Cardamom Chicken Gullfrazie

Ingredients

• 75ml vegetable oil
• 6 cardamom pods, split
• 3cm piece of root ginger, peeled and shredded
• 2 fat garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 sprig of curry leaves (approximately 12 leaves)
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 150ml water
• 500g tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 chicken, skin removed and jointed into 8 pieces
• A few grinds of freshly milled black pepper
• Chopped coriander
• A little ground cardamom, for garnish

Method

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and toss in the cardamom pods. After a few seconds they will begin to sizzle and give off a lovely nutty whiff. As soon as this happens stir in the shredded ginger and chopped garlic, followed by the diced onions and curry leaves. Add a pinch of salt, this helps to speed up the browning of the onions.
2. Fry the onions over a medium heat until golden. Sprinkle in the turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander and half of the ground cardamom. Stir and fry for a further minute before adding the water along with the chopped tomatoes and green chillies. Cook down until the sauce has thickened slightly.
3. Tip the chicken pieces into the pan, add a dash of water and sprinkle in the remaining ground cardamom.
4. Simmer the chicken curry for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with a little more ground cardamom and scattered with chopped coriander and a few grinds of black pepper.