Ingredients
6tbsp white poppy seeds
7tbsp skinned melon seeds
4tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 medium-large onion (100g/4oz), peeled and finely chopped
2 medium-sized tomatoes, finely chopped
150ml/5fl oz thick, Greek-style (whole milk) yoghurt
one 1kg/2¼lb chicken, cut into about 8 serving pieces
1 tbsp Punjabi garam masala
1 tsp ground white pepper
¼tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1½ tsp salt
120ml/4fl oz/½ cup single cream
2 tbsp sultanas (golden rasins)
2 tbsp blanched, slivered almonds
Method
1. Put the poppy seeds and melon seeds into a clean coffee grinder and grind as finely as possible. Put in a bowl and add 5-6tbsp water to make a paste. Set aside.
2. Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy, wide saucepan over a medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onion and brown lightly. Add the tomatoes and continue to brown until you can see the oil separating from the sauce. Add the poppy and melon seed paste and continue to stir and fry for 2-3 minutes. Put in the yoghurt a tbsp at a time, stirring and frying each time until it is incorpoated in the sauce. Add the chicken pieces, the garam masala, white pepper, cayenne pepper, chilli powder, salt and 200ml/7fl oz/1 cup water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat to low and cook until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cream, sultanas (golden raisins) and almonds. Mix and bring to a simmer. Cook very gently without covering for another 5 minutes.
