Ingredients
- 1kg chicken breast chopped
- 20ml vegetable oil
- 2 whole dried red chillies
- 4 cloves
- 1tbsp lemon juice
- 3 black cardamom pods
- 2 large cinnamon sticks
- 2 bay leaves
- 400g onions finely chopped
- 20g fresh garlic chopped
- 20g fresh ginger chopped
- 1tsp hot chilli powder
- ½tsp turmeric 1tsp salt, or enough to taste
- 200g chopped tomatoes
- 500g baby spinach
- 20g fresh coriander
- For the spinach, 10ml vegetable oil 3g turmeric 10g garlic

Serves 6 

To make
Heat the oil in a deep wide-based pan and add the whole red chillies, cloves, cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks until they sizzle. Add the onions and fry until soft and light brown. Add the garlic and ginger, allowing the flavours to sink in, then the chicken, and sauté until sealed. Add the chilli powder, salt, turmeric and 10g of the coriander. Sauté for a few more minutes before adding the tomatoes. Stir and cook for a minute. Add 100ml water and the lemon juice, then bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. For the spinach, heat the oil, add the garlic and sauté until brown. Add the turmeric and mix for 30 seconds, then add the spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts and stir into the chicken, letting the flavours blend for 3 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh coriander.

This recipe was provided by food scientist Kumud Gandhi. You can take one of her cookery classes at The Saffron House’s Cooking Academy.

Fancy something fishy instead? Then try this low-fat salmon curry in a hurry.

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