Chicken Thigh Tikka Masala With Cardamom Rice

Preheat the grill to high and take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Add your chicken to a bowl with half your natural yoghurt, half your curry powder and half your ginger paste (you'll use the rest later!) then give everything a good mix up – this is your marinaded chicken, add the marinaded chicken to to a tin foil-lined baking tray and put under the grill for 15 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your chicken tikka

Crush your cardamom pod[s] open by squashing them with the side of a knife

Add your basmati rice, crushed cardamom pod[s] and 300ml [390ml] [600ml] cold water to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10-12 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered until serving

Meanwhile, boil half a kettle

Peel and finely slice your shallot[s]

Chop your tomato[es] roughly

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add your sliced shallot with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-6 min or until caramelised

Once caramelised, add the chopped tomato and cook for 2-3 min or until softened

Once softened, add the remaining curry powder, remaining ginger paste, your tomato paste, ground paprika and the chopped garlic to the pan with 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] sugar and 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] flour

Cook for 1-2 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add 200ml [250ml] [350ml] boiled water with your chicken stock mix and your clotted cream

Cook for a further 5 min or until the sauce begins to thicken to a gravy-like consistency

Chop your chicken tikka into large bite-sized pieces

Once the sauce has thickened, stir through the chopped chicken tikka and your garam masala – this is your chicken tikka masala