If you love chicken tikka masala, I suggest that you make your own. You will know the quality of the chicken and the provenance of the spices. You will also know that you are eating a dish without the high levels of tartrazine (E102), sunset yellow (E110) and ponceau 4R (E124) that have been identified in more than half the samples of curry- house masalas tested on behalf of the Surrey trading standards department this week.

There is little that is authentically Indian about chicken tikka masala, but that is no excuse for curry houses to demean it with inferior ingredients and dubious artificial colourings. Do not let what looks like a long list of ingredients put you off making this marinated, tandoor-cooked chicken in its rich, creamy sauce, because it is remarkably easy to cook at home. First, marinate the chicken (use legs and thighs for better flavour), then grill until scorchy and tender.

At the same time, you can make the sauce, then add the chicken for five minutes before serving. The creamy rose-coloured sauce is a great improvement on the garish chemically induced version.

Ingredients
Serves 4
Prep: 30 min + marinating
Cook: 30 min

600g boneless chicken
150g natural yoghurt
2tbsp lemon juice
1tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1tbsp finely grated ginger
1 small fresh chilli, minced
2tsp garam masala
½tsp ground cumin
½tsp ground fenugreek
½tsp turmeric
2tbsp vegetable oil

Creamy masala sauce:

2tbsp butter
2tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, grated
1tbsp finely grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼tsp cayenne powder
2tsp garam masala
½tsp ground fenugreek or cumin
Pinch of sugar
1tsp salt
800g can chopped tomatoes
150ml single cream
Handful fresh coriander

Method:

Cut the meat into big cubes, about 5cm or 2in square. Combine the yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, garlic, ginger, chilli, spices and vegetable oil in a bowl and mix well. Leave the chicken cubes to marinate until you are ready to cook.

Thread the meat loosely on to thin bamboo skewers and arrange on a lightly oiled rack. Place the rack under a pre-heated grill and cook for 6 minutes either side until scorched and tender. To make the sauce, heat the butter and oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until soft. Add the ginger and garlic, spices, sugar and salt and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes or until the oil comes to the surface. Gradually add the cream, stirring constantly, without boiling. Gently simmer the chicken pieces in the sauce for 5 minutes. Scatter with fresh coriander and serve with rice.

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