Serves 4

For the garnish

100g okra, topped, tailed and cut into matchsticks

2 tbsp gram (chickpea) flour

½ tsp carom seeds (sold as ajowan in Asian stores; use cumin or caraway as a substitute)

½ tsp salt

Oil for deep-frying

For the chicken

100ml vegetable oil, or ghee

12 cloves

4 black cardamom pods

2 bay leaves

3 large white onions, finely chopped

6 Indian green chillies,

split lengthways

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

2½ tsp salt

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 x 1.2–1.5kg free-range chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces

200g sweetcorn (frozen or canned is fine)

300g plain yoghurt

400ml chicken stock or water

6cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

50g chopped fresh coriander

Juice of 1 lemon

First make the garnish: sprinkle the okra with the flour, carom seeds and salt, leave for 5 minutes, then deep-fry until crisp. Drain on kitchen towel and keep to one side.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and add the cloves, cardamom and bay leaves. When they crackle, add the onion and cook over a medium heat until golden.

Add the chillies, turmeric, cumin, coriander and salt and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes, then add ¾ of the corn and all the yoghurt. Keep stirring until thoroughly incorporated. Once the yoghurt returns to the boil, add the water/stock and cook gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the corn has nearly disintegrated and the sauce begins to thicken. Add the ginger, coriander and remaining corn, plus a little more chicken stock or water if required. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and squeeze in the lemon juice.

Serve hot, topped with crisp fried okra and rice or chickpea bread.

Chutney's with a twist

Can’t have curry without chutney? Check out the Mr Vikki’s range. The chutneys are cooked in small batches using recipes that fuse Asian and western influences. The award-winning hot apricot and hot gooseberry are fragrant with fruit and spices, while the HHH chilli pickle is a favourite with Indian restaurants.

From £2.75 a jar; mrvikkis.co.uk

HOT TIPS

* Garlic and ginger paste is an essential ingredient in many Indian curries. Simply put 30g ginger and 30g garlic in a liquidiser with 55ml water and blend.

* Always add whole spices to hot oil/ghee at the beginning of the dish to release their flavours. Ground, powdered spices are added towards the end.

* Add yoghurt to sauces in small amounts, stirring constantly to stop it from splitting.

* Make raita in advance and keep it in the fridge: sprinkle the cucumber with a bit of salt to remove excess moisture, squeeze dry in kitchen towel, then add to the yoghurt. It stops it from going runny.

* Using turmeric? The rule is that you should be able to see it, but never taste it. If you can taste it, you’ve used too much.

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