Ingredients
For the sauce
-
2 tablespoons
tomato puree
( paste)
-
1 tablespoon
water
-
1 tablespoon
Dijon mustard
-
1 teaspoon
ground cumin
-
1 teaspoon
garam masala
-
1 tablespoon
lemon juice
-
1/2 teaspoon
salt
-
1/4-1/2 teaspoon
chili powder
-
1 cup
cream
For the curry
-
4 (5 ounce)
boneless skinless chicken breasts
( weighing approx 1 lb 4oz in total)
-
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-
4 tablespoons
vegetable oil
-
2 inches
piece cinnamon sticks
-
6
cardamom pods, cracked open
-
6
cloves
-
1 medium
onion, cut into fine half-rings
-
1 inch
piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and cut into fine slices, then into fine strips
-
1 -3
hot green chili pepper, cut at a diagonal into fine strips
( I use three but I do remove the seeds)
-
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds or 1/2 teaspoon
yellow mustard seeds
-
2
garlic cloves, finely chopped
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/.
- Put the tomato purée/paste in a bowl and mix with one tablespoon of water.
- Add all the remaining sauce ingredients, in the listed order, mixing as you go.
- Spread out the chicken breasts and season them generously on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Put three tablespoons of the oil in a non-stick frying pan and place over a high heat.
- When hot, add the cinnamon, cracked cardamom pods and cloves.
- After ten seconds, add the chicken breasts in a single layer and brown them lightly on both sides.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a single layer in an ovenproof dish.
- Add the onions, ginger and green chillies to the same frying pan and fry them in the residual oil until they are golden-brown in colour.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and spread evenly over the chicken breasts.
- Add the remaining one tablespoon of oil to the frying pan, when hot add the mustard seeds.
- As soon as they pop - this will be just a few seconds - add the garlic and stir.
- When the garlic starts to brown, pour in the sauce.
- As soon as the sauce heats up and starts bubbling, pour it over and around the chicken without displacing the onion mixture.
- Place the ovenproof dish, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.