Cloudy with a chance of snow (And a dumping of hail).

It just snowed in Mt Albert. I haven’t seen snow since I was seven and that was on a family trip to Mt Ruepahu for that purpose. Granted it was mixed in with hail and the actual snow didn’t hit the ground (it is hail on the chairs in the photos) but it was visible!

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Chicken Tikka Masala.

YUMMY.

Chicken Marinade.

500 grams chicken breast (de-boned and skin off).

1 onion.

1/2 head of garlic.

1 cup red curry paste (I use Valcom authentic red curry paste – about half the jar).

1 cup tomato paste.

2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

2 tsp cumin.

2 tsp garam masala.

2 tsp curry powder.

2 tsp curry flakes.

Chop chicken into 1 inch squares, dice onion and garlic. Mix with rest of ingredients and massage together (I use my hands to ensure chicken is well covered). Cover and marinate in the fridge for up to two days.

Tikka Masala Sauce.

Olive oil.

One jar of Patak’s Tikka Masala sauce (Optional).

1 tin diced tomatoes.

1 tin coconut milk.

1 tbspn chopped fresh coriander.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Gently fry marinated chicken with olive oil in a wok style frying pan until almost cooked. Add jar of Masala sauce, tinned tomatoes, coriander and left over marinade. Simmer for 15 minutes stirring as needed. Add coconut milk and simmer a further 15 minutes. Turn down heat slightly and cover while cooking rice. Remember to stir occasionally to avoid sauce sticking and burning.

Serve with Jasmin rice, poppadoms and steamed green beans.