My grandson George was born at 00.20 on 9th February 2015, in England. And within hours I was in the kitchen celebrating in the only way that felt right — cooking a curry just for him.

It was 2015, the year of the grandchildren. Three new arrivals in the space of a few months, each one getting their own recipe. A few weeks earlier I had made Evelyn's Zafrani Gosht Curry for my other new grandchild. George got chicken. I hope to share it with him one day over a beer and a football match — the perfect combination.

George Morrison, born 9th February 2015, and George's Chicken curry made in his honour. The Flexible Chef

This is a proper George's chicken curry – built from scratch, deeply spiced, and given its distinctive green-gold colour by methi leaves. Methi is dried fenugreek leaf, widely used in Indian cooking and available in most Asian grocery shops or online. It has a slightly bitter, aromatic quality that lifts a curry sauce in a way that nothing else quite replicates. Don't skip it.

The sauce is blitzed to a smooth paste before cooking — onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and fresh chillies — then cooked down slowly until it deepens in colour and the raw edge disappears. The chicken goes in last, simmering gently until tender. Finish with frozen peas or beans and a handful of fresh coriander.

Serve with naan or chapattis and a generous spoonful of Nearly Patak's Mango Chutney.

Cheers George. Welcome to the world.

Ingredients for George's Chicken Curry

Serves 2

• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp turmeric (for the marinade)
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• Large knob of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 4 fresh red chillies, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp homemade aromatic garam masala
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 200ml dried methi leaves (dried fenugreek leaf)
• 4 cardamom pods, crushed
• 5 cloves
• 1" piece cinnamon or cassia bark
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 200ml Greek yoghurt
• Handful of frozen peas or beans
• Fresh coriander, stalks and leaves separated
• Water or chicken stock
• Black pepper

How to Make George's Chicken Curry from Scratch

Dice the chicken and marinate in the lemon juice and 1 tsp turmeric. Set aside.

Blitz the onions, tomatoes, tomato purée, ginger, garlic, chillies, and 1 tbsp turmeric in a food processor until smooth. Add a little water if needed.

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. When shimmering, add the paste. Cook, stirring every few minutes, for around 20–25 minutes until the paste has darkened in colour and the raw smell has gone.

Add the garam masala, chilli powder, cloves, cinnamon, methi leaves, and a good grind of black pepper. Stir and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Stir through the yoghurt gently. Add the coriander stalks. Adjust the heat to a gentle simmer, adding a splash of water or stock if the sauce looks dry.

After a total of 30 minutes from adding the paste, add the marinated chicken and all the lemon juices. Stir to coat, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

A few minutes before the end, add the frozen peas or beans. Check everything is cooked through, turn off the heat, and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Serve on a big white plate, scattered with fresh coriander leaves, alongside naan or chapattis and homemade mango chutney.

For George Morrison — born 9th February 2015. This one's yours.

Footnote

This Georges chicken curry recipe is part of my Curry Recipes collection — the complete guide to curries, spice blends, bases, chutneys and sides from The Flexible Chef. Explore the full Curry Recipes hub.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef