my chicken, spinach and potato garam masala curry

Recipes for raita, garam masala; chicken, spinach and potato garam masala curry.
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Chicken, spinach and potato garam masala curry:


500 g chicken, cubed. Either chicken breast, or a whole chicken cut up into pieces with bone on.

3 TBS oil with butter

1 onion, julienned
1 garlic clove, crushed
crushed root ginger, about an inch
bay leaves or curry leaves (about 4 or mix, whatever you have)
cardamom, freshly crushed
1 can crushed tomatoes
tsp black cumin seeds
tsp tumeric powder
tsp chili powder, or crushed red pepper flakes, or dash tabasco
300ml water
250g fresh spinach leaves, washed, and ripped up
3-4 boiled, cubed new potatoes, skin on
flaked salt to taste
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Fry spices in oil, add onion. When nearly clear, add garlic, crushed ginger. Add chicken, continue frying, then canned tomatoes, and water. Simmer half an hour or til chicken is tender and cooked through. Add spinach, and garam masala (see recipe below, or buy one you like). Add the potatoes last.

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RIATA:
natural plain yogurt 1 cup
grated cucumber half cup
dash tabasco, or some minced red or green chili without seeds
flaked salt, fresh ground pepper
black cumin seeds
fresh minced cilantro leaves
fresh minced mint leaves

Mix all together, serve cold.

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GARAM MASALA spice mix:

cloves, malabar leaves, mace blades, black and white cumin
cardamom pods (black, green, brown)
nutmeg
star anise
coriander seeds

Lightly toast all spices, then crush in a mortar and pestle.

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Serve Curry with:

-garlic naan
-aloo jherra
-raita, and a cold salad of some sort (greens, cucumber, sliced tomato...)

-spicy poppadom

-crushed red chili dipping sauce (crushed red chilis, oil, vinegar, coriander seeds, fresh cilantro and mint leaves, minced onion, crushed garlic and crushed ginger...or whatever you like, salt, pepper). It´s a bit like a hot salsa. You can cook, then cool the chilis before adding them to the dipping sauce ingredients.