The 12 Best Curries to Cook at Home

Method:

A curry to cook at home

This butter chicken is mild, tomato-rich and silky, with browned chicken pieces folded into a buttery sauce. Allow about 80–90 minutes, including a 30-minute marinade; you can marinate for up to 12 hours in the fridge instead. There is enough cream to round the tomatoes, while a final knob of butter gives the sauce its shine.

Ingredients for four

- Chicken thighs (700 g)
- Plain yogurt (150 g)
- Onions (1)
- Garlic (4 cloves)
- Ginger (20 g)
- Oil (1 tbsp)
- Passata (400 g)
- Cream (100 ml)
- Water (100 ml)
- Cumin (2 tsp)
- Ground coriander (2 tsp)
- Sweet paprika (2 tsp)
- Cinnamon (1/4 tsp)
- Cayenne (1/4 tsp)
- Lemon (1/2)
- Salt (1/2 tsp)
- Butter (40 g)
- Brown sugar (1 tsp)

Before you start

Cut the boneless meat into 3 cm pieces. Mix with all the yogurt, half the garlic and ginger, 1 tsp each of cumin, ground coriander and paprika, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp oil and 1/4 tsp salt. The remaining garlic, ginger, spices and salt are for the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for the marinating time below. Finely chop the onions while you wait.

Use skinless chicken thighs. Marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge, or up to 12 hours. Heat the oven to 220°C conventional / 200°C fan. Use 20 g butter as the sauce fat in the next step and reserve the other 20 g for finishing.

At the stove

Cook the onions in the sauce fat for 10–12 minutes until golden. Stir in the reserved garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then all remaining dry spices for 30 seconds. Add passata, water and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. For a smoother sauce, blend carefully off the heat with a stick blender, keeping its head submerged.

While the sauce cooks, place the chicken on a foil-lined metal tray in one layer, with space between pieces. Leave excess marinade in the bowl and discard it. Roast for 18–22 minutes, turning once, until browned at the edges. Add chicken and all tray juices to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

Check a thick piece with a food thermometer: the centre should stay at 75°C for 30 seconds. If it has not, continue cooking and check again. Add a little hot water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Finish and serve

Lower the heat and stir in cream and sugar. Warm for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 20 g butter. Taste before adding any remaining lemon juice: the yogurt and tomatoes may provide enough acidity.

Taste for salt and let the curry stand for 5 minutes. Serve with plain rice or warm flatbread, bought ready-made if that makes dinner easier. Put a little plain yogurt on the table for anyone who wants to soften the heat; it is an optional accompaniment.

Everyday substitutions

Dried fenugreek leaves are optional: if you already have them, crush 1 tsp into the sauce with the cream; otherwise simply leave them out. Parsley is not an equivalent. No cashews or specialist paste are required. For a lighter finish, replace cream with 100 ml evaporated milk, warming gently; it will be less rich.

Use sunflower, rapeseed or mild olive oil; ghee is optional, in the same quantity. Use pure cayenne or ground chilli, not a chilli-con-carne seasoning blend. Start with less if you prefer gentle heat. All spoon measures are level; spices are ground unless stated otherwise.