Chicken Tikka Masala

First marinade your chicken. Add all the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and coat chicken completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours up to overnight. Remove chicken from the fridge about 1/2 hour before cooking.

Split the cardamom pods open and take out the seeds. Add the seeds to the paprika, cloves and cinnamon. I used a pestle and mortar to grind the seeds into the powdered spices. Set aside.

Make the sauce. In a large skillet set over medium to high heat add the olive oil and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browned and soft. This will be about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, ground spices, and chillies. Stir and cook for a few more minutes. Add in the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, sugar and the tomato paste. Leave this to simmer until it reduces, about 30 minutes. Once it has thickened, transfer it to a blender until you have a smooth consistency. Pour it back in the skillet and leave over a very low heat and cover the pan.

Put the chicken on large metal skewers and grill them on a barbecue for about 5 minutes per side. This will not cook them completely. I did this to give the chicken extra flavour. Remove chicken from barbecue and take it off the skewers. Add the chicken to the sauce and coat completely. Cover the pan and let it cook for a further 10 minutes or so until the chicken is cooked. Add the cream and garam masala to the dish now and stir well. Taste the sauce and if you find it a bit bitter, add a touch more sugar.

Can be served immediately or even a few hours later. Goes great with Basmati Rice and Nann Bread.