The classic creamy sauce, made with chicken mince instead of chicken thighs to save on cost. 

Serves 4 

Ingredients  

For the meatballs:
600g chicken mince (or boneless chicken thighs, diced and blitzed in a food processor)
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 Tbsp garam masala
½ Tbsp ground coriander
½ Tbsp ground cumin
¼ tsp each of ground turmeric and ground cinnamon
1 tsp fine salt
Milled pepper
3 Tbsp oats
2 Tbsp olive oil blend

For the sauce:
⅓ cup butter
6 cardamom pods, crushed lightly
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
3 bay leaves
½-1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 green chillies, halved
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes, blitzed (or crushed with a fork)
2 tsp grated turmeric (or 1 tsp ground turmeric works well, too)
⅓ cup cream
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Lemon juice, to taste
Store-bought rotis and a handful of coriander, for serving 

 Method   

1. Combine all the meatball ingredients and mix them together using your hands, making sure they are evenly distributed. 
2. Oil your hands lightly and shape the mixture into 4cm balls (about 30g). 
3. Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add meatballs to the pan, shaking every few seconds for the first minute to retain the round shape. Brown all over for about 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside. 
4. Use a clean pan if there are any bits stuck at the bottom.
5. For the sauce, heat butter and a glug of oil in a pan. Add spices once the butter is melted, cooking for 1 minute. 
6. Add onion, garlic and chilli, and cook for 5-8 minutes. 
7. Stir in the tomato paste,stock and blitzed tomatoes. Simmer for about 10 minutes to reduce. 
8. Combine turmeric, cream and a pinch of sugar. Stir into the pot. Remove and discard whole spices. 
9. Return meatballs to the pot and simmer for 3-5 minutes to cook through. Season and add lemon juice to taste. 
10. Serve hot, topped with coriander, with warm rotis on the side. 

Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen 
Photography: Zhann Solomons