Almond chicken curry

This flavorsome chicken curry is served with roasted masala chickpeas and a green bean sambol.Ingredients
For the almond chicken curry

12 fresh curry leaves
2 fresh kaffir lime leaves
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 star anise
½ cinnamon stick
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp amchoor powder
15g/½oz fresh root ginger, finely grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
60g/2¼oz ground almonds
1 tbsp ghee (or coconut oil)
200g/7oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
400ml/7fl oz boiling water
2 tbsp tomato purée
250g/9oz ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
160g/5¾oz spinach, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the roasted masala chickpeas with green bean sambol
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
30g/1oz cashew nuts
60g/2¼oz fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, stalks reserved and roughly chopped
160g/5¾oz green beans
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder (or garam masala)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch dried chilli flakes
200g/7oz cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
60g/2¼oz freshly grated coconut (or dry desiccated coconut)
1 lime, zest finely grated and juice
1 banana shallot, thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
15g/½oz fresh coriander leaves
1 tbsp flaked almonds

Method
To make the almond chicken curry, put the curry leaves, lime leaves, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, fenugreek, dried chilli flakes, amchur, ginger, garlic and almonds into a lidded sauce pan and dry-fry over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes. Add the ghee or coconut oil and fry for another 1–2 minutes. Add the chicken, stir to coat in the spices, and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the boiling water, tomato purée and ripe tomatoes, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the tomatoes have broken down to a thick sauce.

Meanwhile, to make the roasted masala chickpeas with green bean sambol, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Toss the chickpeas, cashews, parsley stalks and green beans in the coconut oil and spices in a roasting tray. Reserve the chopped parsley. Season the chickpeas well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until the beans are tender and the chickpeas golden-brown.

Remove from the oven and toss the roasted chickpeas with the chopped parsley, tomatoes, coconut, lime zest and juice and shallot. Season again and keep warm until ready to serve.

To finish the almond chicken curry, add the spinach for the last few minutes of cooking, until wilted.

Scatter the almond chicken curry with coriander and flaked almonds and serve alongside the roasted masala chickpeas.

Source: BBC