Today we’re heading to India — a country where spices have been elevated to an art form, and every dish tells a story of traditions thousands of years old. We’ll make two iconic dishes that have conquered the world.
Tender pieces of chicken, marinated in spiced yogurt and seared until golden, then simmered in a velvety tomato-cream sauce fragrant with cardamom and fenugreek. The dish is served with basmati rice or naan flatbreads — the sauce is so good, you’ll want to mop up every last drop.
Ingredients for the marinade:
• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs — 800 g
• Plain natural yogurt — 150 g
• Lemon juice — 2 tbsp
• Ground turmeric — 1 tsp
• Ground cumin — 1 tsp
• Garam masala — 1 tsp
• Ground paprika — 1 tsp
• Ground cayenne pepper — 0.5 tsp
• Salt — 1 tsp
• Garlic (finely grated) — 4 cloves
• Fresh ginger (finely grated) — a 3 cm piece
Ingredients for the sauce:
• Butter — 60 g
• Vegetable oil — 1 tbsp
• Onion — 1 large
• Garlic — 4 cloves
• Fresh ginger — a 3 cm piece
• Tomato paste — 2 tbsp
• Tomatoes in their own juice (canned, crushed) — 400 g
• 20–33% cream — 200 ml
• Garam masala — 1.5 tsp
• Ground cumin — 1 tsp
• Ground coriander — 1 tsp
• Ground turmeric — 0.5 tsp
• Cardamom (seeds from 3–4 pods) — to taste
• Sugar — 1 tsp
• Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi, if possible) — 1 tbsp
• Salt — to taste
Preparation:
Step 1. Marinating the chicken.
Cut the chicken thighs into pieces roughly 4×4 cm. Make 2–3 shallow cuts in each piece with a knife — this will allow the marinade to penetrate deep into the meat. In a deep bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, grated garlic, grated ginger, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt. Submerge the chicken in the marinade, mixing thoroughly with your hands so every piece is coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight (8–12 hours). The chicken is properly marinated when the meat takes on an even orange-yellow hue and feels slightly tender to the touch.
Step 2. Searing the chicken.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (or use the grill setting). Arrange the chicken pieces on a parchment-lined baking tray in a single layer, leaving 2 cm between them. Bake for 15–18 minutes, turning once halfway through. The chicken is ready when characteristic charred spots appear on the surface and the internal temperature reaches 75 °C. Alternatively, sear the chicken in a very hot pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil for 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden. Set the chicken aside.
Step 3. Preparing the aromatic sauce base.
In a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter together with the vegetable oil over medium heat. Dice the onion finely, into roughly 5 mm pieces. Fry the onion for 6–8 minutes, stirring every 1–2 minutes, until soft and golden. Add the finely grated garlic and ginger, and fry for another 1 minute — until the aroma blooms. The sign it’s ready: the raw smell of garlic disappears completely, and the mixture becomes fragrant and slightly darker.
Step 4. The tomato base.
Add the tomato paste to the onion mixture, stir, and fry for 1 minute — the paste will darken slightly and lose its acidic smell. Then pour in the canned tomatoes, add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, and crushed cardamom seeds. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce is ready for the next stage when it thickens noticeably and the oil begins separating around the edges — the classic sign that the tomatoes have cooked down completely.
Step 5. Turning it into a velvety sauce.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the sauce cool for 5 minutes. Blend it with an immersion blender until completely smooth and uniform — not a single lump left. If the sauce is too thick, add 50–80 ml water. Return the saucepan to medium heat, pour in the cream, and add the sugar and salt. Stir and warm through for 3–4 minutes. The sauce should take on the color of a sunset — warm, orange-pink — and flow off the spoon in a smooth ribbon.
Step 6. Bringing together the chicken and sauce.
Add the seared chicken pieces to the sauce. Stir gently so that every piece is submerged. Simmer over low heat for 10–12 minutes, uncovered, allowing the chicken to soak up the flavor. If using dried fenugreek leaves, rub them between your palms and add them 2 minutes before the end. It’s ready when the chicken pulls apart easily with a fork and the sauce coats the meat rather than running off immediately.
Step 7. Serving.
Transfer the butter chicken to a deep, warm plate. Place a small piece of butter (10 g) on top — it will melt slowly, creating a glossy sheen. Sprinkle with a pinch of garam masala and coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves. Serve immediately with fluffy basmati rice or warm naan flatbreads.
💡 Fact: Butter Chicken was invented in the 1950s at the 'Moti Mahal' restaurant in Delhi. Legend has it that chef Kundan Lal Gujral decided to save leftover tandoori chicken by simmering it in tomato sauce with butter and cream. That accidental improvisation became one of the world’s most popular Indian dishes — today, it is ordered more often than any other Indian dish in UK restaurants.
A lively, spicy chickpea stew in a thick onion-tomato sauce, saturated with a whole bouquet of spices — from cumin and coriander to amchur and cinnamon. The dish has a deep dark-brown color, a hearty texture, and a bright, slightly tangy flavor. It is served with rice or flatbreads and is one of India’s defining vegetarian dishes.
Ingredients:
• Dried chickpeas — 300 g (or 2 cans of chickpeas, 400 g each)
• Onion — 2 large
• Fresh ripe tomatoes — 4 medium (or 400 g canned)
• Garlic — 6 cloves
• Fresh ginger — a 4 cm piece
• Green chili pepper (serrano or jalapeño) — 1–2
• Vegetable oil — 3 tbsp
• Cumin seeds — 1.5 tsp
• Ground coriander — 2 tsp
• Ground turmeric — 1 tsp
• Garam masala — 1.5 tsp
• Ground paprika — 1 tsp
• Ground black pepper — 0.5 tsp
• Cinnamon stick — 1 (5 cm long)
• Bay leaves — 2
• Lemon juice — 2 tbsp
• Salt — to taste
• Fresh cilantro — 1 bunch, for serving
• Water — 250 ml
Preparation:
Step 1. Preparing the chickpeas.
If using dried chickpeas: rinse them under cold water, transfer them to a large bowl, and cover with cold water so that the water rises 8–10 cm above the chickpeas. Leave to soak for 8–12 hours (overnight). The chickpeas will roughly double in volume. After soaking, drain the water, transfer the chickpeas to a pot, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil, and cook for 45–60 minutes until tender. The chickpeas are ready when one can be easily crushed between your fingers but does not fall apart into mush. Drain, reserving 250 ml of the cooking liquid. If using canned chickpeas — simply drain and rinse them.
Step 2. Preparing the vegetable base.
Dice the onion finely, into 4–5 mm pieces. Dice the tomatoes into roughly 1 cm pieces (if using fresh ones, first score them with a cross, pour boiling water over them for 30 seconds, and peel). Press the garlic or grate it finely. Grate the ginger finely. Slice the green chili into thin rings, removing the seeds if you don’t want too much heat.
Step 3. Frying the whole spices.
In a large heavy-bottomed skillet or a cauldron, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Fry for 30–45 seconds, stirring constantly. The sign it’s ready: the cumin seeds begin to crackle and release a warm, nutty aroma, while the oil around them bubbles slightly. It is important not to overdo it — if the cumin turns black, it will taste bitter.
Step 4. Frying the onions.
Immediately add the diced onion to the spices. Fry over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring every 1–2 minutes. The onion should pass through several stages: first it turns translucent (4–5 minutes), then begins to brown at the edges, and finally develops a deep golden-caramel color. This caramelization is what creates the flavor base of the entire dish. Add the grated garlic, ginger, and green chili. Fry for another 2 minutes, until the raw smell disappears.
Step 5. The tomato base and ground spices.
Add the diced tomatoes, ground coriander, turmeric, paprika, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly. Cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, occasionally crushing the tomatoes with a spatula, until they break down into a thick paste. The sign it’s ready: oil begins to separate from the tomato mixture around the edges of the pan, and the mixture turns a rich dark orange. This is the key moment — undercooked tomatoes will leave a sour, raw taste.
Step 6. Simmering the chickpeas in the sauce.
Add the cooked chickpeas to the tomato-onion mixture. Pour in 250 ml water (or the reserved chickpea cooking liquid — it will give a richer flavor). Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid, leaving a small gap, and simmer for 20–25 minutes. Stir every 5–7 minutes. For a thicker texture, take a potato masher and crush roughly a quarter of the chickpeas directly in the pan — this will make the sauce thicker and more coating. It’s ready when the chickpeas are fully infused with the sauce, the liquid has thickened, and the dish has the consistency of a hearty stew.
Step 7. Final touches and serving.
Remove the lid, add the garam masala and lemon juice. Stir and warm through for another 2 minutes over low heat. Taste and adjust the salt and acidity. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Transfer the chana masala to a deep serving dish and generously scatter over coarsely chopped fresh cilantro. If desired, add thin half-rings of red onion and a lemon wedge. Serve with basmati rice, naan flatbreads, puri, or bhatura.
💡 Fact: Chana Masala is one of the most popular street foods in Northern India, especially in Punjab and Delhi. It is often served alongside fried, puffed 'bhatura' flatbreads — the combination is called 'Chole Bhature' and is considered Delhi’s unofficial breakfast. Interestingly, chickpeas are among the oldest cultivated foods on the planet: they have been grown in what is now India for more than 7,000 years.