Jan's Indian Style Chicken Curry - so easy to make at home

 I've posted many curry recipes before.  Although this is almost the same as my chicken balti recipe, I wanted this post to be a reminder that it really is worth a little effort and having a go and making your own curry at home.  
You'll find it's far nicer than from a takeaway or a jar.  

 With a tiny bit of planning you can get everything ready to go:

Start preparing all the bits beforehand.  For example, seeing as all the dried spices go in at once, you can have them measured out into a pinch pot or cup, then all you have to do it tip them in. 

This would serve 4 just add more chicken.  The sauce I believe will still be enough - we're just greedy.

To serve 2 you will need:
a glug or two of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds - crushed
1 large onion - chopped
1 red chilli - seeds in and finely chopped or sliced
1 green chilli - seeds in and finely chopped or sliced
3 nice fat cloves of garlic - finely chopped
a piece of ginger about 2cm square - peeled and very finely chopped

Dried Spices:
1 heaped tablespoon of garam masala
2 good teaspoons of ground coriander
2 good teaspoons of cumin
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of turmeric - don't go for anymore than this as turmeric can give a bitter taste
about 6 cloves - ground in a pestle and mortar

You will also need:
2 skinless chicken fillets - cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons of soft brown sugar
1 good tablespoon of tomato puree (known as tomato paste in the US)
a little salt to taste
**make up 200ml of chicken stock from half of a Knorr stock cube
1 bay leaf
1 x 400ml tin of good quality tomatoes
a small handful of dried curry leaves - crumbled
3 whole cardamon pods - split

To Serve:
a small handful of fresh chopped coriander, rice and of course, Naan bread.

How to do it:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, when hot throw in the mustard.  Stir about for 30 or 40 seconds till they just start to pop - don't burn them.
Now add the chopped onion.  Cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft but not too coloured.  Be patient with your onions as they will taste far nicer if cooked slowly!
When that's happened, add the green chillies, garlic, ginger and all the dried spices.  Cook for about 5 minutes over a medium heat - stirring and making sure they don't burn.
Now add another small glug of oil and throw in the chicken and add the sugar and stir to coat. Keep the chicken moving about so it gets sealed and slightly starts to brown.
Stir in the tomato puree, cook for 1 minute and then add just 100ml of the 200ml of chicken stock.  You may or may not need the rest later so keep it to one side.
Add the bay leaf to the pan along with the split cardamon pods and the tin of tomatoes including the juice and crumble in the curry leaves.
Cook over a low heat for about 25 minutes, try not to let it bubble too much or your chicken will become tough.  You want the sauce to reduce and become thicker.  If you do need to add the rest of the stock then do so if you need to.
About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve try to fish out the bay leaf and the cardamon pods - they're horrid things I think, if you bite into them they taste like flowers!

If you have a rice cooker then all the better!  So easy and perfect rice every time.  This is the one I have and it is fantastic and it's a slow cooker as well. 
I did a lot of research before buying it and it most certainly does the job.  I paid a lot more than it is selling for now - excellent value at £35.00 (at the time of writing).
You can see my video review here.