Really Simple Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg chicken legs
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 medium / 1 large red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 400g tomatoes, chopped, or 3/4 of a can
• 3 tsp Kashmiri red chillies
• 2 tsp Garam Masala
• 2 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1½ cups chicken stock or water
• fresh coriander to garnish
• salt to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a shallow pan.

Pat dry the chicken legs, add some salt to them, keep aside.

Sear the chicken legs in the oil then remove them and keep aside.

In the remaining oil in the pan, add the cumin and onions.

Fry the garlic and onions until they ooze oil and slightly brown.

Add the tomatoes, cook for 5 to 6 mins.

Add the spices and half the Garam Masala. Cook until most of the moisture has evaporated and the spices begin to ooze oil.

Add the chicken stock and bring to boil. Add salt to taste.

Add the chicken legs and cook for 15 minutes on a low flame.

Take off the lid and reduce the gravy if needed by boiling at a high temperature.

Take the dish off the heat and serve with chopped coriander and a side of naan bread.

About Sandeep Pandit

Chef, The Food Pandit

Sandeep was born in Kashmir and moved to Bangalore at 8 years old. It was there that his passion for cooking grew. Large family mealtimes were big affairs, sharing meals on huge carpets, feasting and laughing together.

In 2016 Sandeep moved to Australia as an IT project manager and joined Masterchef 2019. Sandeep cooked food from his Kashmiri and South Indian heritage and won the hearts of the judges. One of the judges told him, "You’re the best Indian cook... [on] the show in the last 11 seasons."

Since Masterchef, he has had various restaurant pop-ups, held Indian masterclasses and taken tours to India.