned and softened. Keep stirring often to make sure they cook evenly.
Add the blended tomato paste, stir and fry for 5 minutes. Add the chicken with its marinade of spices and cook for 6 minutes, stirring so the chicken is well coated in the masala.
Season with salt, lower the heat and continue cooking with a lid on for 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, stirring halfway through.
Add the fennel, pepper and garam masala and stir. Garnish with coriander and cook for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately.
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