"What is generally considered to be the most popular of curries is also one fo the most calorific, but by simply removing the ghee (clarified butter) and swapping the cream for coconut milk, we get a lighter, tastier version. This dish requires a little forethought because you need to marinate the meat, bu is worth it for the result" Gizzi Erskine

Serves 2
Prep time 10 minutes
Plus 12-24 hours marinating time
Cooking time 45 minutes
526 calories per serving

For the marinade
1 tablespoon tikka masala curry paste
150g 0% fat Greek yoghurt
2 free-range chicken breasts, each cut into 5-6 chunks
salt

For the fragrant rice
100g basmati rice
salt
5 curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 cinnamon stick
a pinch of saffron (optional)

For the sauce
1 rounded tabelspoon tikka masala curry paste
1 onion, finely chopped
200g passatta
200ml tin reduced-fat or light coconut milk
1 tablespoon 0% fat Greek yoghurt
a handful of coriander, chopped

Preparation To make the marinade, mix the curry paste, yoghurt, chicken and salt together, cover and leave overnight in the fridge ot absorb all the delicious flavours.

Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C. Wipe the marinade off the chicken and place, piece by pice, onto a baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly charred, but not cooked through. You are just trying to get some colour here because the chicken will finish cooking in the curry sauce. Set the tikka chicken aside while you make the sauce.

Heat teh curry paste in a saucepan. Add the onino and sweat slowly over a low heat for 5 to 8 minutes or until the onion is translucent and soft. It is improtant to take the time to do this slowly because teh onion will then release its natural sugars, producing a sweeter dish, but be careful not to do this over too high a heat because the curry paste will burn. Add the passatta and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and add the tikka chicken. Cook over a low heat for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Finish by stirring through the yoghurt and coriander.

To make the fragrant rice, add the rice, a pinch of salt and the aromatics to a pan and cover with enough water to come 1 cm over the top of the rice. Bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes, covered. The rice should have absorbed almost all of the water, but still be a bit wet. Remove from the heat and leave to absorb teh remaining water for 10 minutes, covered. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving with the curry.

Gizzi points out "The ready-meal version can be up to a whopping 840 calories. Add half a naan, an onion bhajee and a couple of beers and you're pushing 1500 calories... for one meal"

Recipe taken from Recipe taken from Cook Yourself Thin by Harry Eastwood, Gizzi Erskine, Sal Henley and Sophie Mitchell

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