How to make a chicken rogan josh

Chicken rogan josh with tenderstem

Serves 4

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes

4 tbsp ghee or groundnut oil
1kg diced chicken thighs
6 garlic cloves
5cm fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 tbsp water
2 onions, thinly sliced
5 whole cardamom pods, bashed and outer pod removed
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp whole cumin
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp plain yogurt
5 whole tomatoes, roughly chopped
200ml chicken stock
300g tenderstem, chopped into bite-size pieces

To serve

360g pilau rice
Naan bread
1 red chilli, finely sliced

Add half of the ghee or groundnut oil and the chicken to a high-heated frying pan and cook until the chicken is brown (although it does not need to be cooked all the way through). Put the garlic cloves, ginger and 4 tbsp of water in a blender and blitz into a smooth paste.

Heat a large, deep pan on a medium heat and add the remaining ghee or groundnut oil and the sliced onions. Fry the onions until soft and then add the cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon. Fry for around 30 seconds, giving it a good stir. Add the garlic and ginger paste to the pan and cook out the garlic for another minute.

Add the rest of the spices (ground coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, turmeric, garam masala) and the tomato puree. Cook for another minute. Add the chicken to the mixture and stir well so that the sauce coats the chicken. Add the yoghurt, chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and then stir.

Put a lid on the pan and simmer for about 50 minutes. Take the lid off and turn up the heat if the sauce has too much liquid. Add the tenderstem for the final 2 minutes of cooking. Serve with pilau rice and naan bread. Garnish with red chilli.

Recipe from tenderstem.co.uk