Chicken Palak recipe

Indian Butter Chicken and Chicken Palak are my favourite curries. This recipe is a winner

Chicken Palak (serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

500 grams chicken thigh fillets

salt and pepper

250 grams washed spinach leaves

2 Tbs melted butter

3 cloves

6 – 8 black peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 onion peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated

2 cm ginger, peeled and grated

2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp mild curry powder

1 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp ground coriander

2 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped

1/2 tsp garam masala

30 ml brown onion soup

30 ml sour cream or cream

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Set aside
2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add spinach and blanch for 2 – 3 minutes. Drain well. In a food processor blend spinach to desired texture.
3. Place butter in a large pot over a low heat, cook butter until light brown, but be careful not to burn.
4. Add cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon and cumin seeds, fry for a minute or until aromatic.
5. Add Sliced onion and increase heat to medium. Fry for 6-8 minutes until the onion is light golden brown.
6. Add garlic, ginger and green chillies and fry for 2 minutes before stirring in chilli powder, curry powder, tumeric and coriander. Fry for about 30 seconds and stir in the chopped tomatoes. Continue to cook for 10 – 12 minutes
7. Add the chicken pieces and mix well, cook for 5 minutes then reduce the heat and partially cover with a lid. Simmer gently for 30 minutes until the chicken is tender adding a little water if too dry.
8. Add the spinach, garam masala, brown onion soup and sour cream and stir well. Re-cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot with naan bread and/or basmati rice.