For the chicken tikka:
- 500 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into small chunks
- 20 g ginger-garlic paste
- salt
- 75g yogurt
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp sweet paprika powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 10 ml rapeseed oil
- 30 g gram flour
- 20 ml rapeseed oil
For the gram flour roux:
For the makhni sauce:
- 20 ml rapeseed oil
- 20 g ginger-garlic paste
- 1 fresh Indian green chilli
- 400 g chopped plum tomato (tin), pureéd
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder
- ¼ tsp dried kasoori methi, ground
- ¼ tsp garam masala powder
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 20 ml rapeseed oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 10 g ginger-garlic paste
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 200 g chopped tomato (tinned)
- salt
- 20 ml single cream
For the onion-tomato masala:
For the chicken tikka
To prepare the gram flour roux, warm 20 ml of rapeseed oil, add 30 g of gram flour and cook over gentle heat until well mixed.
In a large bowl, add ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, ground spices and salt. Mix well and add the boneless chicken thighs, gram flour roux, rapeseed oil and mix well. Transfer to a container and leave to marinate for a minimum of 4 hours in a refrigerator.
Pre-heat the oven to 200c / gas mark 6.
Leave the marinated chicken at room temperature roughly 30 min prior to grilling.
To grill, place the chicken tikka on a cooking rack (with a drip tray below) and grill in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Turn on the grill and finish the chicken tikka on the top shelf, turning occasionally until brown at the edges. Remove and set aside to cool.
For the makhni sauce:
Heat oil in a large saucepan; add ginger and garlic paste and 1 green chilli, sauté for a couple of minutes, add the pureed tomato, honey, chilli powder, cardamom powder, ground dried fenugreek leaves, garam masala and simmer for 20 minutes, covered with a lid.
Once cooked, add salt and butter, stir well and set aside.
For the onion-tomato masala
Heat oil in a saucepan, add chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add ginger and garlic paste, followed by the ground spices and sauté a further 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and sauté for 5 minutes. Add salt, mix well, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
To finish
Heat the onion-tomato masala in a saucepan, add the chicken tikka and makhni sauce; finish with cream, check seasoning and serve.
