Here is a recipe for an easy-to-make chicken curry that is flavored with cardamom, mace, turmeric and coriander seeds. It is one of the ways in which you can use up the leftover chicken roast. Preparation and cooking times are 20 minutes and 40 minutes, respectively. It serves four people.

Ingredients

Mace – 3 blades

Green cardamom – 9

Black cardamom – 6

Coriander seeds – 1 teaspoon

Vegetable oil – 4 tablespoons

2 onions finely sliced

Bay leaves – 3

Cloves – 10

Chilli powder – half a teaspoon

Ground turmeric – half a teaspoon

4 Finely chopped galic cloves

3 cm fresh ginger piece grated

Chopped canned tomatoes – 800 grams

Double cream – 50 milliliters

Cooked chicken cut into bite-sized pieces – 500 grams

Coriander leaves freshly chopped – One handful

Preparation

Toast the mace, coriander seeds and cardamom pods gently in a large frying pan over medium to low heat for about one minute so to get their flavors and aromas released. Transfer the spices into a mortar and using the pestle pound to break them.

Pour the oil into the frying pan and keep the stove at medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they become soft but not brown. Now add the bay leaves, toasted spices, cloves, turmeric, chilli powder, garlic as well as ginger and cook for 5 minutes. Stir only occasionally.

Add the canned tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium to low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the frying pan from the stove and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan into a food processor. Whiz until it becomes smooth.

Put the sauce on to the frying pan and add the cream and the chicken pieces. Bring the mix to a gentle simmer and maintain the heat for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry and serve with naan bread or basmati rice.