PHA UK chairman Dr Iain Armstrong is well-known for his love of Indian restaurants, but he’s equally happy rustling up a curry at home (and it’s much kinder to his waistline too!) He shares his favourite chicken balti – which provides a balanced, nutritious and tasty meal that can be batch-cooked on good days and frozen for those times you’re not feeling so great.

I like to take leftovers of this in for my colleagues at the Sheffield Pulmonary Vascular Disease Unit. Neil Hamilton, our consultant pharmacist, is allergic to dairy so he loves this recipe and always takes some home with him!
I cook this curry at least a day in advance and keep it in the fridge before eating as I feel this really intensifies the flavours.

Ingredients

* 450g skinless, boneless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)

*  1 tin of chickpeas

* 1 tbsp lime juice

* 1 tsp paprika

* ¼ tsp hot chilli powder

* 1½ tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil

* 1 cinnamon stick

* 3 cardamom pods (split)

* 1 small to medium green chilli

* ½ tsp cumin seed

* 1 medium onion (coarsely grated)

* 2 garlic cloves (very finely chopped)

* 2cm-piece ginger (grated)

* ½ tsp turmeric

* 1 tsp ground cumin

* 1 tsp ground coriander

* 1 tsp garam masala

* 250ml organic passata

* 1 red pepper (deseeded and cut into small chunks)

* 1-2 medium sized ripe tomatoes

* 85g spinach leaves

* 150ml water

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick wok or pan and then throw in the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, whole chilli and cumin seeds, and stir-fry briefly just to colour.
  • Stir in the onion, garlic and ginger and fry for 3-4 mins until the onion starts to turn brown.
  • Add the remaining oil, then drop in the chicken and stir-fry for around  2-3 mins.
  • Mix the turmeric, cumin, ground coriander and garam masala together and pop into the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for about  2 mins.
  • Pour in the passata and 150ml water, then drop in the chunks of pepper. When starting to bubble, adds the spinach and  lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 mins or until the chicken is tender.

Top tips for a beautiful balti…

  • Spice may be nice, but if you need to temper the heat a little, drizzle some natural yogurt over when you serve (use a dairy-free version if needed).
  • If you’re keen to reduce your carbohydrate intake, try serving with cauliflower ‘rice’ instead. This can be bought ready-prepared for both cupboards and freezer.
  • All sorts of vegetables work with this curry, so don’t feel you need to stick with what’s in the recipe. Chuck in whatever you fancy – the more, the better!  

Vegetarian or vegan? Swap the chicken for paneer (Indian cheese), tofu, or a meat substitute such as Quorn.

On a budget? Bulking this dish out with more chickpeas can help you use less chicken. These versatile little legumes provide a powerful hit of plant-based protein and fibre!