A bhuna is not a curry in the conventional sense. There is no sauce to speak of – just chicken, spices, and a masala so thick and dark it clings to the meat rather than surrounding it. The word itself comes from the Hindi for frying, and frying is exactly what you do – low, slow, patient frying until the oil separates and the masala turns the colour of dark mahogany.

This is how I remember a proper chicken bhuna from years gone by. The kind that arrived at the table almost dry, intensely spiced, with just enough sauce to coat the rice. Not the pale, gravy-heavy version that passes for a bhuna in too many British curry houses.

Living in rural Andalucía means compromise. Indian green finger chillies – no chance. I have seen green chillies here, but they are so mild you could let a baby suck on one. Basmati? I have to go to town for that. Arroz extra largo will have to do. The black cardamom, however, I will not compromise on. One pod, used whole and removed before serving, gives the bhuna its smoky, earthy depth. It is the secret the recipe stands or falls on.

This makes enough for two normal appetites or one very hungry chef.

Whole Spices

• 1 black cardamom pod
• 1 small bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods (optional)
• Small piece of cinnamon

Aromatics

• 2 small onions – one blitzed, one cut into squares
• 1 mild green pepper or long Spanish pepper, blitzed
• 1 heaped tsp fermented garlic-ginger paste
• 1 green chilli, slit (or 2 if very mild)

Make your own fermented garlic-ginger paste.

Chicken

• 1 chicken supreme, skin off, cut into chunks

Fat

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp butter (added later)

Ground Spices

• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli
• ¼–½ tsp hot chilli powder (optional)
• ¾ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• Sea salt to taste

Tomato Element

• 1.5 tbsp tomate frito

Finishing

• ¼ tsp garam masala
• Pinch kasoori methi (if you have it)
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Optional: squeeze of lemon

How to Make an Authentic Dark Chicken Bhuna

1. Blitz one onion and the green pepper together to a rough paste. Set aside. Cut the second onion into squares and set aside separately. The onion squares go in later, during the bhuna stage, to give texture and bite against the blitzed base.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a 20–24cm sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken chunks on all sides until deep golden. Remove and set aside. You want fond on the pan – that is bhuna gold.
3. Add the whole spices – black cardamom, bay, cloves, cinnamon, and green cardamom. Let them sizzle for 20–30 seconds until fragrant.
4. Add the blitzed onion and pepper paste with a pinch of salt. Cook slowly for 10–12 minutes, stirring regularly, until deep golden, sticky, and beginning to caramelise. If it catches, add a teaspoon of water. This is where the bhuna gets its dark base.
5. Add the fermented garlic-ginger paste. Fry for 1–2 minutes until the raw edge disappears and the masala darkens further.
6. Add the ground spices with 1 tbsp water to prevent burning. Fry until the oil separates and the spices smell roasted.
7. Add the tomate frito. Cook for 3–4 minutes until it thickens, darkens, and the oil starts to show at the edges. This gives the bhuna colour and body without turning it into a tomato curry.

Tomate frito is a Spanish cooked tomato sauce – richer and slightly sweeter than passata. Use passata if that is what you have, but reduce it for an extra minute or two.

8. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the slit green chilli if you have them – mild Spanish ones will do, or leave them out entirely – along with the onion squares and salt to taste. Now the bhuna stage – medium heat, stir, scrape, reduce. Let the masala cling to the chicken. Add tiny splashes of water only to prevent burning. Continue for 10–12 minutes. You want a dark colour, oil separating, masala thick and sticky.

A note on the onion squares. I cut them that way because that is how I remember a proper chicken bhuna – at a curry house on Merton High Street in South Wimbledon, the first place I ate the real thing. Not BIR. Those soft, slightly translucent onion squares in a dark masala have stayed with me ever since.

9. Add 3–4 tbsp water and simmer for 3 minutes. This gives you the coating sauce a bhuna needs – not gravy, just enough to bring everything together. Add the butter now for richness.
10. Turn off the heat. Add the garam masala, kasoori methi if using, and parsley. A squeeze of lemon if you want brightness. Taste for salt. Remove the whole spices before serving.

A Note on Black Cardamom

Used whole and removed at the end, black cardamom gives the bhuna its smoky, leathery depth – a darker, more roasted aroma than its green counterpart. Use only one pod. It is the ingredient that makes this taste like a proper chicken bhuna rather than a generic chicken curry.

A Note on Kasoori Methi

Kasoori methi is dried fenugreek leaves – sold in most Asian grocers and online. A pinch at the end lifts the whole dish.

Serve With

This chicken bhuna is best served with basmati rice if you can get it. Arroz extra largo if you are cooking in rural Andalucía. A single chapati. Or straight from the pan, which is entirely acceptable.

This chicken bhuna recipe is part of the Curry Hub - The Flexible Chef's Complete Collection — every curry recipe from Casa Adora and the road. Explore the full collection.

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