North Indian, chicken curry...

Living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where Indian spice blends are sold in almost every corner store you would wonder why I'm creating a blend of spices of my own? Well I have a group of friends that find themselves missing the lovely fragrant Indian food sold almost everywhere in the UK but now living in countries such as Morocco were you find loads of spices sold "separately" but will almost never find a spice blend such as curry. The 1 teaspoon of curry blend is optional and can be replaced with a couple of cloves, chili powder to taste, and an extra half teaspoon of coriander powder. You can find the easy "Garam masala" recipe here.




Ingredients
4 large chicken breast cut into cubes
1 medium large onion, finely diced
5 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander
4 large roma tomatoes, grated or puréed
1 two inch piece cinnamon bark
4 cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground curry mix (optional)
3 tablespoons oil

Directions
In a large heavy duty pan heat the oil under medium heat, add the onion and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking to the pan. Add the chicken cubes and cook until light golden brown. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, and spices (whole and powder)and stir for about 5 minutes or until you can smell the spices (if the mixture is too dry, add an extra tablespoon of oil). Add the tomato purée and cook for 10 minutes or until the tomato liquid has slightly reduced. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water and cover the pan and cook under a low simmer for approximately 35 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened. Check the chicken with a fork after 20 minutes cooking time.