Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour


Ingredients

5tbsp oil

For the Spice Paste:
1½tbsp cumin seeds
8-10 dried hot red chillies, broken into halves
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1½ tsp fennel seeds
1½ tsp black peppercorns
1½ tsp white poppy seeds
5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
4cm/1½in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
1½-2tsp salt

You also need:
3 bay leaves
5 cardamom pods
2.5cm/1in cinnamon stick, broken
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
1½ tsp urad dal
15-20 fresh curry leaves, if avaliable
2 meduim-sized onions (175g/6oz), peeled and finely chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
one 1kg/2¼lb chicken, skinned and cut into smallish serving pieces
(breast halves into 3 and legs into
drumsticks and thighs)

Method

1. Make the spice paste: In a small frying-pan, heat 1 tbsp of the oil
over a medium-high heat. When hot
add the cumin seeds, chillies, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black
peppercorns and poppy seeds. Stir and
fry briefly until lightly roasted. Now put these into a clean coffee
grinder and grind to a powder. Empty
into the container of an electric blender. Put the garlic, ginger,
turmeric and salt into the blender as well,
along with 6-8tbsp water. Process until you have a fine paste, pushing
down with a rubber spatula if
needed. Set aside.

2. Heat the remaining 4tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high
heat. When hot, add the bay
leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves and urad dal. Stir
and fry briefly until the urad dal
turns red, then add the curry leaves if using. Stir once or twice and
add the onions. Fry the onions until
they are soft and just lightly coloured. Now add the spice paste.
Continue to stir and fry for about 4-6
minutes, adding a little water to prevent sticking. Add the tomato. Stir
and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the chicken pieces to the onion and spice mixture. Stir until
they are well coated, then add
600ml/1pt/2½ cups water, just enough to cover. Bring to the boil. Turn
the heat to low, cover and simmer
until the chicken is almost cooked, about 20-25 minutes.

4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken pieces. Turn the heat up to
medium-high, and reduce the
sauce until very thick. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Replace the
chicken, fold gently into the sauce
and cook for a further 5 minutes before serving.

Cruise - eat them up yum!
Best Prices On Poppy Seeds
http://www.poppyseed.org