Cold & Flu Busting Chicken Madras with Tamarind

Beat the bugs with the goodness of spices!

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
2 sticks cinnamon
2 tablespoons nigella seeds
1 tablespoon each fennel and
fenugreek seeds
1 whole garlic bulb, nely chopped
4 tablespoons grated (peeled)
fresh root ginger
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons chilli powder
salt, to taste
2 medium onions, nely diced
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
700g chicken joints, skinned
To season…
1 teaspoon garam masala
25g bunch of freshly chopped coriander
Serves: 4

Pour some olive oil into a deep saucepan. Add the cinnamon sticks, nigella, fennel and fenugreek seeds into the olive oil, and cook over a medium heat until the fennel seeds are a roasted colour – this should take no more than 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the oil to cool.

Once the oil-and-spice mixture has cooled, add the garlic and fresh ginger to the pan and cook over a low-medium heat until the garlic is a golden brown colour, stirring frequently – this should take no more than 2–3 minutes.

Add the turmeric, ground ginger, chilli and salt, and mix well and cook for about 20 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, tamarind paste and chicken to the pan, mix well and cook until the chicken is sealed all over, stirring all the time – this should take no more than 10 minutes.

Add enough boiling water to cover the chicken and bring back to the boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook, uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Recipe extracted from Indian Superspices. Photography by Nevrus Kaya. More info: www.indiansuperspices.com