Chicken tikka masala with big-batch rice

A gently spiced, creamy takeaway favourite. Cook the rice in a big pan and you will have plenty spare for egg fried rice later in the week.

Ingredients

• 600 g Chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 150 g Natural yoghurt
• 1 Lemons, juiced
• 8 g Garam masala
• 8 g Paprika
• 5 g Ground cumin
• 3 g Ground turmeric
• 2 g Chilli powder, add more for extra heat
• 0.5 Garlic, crushed
• 20 g Fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 20 ml Vegetable oil
• 25 g Butter
• 30 g Tomato purée
• 5 g Ground coriander
• 400 g Passata
• 5 g Caster sugar
• 100 ml Double cream
• 5 g Salt
• 400 g Basmati rice, cooked in a big pan so plenty is left over
• 10 g Fresh coriander, chopped

Method

1. Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice, garam masala, paprika, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Stir in the chicken, cover and leave to marinate.
2. Cook the chicken pieces under a hot grill or in a hot frying pan with half the oil, turning now and then, until cooked through and lightly charred at the edges.
3. While that cooks, soften the onions in the rest of the oil and the butter in a large pan, stirring often.
4. Stir in the tomato purée and ground coriander for a minute, then add the passata, sugar and salt. Simmer gently.
5. Rinse the rice, then boil it in plenty of salted water. Drain and leave it covered in the pan to steam.
6. Stir the cream and chicken into the sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Taste and add salt if it needs it.
7. Scatter with coriander and serve over the rice. Leave the spare rice in the pan for the after-dinner job.