Indian - Tag - vo.rs

Chicken Tikka Masala with Charred Tomato and Cashew Cream

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Chicken tikka masala is the comfort curry, marinated chicken in a creamy, spiced tomato sauce. Here the tomatoes are blistered under the grill until charred and sweet, lending a smoky backbone, while soaked cashews are blended into a silky cream that replaces the usual double cream. The result is luxuriously smooth, a little lighter, and just as moreish as the takeaway version.

1 Ingredients

Serves 4.

700g boneless chicken breast or thigh, cut into chunks
200g full-fat natural yoghurt
3 tbsp tikka spice blend (or 1 tsp each cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
500g ripe tomatoes, halved
100g raw cashews
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
200ml hot water
Salt, to taste
Fresh coriander, to serve

2 Method

Mix the yoghurt with the tikka spice blend, half the garlic and ginger, and a good pinch of salt. Stir in the chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Soak the cashews in just-boiled water while you cook; this softens them for blending.
Heat the grill to high. Lay the tomatoes cut-side up and grill for 8-10 minutes until blistered and blackened in patches. Set aside.
Thread the chicken onto skewers or spread on a tray and grill for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a large pan and soften the onion for 8 minutes until deep golden.
Add the remaining garlic and ginger with the turmeric, cumin and paprika, and fry for a minute until aromatic.
Tip in the charred tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, crushing them down into a thick base.
Drain the cashews and blend with the hot water until completely smooth and creamy.
Blend the tomato base smooth, return to the pan, then stir in the cashew cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Fold in the grilled chicken, warm through, finish with garam masala, and taste for salt.
Scatter with coriander and serve with rice or naan.

3 The Story

Few dishes provoke as much affectionate argument as chicken tikka masala. It is often held up as a symbol of British dining: marinated, grilled chicken tikka, an idea rooted firmly in the Indian subcontinent, married to a creamy, spiced sauce that suited British tastes. Several restaurants and cooks have claimed to have invented it, and the truth is probably that it emerged in more than one kitchen at around the same time, as cooks improvised a gravy for tikka that might otherwise have arrived dry. What is not in doubt is its popularity; it has long been one of the most ordered dishes in curry houses across the country.

Butter Chicken with Smoked Paprika and Fenugreek

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Murgh makhani is comfort in a bowl: tender chicken in a glossy tomato-cream sauce. This version leans on smoked paprika for a quiet, woodsmoke depth, dried fenugreek for that unmistakable curry-house aroma, and a spoon of honey to round the tomato’s edge. It tastes slow-cooked but comes together on a weeknight, and the sauce clings to every piece like velvet.

1 Ingredients

Serves 4.

700g boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
150g full-fat natural yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
60g unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
150ml double cream
1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tbsp honey
Salt, to taste
Fresh coriander, to serve

2 Method

Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice, half the garlic and ginger, the smoked paprika, cumin and a pinch of salt. Coat the chicken and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes, or overnight if you can.
Heat a heavy frying pan until hot. Sear the marinated chicken in batches until browned and charred at the edges; it needn’t be cooked through. Set aside.
In the same pan, melt half the butter over medium heat and soften the onion for 8 minutes until golden.
Stir in the remaining garlic and ginger and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, breaking them down, until thick and jammy.
Blend the sauce until completely smooth, then return it to the pan.
Stir in the cream, honey and remaining butter, then crumble in the dried fenugreek between your palms to release its aroma.
Return the chicken with any resting juices and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes until cooked through and the sauce is silky.
Stir through the garam masala, taste and adjust salt.
Scatter with coriander and serve with naan or basmati rice.

3 The Story

Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, is one of the dishes that defines North Indian cooking for much of the world. It is widely associated with Delhi restaurant kitchens of the mid-twentieth century, where the idea of bathing tandoor-cooked chicken in a rich tomato-and-butter gravy reportedly took hold as a way to use up roasted meat without letting it dry out. Whatever the precise origins, the principle is sound and generous: char the chicken first, then give it a luxurious sauce to rest in.

Spiced Vegetable Samosas with Mint Chutney

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 09:00:00 +0000

The samosa needs no introduction: a crisp, golden triangle of pastry around a warmly spiced filling. The twist here is in the detail — a classic pea-and-potato filling sharpened with amchur for a gentle tang, served with a vivid, zingy mint-and-coriander chutney that cuts through the richness of the fried pastry. Made from scratch they are deeply satisfying, and the homemade dough fries up far crisper and flakier than anything from a packet. Perfect with tea.

Lamb Rogan Josh with Kashmiri Chilli

Wed, 22 May 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Rogan josh is the aromatic, brick-red lamb curry of Kashmir, and the secret to it tasting right is colour without ferocious heat. The twist here leans on Kashmiri chilli — prized for its vivid red hue and mild warmth — to give that signature glow, while a yoghurt-and-fennel base builds the gentle, perfumed depth the dish is loved for. Whole warm spices and a long, slow braise do the rest, leaving the lamb fork-tender in a glossy sauce. Worth the wait.

Dal Tadka with a Ghee-Cumin Tempering

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Dal tadka is the lentil dish that home cooks across India make almost without thinking, yet it never gets old. The twist, and indeed the whole soul of the dish, is the tadka: a small pan of ghee crackling with cumin, garlic, onion and chilli, poured sizzling over the cooked lentils at the very end. That final aromatic flourish transforms a plain pot of dal into something fragrant and luxurious. Serve with rice or warm flatbread for proper comfort food.

Chana Masala with Amchur

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Chana masala is the chickpea curry that proves a humble store-cupboard tin can carry a whole dinner. The twist here is amchur — dried green-mango powder — stirred in at the end for a sharp, fruity tang that brightens the deep, spiced tomato base without watering it down. Toasted cumin seeds open the dish, a little mashing thickens the sauce naturally, and the whole thing comes together from two tins of chickpeas in about half an hour.

Saag Paneer with Fenugreek

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Saag paneer is the comfort dish of British curry houses for good reason: soft cubes of fresh cheese in a silky, deep-green spinach sauce. The twist here is two-fold. First, the paneer is pan-fried until golden and slightly crisp before it goes in, so it holds its shape and tastes nuttier. Second, a generous crumble of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) lends the savoury, faintly maple-like aroma that lifts the whole dish out of the ordinary.