Serves 4

Despite its pale colour, this curry has quite a kick, so adjust the amount of chilli powder if you prefer your curries mild. Chilli powders can vary in intensity depending on the brand, so do taste a little first to decide how much to add.

For the spice paste

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3cm knob of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 long red chillies, trimmed, seeded and chopped
2 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 tsp mild chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the curry

500g skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
400ml coconut cream
2 tbsp vegetable oil (or clarified butter)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
8 curry leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 firm mango, peeled and cubed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Few sprigs of coriander, to garnish
Basmati rice and flatbreads, to serve



Method

1 Place all the ingredients for the spice paste into a blender or food processor and whiz to fine paste. (Add a touch of water or a little more oil if the ingredients don’t blend well.)
2 Marinate the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of the spice paste and 75ml of coconut cream for 2 hours, preferably overnight.
3 Heat a heavy-based pan with the oil and add the mustard seeds, cardamom and curry leaves. (Take care as the mustard seeds will pop and the oil may splatter). Fry for a few seconds, then add the rest of the spice paste and cinnamon. Stir over medium heat for 2 minutes until the paste begins to brown.
4 Pour in the remaining coconut cream and bring to the boil. Tip in the marinated chicken and mango. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5 Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh coriander (or toasted curry leaves) and serve warm with onion flatbreads or steamed basmati rice.

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