This chicken in creamy cashew nut tomato sauce goes well with Naan, roti(chapathi), poori, ghee fried rice, pulav. The sauce is smooth and creamy made of tomatoes, cashew nut paste, single cream and some spices in it.
Basically chicken is marinated with spices and cooked in oven or a pan also, then added to the creamy tomato sauce gravy. The gravy is made of tomato puree, spices and cream with butter of course.
The same version can be made with butter panner, paneer koftas, and vegetable koftas also.
I have used single cream and butter for this curry(sauce), which has a very buttery, smooth, creamy texture. It is mild, spicy and sweet in taste.
Ingredients
- Chicken with bones - 400gms
- Cashew nuts – 10(paste)
Marinade
- Oil – 2 tsp
- Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
- Ginger and garlic paste - 2 tsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tsp
- Cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Garam masala – 1 tsp
- Curd (thick) - 1/2 cup (100 ml)
- Lemon juice (optional) – 2 tsp
- Salt as per taste
Tomato curry base
- Oil - 1 tbsp
- Tomatoes (roughly chopped) - 500 gms
- Cumin seeds – 3/4 tsp
- Ginger and garlic paste - 2 tsp
- Cumin powder - 1 tsp
- Chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Green Cardamom - 4
- Bay leaf - 1
Gravy or Sauce
- Butter – 2 tbsp
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Black cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Cloves – 4
- Green cardamom – 4
- Curd – 2 tbsp
- Tomato ketchup - 3 tbsp
- Sugar - 2 to 3 tsp
- Salt as per taste
- Colour (optional) - a pinch
- Cream - 150 ml
- Garam masala – 1 tsp
- Kasoori methi – 2 tsp
- Water - 1 cup
- Kasoori methi powder - 1 tsp
Method
Marinate
- Add all the marinate ingredients in a bowl, mix all together and refrigerate for 3rs to overnight. The curd should be thick.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius for 10 mins, place the chicken pieces in the tray which is covered with aluminium foil and cook it for 20 to 25 min at 200c, until just cooked. Turn the chicken piece in between.
- Keep the chicken pieces aside, when it is cooked. It should be cooked 90% only, remaining in the sauce. We want the chicken to be just cooked through.
Tomato curry base
- Chop the tomatoes roughly and make a fine paste of it, keep it ready.
- Soak cashew nuts in warm water for 30 mins to 1 hour and make a smooth paste by adding 30ml water.
- Preheat the vessel or kadai with oil, add butter also, when it gets warm add cumin seeds, green cardamom, bay leaf, tomato paste, ginger and garlic paste, chilli powder, cumin powder, water – 150ml, salt, mix all well, cook for 10 to 12 mins.
- Add curd and water 50ml, mix immediately so that there are no lumps and cook for 15min on lower flame, till it starts leaving oil.
- Now sieve (strainer) the tomato mixture in a bowl, keep it ready.
- Tomato curry base is ready.
Creamy tomato sauce
- Now heat another vessel, add butter and oil, when hot, add green cardamom, cumin seeds, cloves, sauté for 5sec, add tomato curry mixture, and cook for 5 mins.
- Add the tomato ketchup, sugar and cook well for 5 mins on medium heat.
- Add the cashew nut (kaju) paste and 100ml water, cook for 10 mins on medium flame.
- Add the cooked chicken pieces and the left over marinate and its juice in a tray to the curry, cook for 5min on medium flame and 10min on simmer by closing the lid.
- A good consistency of sauce should form. Stir in between. Taste the sauce and check it.
- If it is sour then add little more sugar and ketchup and cook it for a little more time till the sauce is thick and smooth.
- Now add colour (optional), kasoori methi powder(crushed in hand),cream stir it, when boil comes cook for 5min on medium heat ,then simmer the flame and cook it for 10 to 12min till the sauce is according to your consistency .
- The sauce is glossy, smooth and delicious to eat. Switch it off. Let it rest for few minutes.
- The sauce is sweet , smooth and little sour also. Serve with naan or roti or rice and enjoy yourself with this dish.
Notes
- The chicken pieces should be added in the gravy with its juice and oil left in the tray.
- Can add tomato puri (ready made, concentrated) for the colour.
- If the sauce gets thickens and dry add milk and cook it.
- Those who do not have oven, cook the chicken on a pan by closing the lid, till the marinate is cooked and it is coated well with chicken. You can follow any tandoori chicken recipe which is cooked without oven but steaming method.
