Stir-fry Chicken Curry

This dish is absolutely brilliant for a quick mid-week dinner. I usually prepare the chicken in the morning and leave it to marinade in the refrigerator all day, which is all the hard work involved really. I've never tried this but I reckon you could even plan ahead and freeze the chicken with the marinade, then all you need to do is take it out in the morning to defrost.

When you're ready to eat put on a pot of rice, whilst it's cooking you can chop up the vegetables and get them going in the pan together with the cashew nuts. When softened, remove the vegetables to a plate and, turning up the heat, tip in the chicken pieces with their yogurty marinade and stir-fry for a few minutes until cooked through. De-glaze the pan with a little water, spoon the vegetables back in and let everything heat through for another minute or two. Voilà, a really tasty and healthy meal in about 15 minutes.

This recipe is a keeper for me. I've even made it for a dinner party and it went down a storm. A really stress-free meal that's big on taste. I really would recommend you try it.

Stir-fry Chicken Curry - Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, skinned
6 tbsp thick yogurt
2 tbsp lime juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
5cm piece ginger root, grated
2 tbsp medium or hot curry paste
1 tbsp paprika
5 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, cut into 1cm pieces
1 green pepper, cut into 1cm pieces
60g unsalted cashew nuts
4 tbsp water
salt
spring onion tops, finely sliced, to garnish

Cut the chicken breasts into 1cm wide strips and place in a bowl. Add the yogurt, lime juice, garlic, ginger, curry paste and paprika, mixing everything well together.

Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan or wok, add the onion, red and green peppers and the cashew nuts and stir-fry over a moderate heat for a few minutes until the vegetables are softened and the juices start to run. Remove from the pan and reserve on a plate.

Turn the heat up under the pan and stir-fry the chicken, together with the yogurt mixture, for 4-5 minutes until the meat is well sealed and cooked through.

Add the water and mix well, return the vegetables to the pan, reduce the heat and cook gently for 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve at once, sprinkled with the spring onion tops, over plain basmati rice.