Spending all week angelically feasting on whole grains, pulses and super foods can leave you hankering for a really good curry come Friday night. However, a trip to your local Tandoori can sometimes be less "Fuck the Diet" and more "ask the diet to bend over and subject it to some filthy S&M" due to the phenomenally high fat level often found in restaurant curry.
So, I have come up with my own take on the classic chicken Korma using coconut milk and fresh Cashew Nut butter which can be found in Whole Foods. It is still indulgent, but at least won’t add up to the same amount of calories as what you have eaten for the rest of the week!
INGREDIENTS
Serves four
2 Cans of Reduced fat coconut milk
4 tablespoons of fresh Cashew Nut Butter (available from Whole Foods or Health food shops)
1 Tablespoons of good quality curry paste (any will do, just see what your local supermarket has and choose according to how hot you would like the final dish to be)
½ - 1 Red chili (according to taste), seeded and finely chopped.
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of Turmeric
1 Cardamom Pod, bruised
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves of Garlic (crushed)
1 teaspoon of Garam Masala
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 Butternut Squash chopped into small cubes
1 Large handful of Cashew Nuts
2 chicken Breasts, skinned, boned and chopped into bite size chunks.
DIRECTIONS
1) In a flame proof casserole dish, heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic on a medium heat until soft and golden.
2) Add in all spices except Garam Masala and cook for a further minute. Add a tablespoon of water to loosen up if spices start to stick and burn.
3) Stir in Curry Paste and Cashew butter and stir into onion mix to form a paste adding a dash of water to loosen if necessary.
4) Add butternut squash, chicken and nuts and stir to coat in spice mixture. When fully coated stir in coconut milk.
5) Bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat, without the lid on the pan for 45 mins to hour, stirring occasionally until the squash has started to disintegrate and the sauce is thick.
6) Stir in the Garam Masala and serve with steamed Basmati Rice. Spices available online from Natco.