Chicken curry with saffron is a lovely recipe for cold winter evenings and sunny summer afternoons alike. It is a medium-hot curry, excellent for people who like a bit of spice but like to keep it reasonable.

To make chicken curry with saffron, you will need the following ingredients:

Some saffron strands (a pinch will suffice).
3 tablespoons of warm water.
1 tablespoon of butter.
The rind of one orange, peeled off with a vegetable peeler.
A piece of ginger about 3 cm long, shredded.
3 large, shredded cloves of garlic.
1 red chilli.
150 ml single cream.
50 grams of almonds, blanched.
1 teaspoon of turmeric.
1 teaspoon of paprika.
2 teaspoons of cornflour.
350 ml yoghurt.
8 skinless chicken thighs.
3 sliced shallots.
1 pinch of edible gold leaf.

The saffron needs to soak in the warm water for about an hour for the colour and flavour of the spice to develop as you need it to.

When you’re ready to use the saffron, heat the butter in a large frying pan and add the shallots, the ginger, the split chilli, the garlic and the orange rind. Cover with the lid and cook for five minutes or so, or until the shallots soften.

Add the almonds, the paprika and the turmeric and continue frying for another couple of minutes, then leave it to cool slightly before tipping the mixture into a food processor. Add yoghurt, cream and cornflour and blend until smooth.

Arrange the chicken in an oven-proof dish and spoon the mixture over it before setting aside to marinate for a couple of hours.

Pre-heat the oven at 180°C or gas mark 4. Bake the chicken until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened. This should take about 40 minutes. Stir the saffron and its liquid into the sauce, and scatter almonds over the top. Edible gold leaf add a bit of glamour to a delicious meal.