Tandoori Chicken Masala and Garlic Naan

Ingredients: 

FOR THE CHICKEN
2 cups pumpkin, peeled and diced into small cubes
600 g free-range chicken thighs, skin-off, diced into large chunks
1 cup yellow capsicum, cored, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 heaped tablespoon tandoori chicken spice mix
¼ cup chicken broth, plus extra if needed
¼ cup tinned coconut cream, plus extra if needed
Lime cheeks, to serve
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying

FOR THE GARLIC NAAN
100 g (1 cup) almond flour
125 g (1 cup) arrowroot flour 
1 teaspoon dried garlic powder
125 ml (½ cup) tinned coconut cream, plus extra if needed
125 ml (½ cup) filtered water

FOR THE COCONUT RAITA
1 cup plain unsweetened coconut yoghurt
1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled and deseeded, diced small
¼ cup firm packed fresh mint leaves, no stems, finely chopped
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Juice of 1 lime

FOR THE TANDOORI SPICE MIX (IF MAKING YOUR OWN)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt 

Method:

Get started by heating 1 tablespoon of olive in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced pumpkin and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, to get some nice colour on all sides and begin to soften. Add in the chicken and capsicum and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring, to brown the chicken and soften the capsicum. Add in the tandoori chicken spice mix, broth and coconut cream and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring as you go. If the sauce is a little dry, add some extra broth or coconut cream, but I like this to be a thicker sauce than on the runnier side. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until the pumpkin is soft enough to mash with a fork and the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile for your garlic naan, combine the almond flour, arrowroot flour, garlic powder, coconut cream and water in a bowl and whisk to form a smooth batter. Heat your oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Ladle a quarter of the batter into pan, tilt it to coat base evenly and cook for 2-3 minutes, then turn the naan over with a spatula and cook for a further 2 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little more oil as needed. Wrap the naan in a tea towel to keep warm.

For the coconut raita, spoon the ingredients together in a small bowl and refrigerate before serving. You can either stir the mint through the raita, reserve it to garnish, just before serving.

To serve, load each garlic naan with some of the rich and aromatic tandoori chicken and dollop with some coconut raita. Season with salt and cracked pepper and enjoy.