Yummy curry - Chicken Badami

Yet again, Friday was curry night. I think I am addicted to the smell of spices wafting through the house and transporting this little kitchen in the North of England to somewhere a lot warmer, for one, and somewhere bright and bustling, spicy  ...Indian, basically. I may be quite wrong and also be being hideously stereotypical, but Indian cuisine makes me think bold, colourful, historical, social, much like the Indian people I have and have had the pleasure to know.

This curry had the boldness and some spice but no heat, therefore totally suitable for Lola and Dinn, Lola especially who cleared her plate with gusto. Finn? Well, Finn is Finn, and he tried some and ate about half, but he is the boy who loads up earlier in the day with a good breakfast and a good lunch; he never quite finishes what is put in front of him for dinner. I think he knows that by the time dinner comes, there is very little playing time left; not enough to linger over dinner at least.

The recipe is a Gordon Ramsay one, slightly tweaked. It is from his book ,Great Escape, and whilst I am really not a fan of Gordon Ramsay, the man, Gordon Ramsay, the chef, can be relied upon for some wonderfully tasty food, and that's all that really matters.

I served potato and pea samosas with this as a starter, then steamed rice and naan to mop up all the delicious sauce, which is tangy from the yoghurt but not overly so. More fresh tasting if you ask me. For pudding I served Coconut Burfi, a blogpost coming to a food blog near you very soon. It was a good meal. Really good.

Chicken Badami, adapted from Gordon Ramsay's book 'Great Escape'

Serves 2, plus Lola and Finn with enough leftover for Phill's lunch the next day

Ingredients

500g boneless and skinless chicken thighs

4 garlic cloves,

2cm piece of fresh ginger

The juice of a large lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 onions, peeled and chopped

2tbsp ghee, or melted unsalted butter

1/2tsp cinnamon

4 cardamom pods, crushed

3 cloves

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp turmeric

50g ground almonds

300ml natural yoghurt

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

a squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

finely chopped coriander, to garnish

Method

Cut the chicken into two centimetre pieces (sort of) and place in a large bowl. Finely chopped the garlic and add to the chicken, peel and grate the ginger onto the chicken, squeeze in the lemon juice, season generously. Mix the contents well and leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours (I left it for 8) or overnight if you are organised.

When you are ready to cook the badami, place a suitable frying pan or cast iron pot on a medium heat and add the ghee/butter and onions. Cook until the onions are taking on a golden colour.

Add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and fry for 2 - 3 minutes, before adding the cumin, coriander, turmeric and the ground almonds.

Add the chicken to the pan and stir well to coat the meat in the spice and onion mixture. Turn the heat up and fry the chicken until it is opaque, moving the chicken around frequently.

Reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the yoghurt. Simmer slowly for about 20 - 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to how you like it. Stir from time to time to prevent the curry from catching. At this point, taste and season accordingly. I needed to add more salt and pepper. I also decided to add a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavours a little but it is by no means necessary.

Serve with rice and naan if you are of a mind to, and sprinkle with the chopped coriander. The original recipe suggests toasting off some flaked almonds as a garnish which I would do next time I make this. Don't forget a cold, cold beer.