I love coriander and I love ginger, I also love Thai curries and this tastes very Thai indeed, Hubby and I had our weekend alone and started it off on the Friday evening with this gorgeous dinner, great team work as I made the marinade during the day and Hubby cooked the curry when he came home.

Curries can be a lot of hard work, you need a lot of spices, there is a lot of cooking involved but this couldn’t be more simple, just remember to make the marinade, probably best the night before so that the chicken has time to take on all the amazing flavours. There is very little oil used, as the yoghurt makes up the bulk of the sauce and so it is also a lot healthier than a lot of curries. Use good quality chicken and lovely fresh yoghurt and you will have a truly yummy dinner. Its very clean, fresh and light tasting, it will not blow your head off and if you are not keen on very hot food, this recipe is for you. Serve with green vegetables, roti or naan, or with rice like we enjoyed it.

We had a great weekend together, enjoyed some lovely walks, had a very romantic evening picnic by the waters edge, picked blackberries, made jam and just really enjoyed our very precious alone time.
Buon appetito

Serves 6 -8

1.3 kg chicken, skinned and jointed into equal pieces so that the breast is cut into two (your butcher will do this for you), cut some slashes in the chicken at 1 cm intervals, or prick all over) to allow the flavours to penetrate.
Marinade
15g garlic, around 7 fat cloves, peeled 

20g ginger, peeled

400g yoghurt

4 teaspoons coriander powder

½-1 teaspoon red chilli powder
(I used 1/2 a teaspoon, Hubby would used 1 teaspoon)
1 rounded teaspoon garam masala

2 teaspoon salt or to taste

½ teaspoon cumin powder

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

1-2 green chillies, slit (optional)

2 small or one large black cardamom pods

Handful of finely chopped coriander stalks and leaves
Puree the ginger and garlic with some of the yoghurt for a smooth paste and stir in the remaining marinade ingredients. Add to the chicken and leave to marinate for as long as possible. I leave mine overnight. Bring back to room temperature before starting.
Pour the chicken and the marinade to a large saucepan or karahi and place over a high heat.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan and fry the chillies and the onion until soft, around 6 minutes. Once done, add to the chicken along with the cardamom pods and continue cooking over a high flame until the watery curry becomes creamy and only covers one third of the chicken, about 15-20 minutes.
Then cover and cook the chicken, over a very low flame, until it is tender and the gravy is rich and creamy, another 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally, making sure there is enough water in the pan and add a splash if necessary. Stir in the coriander, check the seasoning and serve.