One of the nation's favourites, here Gordon shows you how to make the rich, spicy tomato based tikka masala curry sauce. It's so quick and easy to make, your local takeaway number can be on hold for the time being
Make sure that you have all the ingredients ready before you start. Get yourself familiar with all the different spices as it is imperative that you get the quantities right. We don't want any confusion. A great tikka masala is about getting the balance of flavours right.
Here's Gordon's chicken tikka masala recipe in full. The instructions to go with the Cookalong video are as follows:
Heat 2 tablespoons of groundnut oil in a pan.
Slice 1 large onion and sauté in the hot oil.
De-seed and chop 1 or 2 fresh green chillies and peel and chop a 1 inch piece of ginger.
Add to the pan with the onions, crush in 3 garlic cloves and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are nicely caramelised.
Add the ½ teaspoon of chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 2 teaspoons of garam masala, 1 tablespoon of soft brown sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes.
The spices will start releasing their aroma, and they will soak up the oil. The mixture in your pan will become dry. Don't worry, this is normal.
Next, add 1 tablespoon of tomato puree and cook it out to make sure you lose the bitterness you can sometimes get if it's too raw. You should have a dry paste texture at this stage.
Add the 400g tin of chopped tomatoes to the pan and allow to cook for a further few minutes.
Transfer the sauce to a food processor and blend until smooth.
Pour the blended sauce back into the pan and add 10 dried curry leaves. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, to allow the flavours to come through.
Stir in 4-6 tablespoons of natural yoghurt - the quantity depends on how mild you like your curry.
Finish with a handful of chopped coriander.
