Chicken Korma

Ingredients

• 800g boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced
• 3/4 cup unsweetened natural yoghurt
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 Tbsp crushed ginger
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter — staple
• 2 large brown onions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin — staple
• 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric — staple
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala — staple
• 3/4 cup cream
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar — staple
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• Steamed rice, to serve — staple
• Naan or roti, to serve
• Coriander, to serve — optional garnish, skip
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 bag green beans, topped

Method

1. Mix the yoghurt, garlic, ginger and tomato paste in a large bowl.
2. Add the diced chicken and stir to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (overnight is better).
3. Heat a large frying pan or casserole over medium heat. Add the butter and onion and sauté 5 minutes until soft.
4. Add the cumin, turmeric and garam masala and fry 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
5. Tip in the marinated chicken with all its marinade. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring, until the outside is sealed.
6. Pour in the cream, stock and sugar, then stir through the ground almonds.
7. Simmer 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Season to taste.
8. Steamed trio: while the curry simmers, steam the carrot 4 minutes, then add the broccoli and beans for a further 4-5 minutes until bright and just tender.
9. Serve with steamed rice, warm naan and the steamed veg alongside (coriander optional).

Notes

- Protein-first portioning: meat set to 800g per 4 serves to land ~44g protein/serve (house rule). - Chicken is up 60% on the source, so the marinade and sauce (yoghurt, cream, stock, tomato paste, spices, butter, onion, almonds) are scaled ~1.5x — at source quantities 800g of thigh would stew dry rather than braise. - Calories/protein exclude the rice and naan. - Chicken breast works but dries out — if using it, cut the simmer to 10 minutes. - No korma paste sachet needed; the cumin/turmeric/garam masala trio is the whole spice mix. If you'd rather use a jar, swap in 2 Tbsp of a mild korma paste and skip the three ground spices. - Ground almonds are the thickener — cashew butter (2 Tbsp) is a decent substitute if the pantry is out. - Veg sweep: onion was the only vegetable, so the house Steamed trio (broccoli + carrot + green beans) is now a required side, ~170g veg/serve; calories +50 and protein +2. Garlic, onions and tomato paste lost their staple markers; coriander is now an optional garnish with no shopping line.