Chicken Madras recipe

Hot, red and spicy with a tang of acidity, chicken Madras from southern India has proved to be a big favourite in British curry restaurants. Aromatic spices with plenty of heat pack enough punch to get your taste-buds going without knocking them out entirely. Served with poppadoms or naan bread, rice and raita it makes a satisfying meal for anyone in need of spicing up their palate.

As with all spiced dishes, chicken madras is best made with fresh whole spices to get the complexity and freshness of flavour, but you can substitute a bought Madras curry paste for the spices here if you prefer.

Recipe for Chicken Madras

4 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onions sliced thickly
1 tin tomatoes
1 small tin coconut milk
juice of ½ lemon
vegetable oil
fresh coriander leaves to garnish

4 dry red chillies
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
pinch mustard seeds
2 cardamom pods
4 cloves
½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground coriander
pinch ground ginger

The whole spices should be toasted lightly in the pan over a low heat (with no oil) for about 2-3 minutes and then ground in a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar. Mix them with the pre-ground spices ready to add to the pan later.

Brown the chicken pieces in a few tablespoons of oil, then remove them to a warm plate. Cook the sliced onion in the same pan until softened and translucent. Add all the spices and cook stirring for two minutes until the fragrance rises. Return the chicken to the pan and add the lemon juice and coconut milk. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to the boil then simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve with rice, poppadoms or naan garnished with chopped fresh coriander.

Note
If using a ready made Madras curry paste use 1-2 tablespoons for a mild flavour, 3 for medium hot and 4 -5 for a hot curry. Add it at the same stage as the ground spices in the recipe above.

Don’t feel like mixing your own spices tonight? Why not eat the chicken Madras at the Viceroy restaurant in Nottingham and taste the real thing.