Daniel Faitaua's Chicken Tikka Masala

From issue #106. January, 2023
Daniel Faitaua's Chicken Tikka Masala

Sarah loved Daniel's interview and decided to put together a recipe so that he could reminisce about eating curries in London now that he is back in Aotearoa. 

Makes: 6

INGREDIENTS

Marinade
800 grams skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into large bite-sized pieces
6 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon each garam masala, red chilli powder, cumin, turmeric and sea salt
1 large thumb ginger, peeled and chopped

Curry
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 thumb ginger, grated
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 -2 teaspoons chilli powder, to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon tomato purée
400-gram tin chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1¼ cups cream

To serve
roasted cashews, chopped 
coriander leaves
basmati rice, cooked and hot
naan or paratha

METHOD

Marinade
Whisk the garlic, yoghurt, spices and ginger together in a bowl. Add the chicken, stir to coat, then cover and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to overnight.

Curry
Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based pot and add the cumin seeds. Cook for 1 minute, then add the onion, ginger and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes over a medium heat, until the onion is softened. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cream and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and cook the chicken in batches, until just cooked through. Add to the curry sauce and cook together for a further 5 minutes.

To Serve
Serve the curry garnished with coriander, alongside plenty of rice and naan or paratha