Home-style Chicken Curry

Finely slice the onions and fry them in the oil over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until genuinely deep golden brown. This is the longest step and the one that decides how the curry tastes.

Grate the ginger, crush the garlic and slit the green chillies lengthways. Add them to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the turmeric, ground coriander, cumin and chilli powder with a splash (about 50 ml) of the water so they do not burn, and cook for 1 minute.

Chop the tomatoes and add them with a teaspoon of salt. Cook, mashing them down, for 10 minutes until the mixture darkens and oil pools at the edges. That separation is the signal the base is done.

Pull the skin off the chicken thighs, then turn them through the masala until every piece is coated, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the water, hot from the kettle, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender with no pink left at the bone (75°C inside) and the gravy has thickened.

Stir in the garam masala. Chop the fresh coriander, scatter it over and rest for 5 minutes before serving.