National Curry Week: Cinnamon Club boss Vivek Singh’s ultimate butter chicken recipe

Spice lovers can rejoice in the knowledge that the 23rd annual curry week is currently in full swing.

The national event, which runs from October 4 to October 10was founded in 1998 by journalist Peter Grove to raise awareness of the dish.

Safe to say he succeeded: from Brick Lane’s Curry Mile to the polite, table cloth-clad tables of Chutney Mary in St. James’s, Friday night Indian has become a delicious ritual for spice-loving Londoners.

In fact curry – and tikka masala in particular – has been voted the UK’s favourite dish on several occasions.

One of the chefs who has been at the forefront of making Londoners fall in love with spice is Vivek Singh, who owns four restaurants: The Cinnamon Club, Cinnamon Kitchen, Cinnamon Bazaar and Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea.

Located in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, The Cinnamon Club is the original and the best known.

Menus are based on Singh’s memories of growing up in Asansol in West Bengal where his family celebrated both Christian and Hindu festivals and dishes have a slight Anglo-Indian feel, combining ingredients such as Romney Marsh lamb with fragrant spice mixes.

Here, he shares his top tips for cooking curry, as well as a favourite recipe for butter chicken.

“Curry is such a great meal to cook because of how versatile it is as a dish,” says Singh.

“Whether you are cooking for a large group of 20 people or a comforting meal for one, there are so many options available allowing you to explore with different spices as well as different meats, fish, and vegetables.

“I find this very liberating.

“Two rules I always follow: make sure to add whole spices at the beginning in boiling hot oil rather than cold and never rush your onions, otherwise your curry will never be the best it can be.”

Vivek Singh’s Old Delhi-style butter chicken

Feeds: 4

Prep 30 minutes, cooking time 1 hour.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 750g free-range poussin, skinned and each cut in half along the backbone (alternatively use 800g of bonnet chicken thighs cut into two)

For the marinade:

120g Greek yoghurt

2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 1⁄2 tsp salt

Juice of lemon

3 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1⁄2 tsp garam masala

For the sauce:

1kg tomatoes

125ml water

5cm piece of ginger, peeled, half crushed and half finely chopped • 4 garlic cloves

4 green cardamom pods

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp red chilli powder

80g butter, diced

2 green chillies, slit lengthways

75ml single cream

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crushed between your fingers

1 tbsp sugar

Method:

First, pre-heat the oven to 220C, then prepare the chicken.

Make small cuts all over the chicken pieces with a sharp knife to help the marinade penetrate.

To prepare the marinade, mix together the yoghurt with all the other ingredients in a deep bowl. Smear the cut chicken with the marinade, cover and set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Cook the chicken in the oven for 13-15 minutes.

You may need to turn the pieces after eight to 10 minutes or so to ensure they colour evenly on both sides.

Cut the cooked chicken into smaller pieces as per your preference.

The chicken should not be completely cooked at this point as it will be simmered for a few more minutes in the sauce.

Strain off the juices through a fine sieve and set aside.

For the sauce, slice the tomatoes in half and place in a pan with water, crushed ginger, garlic, cardamon, cloves and bay leaf and simmer until the tomatoes have completely disintegrated.

Now blend this tomato broth with a hand-held blender and pass it through a sieve to obtain a smooth purée.

Return to a clean pan, add the chilli powder and simmer for 12-15 minutes. It should slowly begin to thicken.

When the sauce turns glossy, add the chicken pieces and the reserved roasting juices.

Then add a cup of water and simmer for three to five minutes until the water is absorbed and the sauce returns to its original glossy consistency.

Slowly whisk in the butter, a couple of pieces at a time, and simmer for six to eight minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is beginning to acquire a glaze.

Add the chopped ginger, green chillies and cream and simmer for a minute or two longer, taking care that the sauce does not split. Stir in the salt, crushed fenugreek leaves and garam masala, then check the seasoning and add the sugar.

Serve with naan bread or pilau rice.