Vivek Singh's butter chicken and homemade naan bread

If Friday night means curry night for you then you're in for a real treat! James is in the kitchen with his mate Vivek Singh to whip up a proper Friday night curry - butter chicken and homemade naan bread.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the ginger garlic paste

Makes 8 tablespoons100g ginger, peeled75g garlic, peeled

For the chicken

800g boned chicken thighs

For the marinade

80g full-fat Greek yoghurt1 tablespoon Ginger and Garlic Paste1 tablespoon vegetable oil1½ teaspoons saltjuice of 1 lemon1 tablespoon red chilli powder1 teaspoon ground cumin½ teaspoon garam masala

For the sauce

1kg tomatoes, halved5cm piece of ginger, half crushed and half finely chopped4 garlic cloves, peeled4 green cardamom pods5 cloves1 bay leaf1 tablespoon red chilli powder80g butter, diced2 green chillies, slit lengthways75ml single cream1 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves, crushed between your fingertips½ teaspoon garam masala1 tablespoon sugar

For the bread:

37g sugar1 egg400ml whole milk11/2 teaspoons baking powder1 tablespoon salt750g plain flour50ml vegetable oil1 table spoon nigella seeds

Method

Ginger garlic paste

Chop up the ginger and garlic. Blend it to a fine, thick paste with 175ml water. Keeps in the fridge for up to one week.

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 all the ingredients together in a deep ovenproof dish. Smear the cut chicken with the marinade, cover and set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7.

Cook the chicken in the preheated oven for 13–15 minutes. You may need to turn the pieces after 8–10 minutes or so to ensure they colour evenly on both sides. The chicken does not need to be completely cooked at this point as it will continue to cook in the sauce. Cut the chicken halves into smaller pieces. Strain off the juices through a fine sieve and set aside.

For the sauce, place the tomatoes in a pan with 125ml water, the crushed ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf and simmer for about 10 minutes over medium heat until the tomatoes have completely disintegrated. Pick out the larger spices, then blend the tomato broth with a hand-held blender and pass it through a sieve to obtain a smooth purée. Return the purée 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 200–250ml water and simmer for 3–5 minutes until the sauce turns glossy again and the water is absorbed (for a thicker sauce, either add slightly less water or simmer for a little longer).

Slowly whisk in the butter, a couple of pieces at a time, and simmer for 6–8 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 (see page 169) or pilau rice.

Eat what you can, then store any leftover chicken and sauce in the fridge.

For the bread

Mix the sugar and egg into the milk. In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder and salt into the flour. Add the milk solution to the flour mix and knead lightly to make soft dough. Take care not to work the gluten too much or the dough becomes too stretchy. When all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, add the oil and mix lightly. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.

Preheat your grill to maximum power and keep it ready.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll out each into a circle approximately 5cm in diameter.

Sprinkle the nigella seeds over the circles, then roll each circle again until it reaches 1012cm diameter and 3-4mm thick.

Place a large, heavy-based frying pans on the hob and, when hot place a naan bread in and cook for a couple of minutes until it start to colour lightly underneath.

Remove the pan from the hob and place directly under the grill for a minute or so, until the bread and puffs up and colours a little.