BUTTER CHICKEN PIE Serves 6 (see opposite, top left)
750g boneless, skinless chicken
thighs, cut into 2cm dice Flaky shortcrust pastry (see
recipe left) or pastry of choice Nigella seeds, to garnish
First marinade Juice of 2 limes 1 tsp chilli powder
Second marinade
50g plain (natural) yoghurt
50g cream
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 5cm piece fresh ginger, roughly
chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
Sauce
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
50g ghee or butter
5 garlic cloves, finely crushed 5cm piece fresh ginger, finely
grated
400g tin chopped tomatoes ½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp desiccated coconut 1½ tsp fine salt
100g macadamia nuts, lightly
toasted and chopped
50g cream
½ bunch coriander, leaves and
stems chopped
Day one: 1. To prepare first marinade, combine lime juice and chilli powder in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. To prepare second marinade, put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine well. Add this to chicken and mix well so chicken is fully coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Day two: 3. Take chicken out of fridge and bring to room temperature. Heat a cast-iron or heavy-based frying pan over a medium–high heat. Brown chicken in batches until golden but not cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. To make sauce, dry-roast coriander and cumin seeds in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Grind spices and set aside.
5. Melt ghee in a large heavy-based saucepan or cast-iron casserole dish over a medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook for
1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add tomatoes and bring to a slow simmer for 5 minutes. Add all the spices, coconut and salt and simmer over a low heat for a further 10 minutes, then add chicken and simmer for 10 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through. Add water to loosen sauce if required. Remove pan from the heat and stir through macadamias, cream and coriander. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare your pastry. Assemble and bake pie (see page 150) and garnish with nigella seeds. >