Methi Chicken (From Scratch / Base Free)

to begin heat a pan on medium and add the oil

once hot add in the cardamom pods, star anise, bay leaf, clove, cassia bark and cumin seeds. Allow to fry for around 60 seconds to infuse their flavour in the oil

add the onion, stir through and allow to soften for a minute or two

add the salt, finger chillies and the garlic and ginger paste. Stir them in and allow to simmer so the onions slightly caramelised

tip in the tomato puree as well as the mix powder, sugar, chilli, coriander, cumin and turmeric powders

mix in well and allow the spices to fry for a few minutes adding in a small amount of water if things look dry. If you ever have gritty or powdery curries it’s most likely you’re not cooking out your spices enough at this stage

if you’re adding raw meat it’s time to add it now. Coat it in the sauce and allow to brown for a minute or two before moving on

add in half of the heated up water, stir in and allow to reduce for a couple of minutes before adding the rest and stirring through

time to add the protein so add around eight pieces of meat, veg, paneer or tofu and coat in the sauce to stop it drying out

this dish works best with fresh methi leaves but you can always use them in their dry format where they are most commonly known as fenugreek leaves or kasoori methi

for fresh simply take one bunch of methi and remove the leaves from the stem. I end up with around 30 grams of leaves. Stir them in and allow them to wilt for a couple of minutes. If you’re using dried kasoori methi then you can add around 8 grams, that’s approximately 3 tablespoons now

add the fresh chopped coriander, stir through and allow to reduce without stirring for a few more minutes

turn off the heat, allow to cool for a minute then slowly incorporate the yoghurt. Adding this too fast when hot may cause it to split so be careful. I actually microwave mine for 10-20 seconds to warm it slightly first

if you’ve used raw meat check it’s fully cooked then serve and enjoy