Vegetable Rice & easy Chicken Tikka

Vegetable Rice and easy Chicken Tikka

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts sliced into bite size pieces

1heaped tsp each of chopped and mashed garlic and ginger

1tsp salt

1tsp medium curry powder

1tsp garam masala

½ tsp paprika or red chili powder if you like it more fiery

Juice ½ lemon

150g thick natural yogurt

Mix everything together for the marinade, add the chicken, mix well and cover and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours if possible.

When ready to cook, remove from the fridge.

Heat the oven to 180C,  add ½ tbsp oil to a roasting tin and heat for 5 minutes,

Add the chicken pieces to the pan and roast until done, about 20 minutes.

Serve with the rice below.

Vegetable Rice

200g basmati rice

1 white onion chopped

2 carrots in small dice

1 cooked red pepper

100g frozen peas

1 cinnamon stick

1bay leaf

1tsp nigella seeds

1tsp salt

Optional fresh coriander, chopped roasted nuts

Rinse the rice well and soak in cold water

Meanwhile heat 1tbsp oil and add the onion and carrots and cook over a medium heat until softening about 7 minutes. Add the chopped pepper, peas, drain the rice and add to the pot along with the cinnamon, bay leaf and nigella seed and toast for a few minutes stirring often before adding about 450ml water (enough to cover the rice by about 1inch. Season with salt, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat right down to low, cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Take off the heat and let it steam for about 5 minutes to finish.

At this point you can serve with the chicken OR if you have made ahead the rice ahead you can lightly grease an oven proof dish and pour the rice into it, cover with foil and add to the oven with the chicken and it will be nice and hot when the chicken is ready.

Serve the rice topped with the chicken, add a spoon of chopped coriander to each service plus some optional chopped roasted nuts.