Neven Maguire's Complete Family Cookbook: Creamy Chicken Korma

Creamy Chicken Korma

Thank heaven for Neven! Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook will be a lifesaver in every family’s kitchen. Our families are the most important people in our lives, so when it comes to mealtimes we want to give them the best we can. This new definitive collection from Neven Maguire gives you all the inspiration and help you’ll need to get more of the good stuff into your family’s diet and make homemade food the heart of your home. This creamy chicken korma puts the winner in chicken dinner!

Everyone loves a good curry and I’m no different. We tend to cook one at home most weeks and this has got to be my favourite. It was a great way to introduce the twins to gentle spicing and they still absolutely love it. I find it’s best to make it earlier in the day, as the flavour only improves with time. Any leftovers are lovely put into wraps with some salad and a drizzle of cucumber raita for lunch. I often add a tin of chickpeas and/or a couple of diced sweet potatoes to bulk it out.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely
• chopped (optional)
• 2 tsp finely grated root ginger
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp chilli powder
• 1 x 400g (14oz) tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp mango chutney, plus extra to serve
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g (14oz) tin of coconut milk
• 750g (1lb 10oz) boneless, skinless chicken (preferably thighs, although breast works too), cut into
• 2.5cm (1in) cubes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• steamed fragrant rice (see below), to serve
• handful of fresh coriander sprigs, to garnish
• warmed naan bread, to serve

1 Heat the oil in a large pan set over a medium heat and stir-fry the onions and garlic for 6–8 minutes, until golden brown. Add the green chilli, if using, and the ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

2 Add the garam masala to the pan with the turmeric, chilli powder and a pinch of salt and cook for another minute, stirring. Add the tomatoes, chutney, tomato purée and 4 tablespoons of water. Stir well to combine, then bring to a fast simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce is so well reduced that it’s almost sticking to the bottom of the pan, stirring occasionally.

3 Stir the coconut milk into the pan, then stir in the chicken. Slowly bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and completely tender. Season to taste.

4 To serve, arrange the fragrant steamed rice and chicken korma on warmed plates and scatter over the coriander sprigs to garnish. Place the naan breads in a separate dish to pass around at the table along with the mango chutney.

Steamed fragrant rice

This recipe uses basmati rice, the undisputed queen of rice. It actually triples in length as it cooks and fills the house with the most heavenly scent. You can omit frying the spices and bay leaf in the oil if you are serving it with more Oriental-inspired or plain dishes.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

350g (12oz) basmati rice
1 tbsp sunflower oil
4 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods, cracked
5cm (2in) piece of cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
600ml (1 pint) boiling water
½ tsp salt

1 Wash the rice in numerous changes of cold water until the water runs relatively clear. Cover with more cold water and leave to soak for 7 minutes, then drain well.

2 Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan that is approximately 20cm (8in) in diameter. Add the cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and bay leaf and cook gently over a low heat for 1 minute, until they start to smell aromatic.

3 Stir in the rice and add the boiling water and salt, then quickly bring to the boil. Stir once, cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low and cook over a low heat for 1 minute. Uncover, then fluff up the grains with a fork to serve.

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