Mel and Mal's Chicken & Vegetable Curry

• 4 Chicken breasts, chopped into medium sized cubes
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 courgette, roughly chopped
• 1 small red chilli, chopped finely
• 1" of fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsps Garam Masala (blend of spices)
• 250g carton or tin of Tomato Passata
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 pt of beef or veg stock
• 2 tbsp of mild curry powder (use less if hotter version)
• Fresh coriander
• Fresh black pepper and sea salt
• For the Raita:
• 250g low fat natural yoghurt
• 1 medium cucumber, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tbsp of mint sauce
• For the Mint Raita
• 250g low fat natural yougurt
• Fresh mint, chopped finely

Cook the Chicken

Lightly oil a pan and place the chicken, chilli, garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and Garam Masala, mix together and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes

Add the courgette, carrot and the passata, mix together

Add the Stock

Add half the stock, simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes and only add the other half of the stock if you require a thinner sauce (I prefer it a little thicker so add less stock)

Cook for a further 15 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally

Prepare the Yoghurt

Meanwhile, place 250g of the natural yoghurt in a small serving bowl, finely chop the mint heads (discard the stalks) and add to the yoghurt. Mix, cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool for just a minute or so before adding the remaining 250g of natural yoghurt (it has a tendency to separate or curdle if you don't allow it to cool a little, but don't worry if this happens, just give it a good mix - it will not affect the taste).

Have a little taste before adding a handful of chopped fresh coriander and add salt and pepper as required.
Serve immediately with the Raita