Healthy chicken curry with tomatoes and green chilli

I have always used whole spices instead of ready-made mixes, as I find that this adds a real depth of flavour and I know the spices are fresh. They also work out so much cheaper. Just remember to use your recycled Lucy Bee jar to store your spices in.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 tbsp Lucy Bee coconut oil, softened
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 blade of mace
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 green chillies, halved and deseeded
• 450g skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp garam masala (see book page 181)
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• Handful of chopped fresh coriander
• Himalayan sea salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. Put the garlic and ginger into a small food processor with a little water and blitz to a smooth paste.

2. Put the coconut oil and onion in a heavy-based, large frying pan and cook over a medium heat until golden brown.

3. Add the cumin seeds and stir for a minute, then stir in the turmeric, bay leaf, mace and ground coriander and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic-ginger paste, stir and cook for a couple of minutes – enjoy the wonderful aroma!

4. Tip in the tomatoes and simmer for a few moments until well mixed (you may need to add a little water), then add the chillies (you can pick them out at the end if you are concerned about the heat) with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken, cover and cook over a low heat at a gentle bubble for 1½ hours.

5. Stir in the dried fenugreek and garam masala, then spoon into bowls. Top with the yoghurt, scatter over the coriander and serve with brown rice.

From Coconut Oil: Nature’s Perfect Ingredient. Recipe text © 2015 Lucy Bee Limited.