Reza Mahammad is back with another of his spicy concoctions... his tasty cashew nut chicken curry!

Ingredients

1kg boneless chicken thighs/legs cut into 5 cm pieces
250g cashew nuts
100ml vegetable oil
2 onions finely chopped plus ½ onion finely sliced
12 garlic cloves
2.5cm fresh ginger chopped
2 ½ tbsp coriander seeds
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
4 dried red chillies
6 cloves
8cm cassia bark/ cinnamon sticks
100g freshly grated coconut salt 2 breen chillies
3-4 tbsp yoghurt

Method

1.Put 100g of the cashew nuts into a bowl and add just enough warm water to soak them. Leave for 2 hours. Drain and place them in either a blender or food processor, adding again a little warm water. Blitz to a thick smooth paste. Set aside.

2. Place 25g more of the cashew in a small frying pan and stir over a medium heat until toasted. Set aside.

3. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in the same pan and cook the sliced onion until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

4. In a large frying pan, dry-roast the garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies, cloves and cinnamon over a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the coconut, 75g more of the cashew nuts and the chopped onions and roast for 10 minutes more, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Grind the mixture either in a blender or food processor adding 150ml -250ml water to a very smooth consistency.

5. Heat the oil in a wide cooking pot, add the blended spice mixture and fry for 10 minutes over a low heat. Add the ground cashew paste with some salt and fry for another 2-3 minutes adding the green chillies.

6. Increase the heat to medium-high, and add the chicken pieces. Fry for 5 minutes, then add the remaining untoasted cashews. Stir-fry for a minute or so, then add 600ml water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

7. Serve with saffron basmati rice. Garnish with a dollop of yoghurt, the reserved toasted cashew nuts and the crispy fried onions.

NB: Make sure whilst grinding the spices, the resulting paste is very smooth to a fine consistency. The sauce may look curdled if not done properly.