Chicken Lababdar

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
• 3 green cardamom pods, smashed 2.5cm (1in) piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 blade of mace
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, or more
• to taste
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 11⁄2 tsp cumin
• 250ml (1 cup) tomato purée
• Sugar, to taste (optional) 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) whole skinless
• chicken, cut into 8–10 pieces
• 10 cashew nuts
• 3 green bird’s eye chillies
• 1⁄2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori
• methi)
• 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander
• (cilantro)
• 3 tbsp cream
• 1 generous tbsp cold butter Salt, to taste

Steps

1. Heat the oil over a medium–high heat ina large frying pan or wok. Add the cardamom pods, cinnamon and mace and allow these spices to infuse into the oil for about 30 seconds.
2. Add the onion and salt and fry for about?8 minutes, or until the onion is golden brown.
3. Stir in the green chillies and garlic and ginger paste and fry for about 45 seconds, stirring continuously.
4. Add the turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander and cumin and stir to combine before adding the tomatopurée. Taste the sauce – if you like a sweeter sauce, add sugar to taste, but I rarely do as I find the tomatoes sweet enough.
5. Add the chicken pieces and brownthem for about 2 minutes, then add 250ml (1 cup) of water.
6. Cover the pan and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through.
7. Meanwhile, blend the cashew nuts and green bird’s eye chillies with 70ml (1⁄4 cup) of water into a smooth, thin paste. Pour the paste over the chicken while it’s cooking.
8. After 12 minutes, remove the chicken and whole spices from the pan. Blend the sauce until smooth in a blender or using a hand-held blender.
9. Pour this back into the pan and, over a medium heat, add the dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) by rubbing it between your fingers into the sauce, as well as the coriander (cilantro) and cream.
10. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer until cooked through and hot. Stir in the butter until it melts into the sauce. Season with salt and serve.