Step 1

Place the onions in a microwave safe dish and cover loosely. Microwave at 70 percent until the onions are soft and translucent. This takes 10 minutes in my 1100 watt microwave. I can't predict how long it will take in yours...

Step 2

Remove the onions from the microwave. Be careful. They will be hot. Let them cool slightly. Place the onions, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 cup of warm water in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Step 3

In a small bowl, combine the madras curry powder, paprika, Kashmiri chili powder, kasoor methi, black pepper and salt. This is your spice mix.

Step 4

Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat until it shimmers.

Step 5

Toss in the cinnamon bark and let cook a few seconds. You will see little bubbles forming around the bark.

Step 6

Add the garlic ginger paste and cook until it stops spluttering.

Step 7

Turn the heat to medium low. Add the spice mix and stir continuously until it starts to smell really good - around 30-40 seconds. Watch it carefully. If you burn the spices at this point you have to start over.

Step 8

Add the diluted tomato paste and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium. Cook for 1 minute.

Step 9

Add the onion paste and turn the heat up to medium high. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. The curry will darken a bit as it cooks. Don't worry if it seems a bit dry. The chicken will release tasty, tasty juices as it cooks and you should be left with a nice amount of sauce.

Step 10

Turn the heat down to medium low. Add the chicken and stir. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Flip each piece of chicken and continue cooking until the chicken is done. It's done when you measure the internal temperature and it says 170F, about 10-15 minutes. I can't tell you exactly how long this will take. I don't know how big your chicken pieces are.

Step 11

If the curry is a bit thick add a bit of water or chicken stock and stir. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Let the chicken madras simmer another minute or so. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

Step 12

Garnish with a bit of cilantro or fried shallots if desired.