Chicken and pea korma with tzatziki

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Korma is one of those please-all Indian curries. Everyone (except vegetarians), will pounce on a big bowl of this chicken one, and even then you could swap the chicken out for sweet potato or pumpkin (winter squash). Prepare for your kitchen to smell delicious. The green apple I’ve added to the tzatziki gives it a little extra zing.

130g thick Greek yoghurt
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
a handful of coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves reserved
1 tbsp garam masala
6 boneless, skinless free-range chicken thighs
Cooked white rice or naan bread, to serve (optional)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 brown onion, halved and thinly sliced
1⁄2 a red capsicum, seeded and thinly sliced
1 1⁄2 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)
2 tsp curry powder
1⁄4 tsp salt
1 batch of simple but proper tzatziki
1 green apple (such as granny smith), coarsely grated, seeds removed
75g frozen peas
25g flaked almonds (optional)

In a large bowl, stir together the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, coriander stems and 2 tsp of the garam masala.

Cut each chicken thigh into nine pieces then stir into the yoghurt mixture, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or ideally for 1–3 hours, if you have time.

If you are making rice, start it just before you start cooking the korma.

Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Add the canola oil, then the onion and capsicum and stir for 3–5 minutes, or until the onion starts to turn golden brown.

Add the tomato paste,curry powder, salt and the remaining garam masala, and cook for a further 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, before adding the chicken and yoghurt mixture.

Cook for 8–13 minutes, stirring often, or until the yoghurt has started to brown and the chicken has just cooked through (piping hot flesh with no sign of pink in the juices).Turn the heat off.

Roughly chop half the coriander leaves and stir them through the tzatziki with the grated apple.

Stir the frozen peas through the korma.The second they have warmed through in the korma, put the taztziki in the middle of the table with the rice or naan bread.

Scatter over the remaining coriander leaves and flaked almonds (if using) and serve.

Serves
4

Preparation Time
15 minutes

Cooking Time
25 minutes

Main ingredients
Dairy, Chicken, Vegetables

Recipe Type
Dinner, Healthy, Quick Meals

Level of Difficulty
Easy

Recipe and image from I’d Eat That by Callum Hann, photography by Alan Benson. Published by Murdoch Books.