Garlic chilli chicken

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Make this classic Indian take-away dish, at home. Use the very thin indian green chillies found at Indian stores and ethnic supermarkets. It's not the same dish if it is made with Jalapeño-style chillies

Ingredients

• Oil for frying
• Good grind of black pepper
• 2 Large onions, peeled and sliced
• 6 to 8 large Cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2.5 cm of ginger root, unpeeled but finely chopped
• 2-3 Chicken breasts
• ½ pint chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tablespoon of paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 8 to 10 whole green Indian chillies, stalks removed and cut in half (so you get 2 short chillies from each one)
• 1 can plum tomatoes or 5 large tomatoes, quartered
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok or karai
2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and fry them in small batches so they are browned. Remove and reserve
3. If necessary, add a little more oil
4. Add the the cumin seeds and a grind of black pepper
5. As soon as the cumin seeds start to pop, add the onions and garlic, reduce the heat and gently fry until softened, about 4 minutes
6. Add all of the spices apart from the green chillies and stir-fry for a few minutes
7. Add the chicken stock and the reserved chicken pieces, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes
8. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato puree and the green chillies and cook for a further 10 minutes
9. Remove the cinnamon stick, check seasoning and serve

Serving suggestions

Serve with naan breads, plain rice and a vegetable curry.

See also

• Get chicken pieces the economical way, joint the chicken yourself