Chicken Saagwala

Method

• 1)

  Add ghee or butter to deep pot, with four sliced brown onions a sweat down for 5-10mins on a low to med heat, add three finely chopped cloves of garlic, one cinnamon stick, One teaspoon ground cardmon, one teaspoon turmeric powder, one heaped tablespoon garam masala and zest of one lemon. Let that cook down for another 5mins.

• 2)

  Next add the two tins of tomatoes and 1L chicken stock. Bring it to the simmer and stir, leave it simmering on a medium heat with the lid off to help reduce the liquid. Be sure to intermittently stir it to ensure it’s not sticking.

• 3)

  While the curry is simmering cook the chicken thighs. I heat a cast iron pan to high heat, season the chicken with flakey salt on the side where skin would have been then place a splash of ghee in the pan and cook the chicken salt side down in the pan until golden 4-5mins then flip and cook through for approx 3mins (will depend on thickness off the chicken) put it to one side to rest.

• 4)

  Next blanch the spinach in a bowl using boiling water for one minute. Drain off the water and place some ice and cold water over spinach to stop it from cooking. Then pick up the spinach and squeeze it into a ball and squeeze out all the excess liquid.

• 5)

  Place the spinach into a blender with one thumb size pieces of peeled fresh ginger, two deseeded green chillies, and 50ml of pouring cream and blitz it until smooth.

• 6)

  At this point the curry sauce should have reduced a little. You can slice up the chicken and add that to the curry, then when you are ready to serve the curry stir through the blended spinach.

• 7)

  Top the curry with squeeze of fresh lemon juice, dizzle of cream and fresh coriander. Serve immediately with Rice & Naan.