Chicken Korma-style creamy cashew curry

Ingredients

Sauce

• 80 g cashews, soaked in hot water 30 min
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 green chilli, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 200 ml coconut milk
• 100 ml double cream
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• Pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt

Chicken

• 600 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 4 cm chunks
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp oil

Method

1. Cashew paste. Drain cashews. Blitz with 80 ml water to a smooth paste.
2. Chicken. Toss chicken with garam masala + yoghurt. Sear in oil, 5 minutes. Remove.
3. Aromatics. Add ghee to pan. Fry onions 10 minutes until deep golden. Add garlic, ginger, chilli. 1 minute.
4. Build. Stir in tomato purée, cashew paste, all spices, saffron milk. Cook 2 minutes.
5. Simmer. Add coconut milk + cream. Simmer 10 minutes.
6. Combine. Return chicken to sauce. Simmer 10 minutes until cooked through.
7. Serve. Topped with a swirl of cream and chopped pistachios.

Tips

• Soak cashews in hot water 30 min. Smooth paste = silky sauce.
• Saffron strands bloom in warm milk. Little bit of luxury.
• Brown the onions proper. That’s where the depth is.