Chicken Tikka Masala version 2

The recipe calls for a lot of Kashmiri chillis, don’t be alarmed. These chaps look fierce but are actually pretty mild. What they do impart is a wonderfully vibrant colour.

What I like about this curry was the fantastic colour that the kashmiri chillis gave it without adding too much in the way of heat. Also frying the potatoes (which I had in a restaurant a little while ago and thought ‘what a clever idea’!) meant that they didn’t all break up but retained their shape and taste. I thought it worked really well.


You will need (serves 4):

• 4 Chicken breast (1 smallish one per person)
• 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• Knob of fresh ginger (2cm square), peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 heaped tbsp tandoori spice mix
• 1 tbsp korma curry paste
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 200ml fresh chicken stock
• 5-10 dried Kashmiri chillis
• Small handful chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped into smallish cubes


Heat oven to 375F.

Soak the kashmiri chillis in a bowl of hot water for about 20mins.

In a food processor drop in the onion, garlic and ginger, add about 2 tbsp water and whiz to a fine paste. Remove.

Drain the chillis, cut off the stalks and drop into food processor. Add 1 tbsp water and whiz to a fine puree.

In a heavy casserole dish heat 1 tbsp ghee or butter over a low to medium heat. When hot add pureed onion mixture and chilli mixture. Cook gently for about 5 mins.

Add tandoori mix and korma curry paste. Cook gently for another five minutes or so.

Add chopped chicken and stir until cooked. If it gets a little dry at any stage and starts sticking add some chicken stock.

When cooked pour in stock, soup and chopped tomatoes. Give it a stir and put in oven with a lid on for about 2 hours. Stir every half an hour or so.

Meanwhile put the chopped potatoes in a saucepan with lightly salted water and 1 tsp turmeric (adds colour). Bring to boil and cook for 5 mins only. Drain.

In a frying pan heat a splash of olive oil over a low-medium heat and when hot add drained potatoes. Sprinkle liberally with cayenne pepper and fry gently for about ten minutes or so until golden. Give the potatoes a flick every so often to keep them turned.

Take the curry out of the oven, gently stir in the potatoes and fresh coriander and serve immediately.