Chicken Tikka Masala

This is another of those dishes that is celebrated in the West but less well known in India. It is said to be Britain's favourite chicken dish. In this version, tender chicken pieces are cooked in a creamy, spicy tomato sauce.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

675 g chicken breast portions, skinned
6 tbsp tikka paste
120 ml natural (plain)low fat yogurt
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 fresh green chilli, seeded and chopped
2.5 cm piece fresh root ginger, grated
1 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
250 ml water,
a little melted ghee or butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
fresh coriander (cilantro) sprigs, natural (plain) low fat yogurt and toasted cumin seeds, to garnish
Naan bread or plain basmati rice to serve.

Method:

1. Remove any visible fat from the chicken and cut the meat into 2.5 cm cubes. Mix 3 tbsp of the tikka paste and 4 tbsp of the yogurt into a bowl. Add the chicken and leave to marinate for 60 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and fry the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger for 5 minutes. Add the remaining tikka paste and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, thread the chicken pieces on to wooden kebab skewers. Preheat the grill (broiler).

4. Brush the chicken pieces lightly with melted ghee or butter and cook under a medium heat for 15 minutes, turning the skewers occasionally.

5. Put the tikka sauce into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return to the pan.

6. Add the remaining yogurt and the lemon juice, remove the grilled (broiled) chicken from the skewers and add to the pan, then simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with the fresh coriander, yogurt and toasted cumin seeds and serve on naan bread or with plain rice (basmati).