chicken balti with whole spices

How to make chicken balti with whole spices recipe - Calories per serving 320 (not including rice)

Serves 4

Preparation time 20 minutes, Cooking time 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 onion, quartered
2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 600 g (1¼ lb) in total, cubed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roughly crushed
1 cinnamon stick, halved
8 cardamom pods, roughly crushed
6 cloves
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
400 g (13 oz) can chopped tomatoes
600 ml (1 pint) gluten-free chicken stock
small bunch of coriander, torn
25 g (1 oz) toasted flaked almonds, to garnish

Method:
Place the onion, ginger and garlic in a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Alternatively, chop with a knife.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the chicken and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in the chopped onion mixture and fry for 2–3 minutes until softened.

Stir in the spices and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute, then mix in the tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.

Add the coriander and cook for 1 minute, then spoon into 4 bowls. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve with rice, if liked.

For chicken balti with mushrooms & spinach, omit the cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, turmeric and chilli flakes and stir in 2 tablespoons medium-hot gluten-free balti curry paste instead. Mix in 125 g (4 oz) sliced cup mushrooms and cook as for Chicken balti with whole spices. Stir in 150 g (5 oz) baby spinach leaves along with the coriander at the end and cook until the spinach has just wilted. Calories per serving 324

chicken balti with whole spices