Who doesn’t love curry sauce? It forms the basis of the classic comfort dish that us Brits adore.
Finished off with tender chunks of chicken or fish, lovely seasonal veggies, or simply served on its own with paratha or naan bread for dunking (or poured over chips if you’re being really naughty!), curry sauce can be taken in plenty of delicious directions.
This tikka masala sauce is a brilliant recipe to master as it’s such a crowd-pleaser. With a spiced, creamy coconut and tomato base, it’s a good one to make if you’ve got a mixture of vegetarians and meat-eaters coming over for dinner. You just need to make up a double, or triple batch and serve with either chicken, fish or vegetables. This recipe makes enough for 6 to 8 people, so freeze any leftovers for a quick curry another night.
CRACKING CURRY SAUCE
- Peel 2 onions and 4 cloves of garlic, then finely slice with 1 to 2 fresh red chillies and the stalks from 1 bunch of fresh coriander (reserving the leaves for later).
Here’s an extra tip for preparing fresh chilli: - Put it all into a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat with a lug of olive oil and cook for around 20 minutes, or until golden, stirring regularly.
- Add 1 level tablespoon of ground coriander, 2 level teaspoons of turmeric and 1 heaped teaspoon each of paprika and garam masala. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add and toast 6 tablespoons of ground almonds.
- Pour in 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes, crumble in 1 organic chicken stock cube and add 300ml of boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in 2 x 400g tins of light coconut milk and simmer for a final 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season to perfection.
- Now jazz it up however you like. Add grilled chicken, fish or vegetables, if you like, then swirl through some natural yoghurt, sprinkle with your reserved coriander leaves, and serve. Delicious with parathas or fluffy basmati rice.
