Herby Chicken Curry

Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a large, non-stick saucepan. Add the onion and cook until well browned.

Place all the ingredients for the spice paste into a blender, add the onions and their oil and blend to a fine paste.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the bay leaf and follow after five seconds with the spice paste and chicken. Cook, stirring, over a moderate flame for 10min minutes, making sure the paste does not stick to the base of the pan. If it does, add a splash of hot water from the kettle.

Now pour in enough water to cover the chicken by half. Bring to a boil, then cover and place over a low heat until the chicken is cooked through. It should take 25min minutes, depending on the size of the chicken joints, and there should be plenty of gorgeous creamy green gravy. If it seems watery, uncover and cook off some of the extra liquid over a high heat, stirring often.

Stir in the garam masala, ground cumin and sour cream; taste. This is when you can balance the dish to perfection by adjusting the salt, lemon juice, garam masala, chilli, or sour cream, as you prefer.