Chicken curry with masala and tomato

This curry is even better the day after it’s made! The leftovers are delicious with rotis and rice or use them as a filling for a pie or samoosas.

Makes 4 generous servings • Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus marinating time • Cooking time: about 1 hour • Oven temperature: 180°C

• 4 chicken quarters (thigh and drumstick) • 45ml tomato paste • 45ml tandoori masala • 2 cloves garlic, chopped • 2cm fresh ginger, grated • 125ml plain yoghurt • 1 tin whole tomatoes • 1 green chilli, chopped • 3ml chilli flakes • 125ml cream • 15ml oil • 5ml fennel seeds • 1 medium-sized butternut, peeled and diced • 125ml almond flakes, toasted • fresh coriander, to garnish (optional)

1 Using a sharp knife, make about five deep diagonal incisions through the skin of each chicken piece – this helps to infuse the flavours. Mix the tomato paste, masala, garlic, ginger and yoghurt then rub it into the chicken and marinate for at least an hour (or overnight in the refrigerator).

2 Preheat the oven. Place the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish and purée with a potato masher. Spoon the chicken and the marinade on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the fresh and dried chillies and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the cream over the top and bake

for about 1 hour until the chicken is melt-in-the-mouth tender and fragrant. The cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces.

3 Meanwhile, mix the oil and fennel with the butternut and season with salt and pepper. Bake this dish next to the chicken if your oven is big enough; it shouldn’t take longer than 35–40 minutes, so remove from the oven before the chicken.

4 To serve, add the cooked butternut to the chicken and sprinkle with the almonds and coriander. Serve with long-grain rice and rotis.