If you order Chicken Pasanda in a UK Indian restaurant, you would expect a mild creamy curry, thickened with almonds. In fact you can make the curry as spicy as you like and it will take quite a lot of chilli because the almonds tend to temper the heat. Here I used black peppercorns as well as ground chilli and green chillies. The result is subtle layers of flavour with a kick of warm heat in reserve. Serve with naan bread or rice. This curry (like many curries) will benefit from being left overnight and reheated.
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 x skinless, medium boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks.
150 ml almond milk
1 tbsp of ghee or oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp grated or minced garlic
½ tsp each of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns
Seeds from 10 green cardamom pods
½ tsp of ground turmeric
1 tsp hot chill powder (or to taste)
2 tbsp ground almonds
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
Chopped green chillies
Salt to taste
Toasted flaked almonds to garnish
Method
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 x skinless, medium boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks.
150 ml almond milk
1 tbsp of ghee or oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp grated or minced garlic
½ tsp each of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns
Seeds from 10 green cardamom pods
½ tsp of ground turmeric
1 tsp hot chill powder (or to taste)
2 tbsp ground almonds
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
Chopped green chillies
Salt to taste
Toasted flaked almonds to garnish
Method
- Place the almond milk in a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook slowly until it is reduced by two thirds. Set aside.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds, the peppercorns and cardamom seeds. Dry fry for a few minutes until they start to smoke slightly. Place the spices in a spice grinder and reduce to a powder. Set aside.
- Heat the ghee or oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion and cook gently until the onion is softened.
- Mix in the ginger and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until the raw ginger smell disappears. You can add a few tablespoons of water if the mixture is to dry.
- Add the ground spices (including the turmeric and chilli powder) and cook for a few minutes more (adding water if required).
- Mix in the reserved almond milk, yoghurt and ground almonds. Add water (approx. 100 ml) until the sauce reaches a thick creamy consistency. Add salt to taste. At this stage, if you wish, you can process the sauce until smooth (I used a stick blender).
- Add the chicken pieces. Cook the curry over a low heat for 30 minutes than add the green chilies (reserve a few to garnish). Cook gently for a further 15 minutes.
- To serve, scatter the remaining chilli and toasted flaked almonds over the top.
