Kadai Chicken: The Wok-Principle Indian Curry

Dry-roast the coriander seeds and dried red chillies together in the kadai over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and deepened in colour, then remove them immediately so the residual heat of the pan does not drive off the volatile top-notes you have just coaxed out. Grind coarsely — not to a powder — using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder, so the masala releases in layers as the dish cooks rather than dissolving into anonymous heat. The masala is ready when the aroma is sharp, green, and volatile; it must be used within minutes.

Heat the oil in the kadai over high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer and sear without moving them, so each surface has time to build a golden crust that will hold the meat together through the braising that follows, and release cleanly from the pan when it is truly ready. Remove the chicken and set aside.

In the residual oil, cook the onions over high heat, stirring frequently, until they are deeply golden and beginning to catch at the edges, because that colour is the sweetness and body the sauce is built on. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook until the raw smell has completely left the pan — the base is ready when it smells sweet and roasted rather than sharp, which tells you the water has driven off and the paste will not make the finished sauce taste muddy.

Return the seared chicken to the kadai and stir to coat it in the base, then add the chopped tomatoes and cook, pressing them down, until they have broken down and the oil begins to separate at the edges of the mass, a sign that the tomatoes have given up their water and the sauce is concentrated enough to carry spice. This is where the dish lives or dies: scatter the freshly ground kadai masala over the hot, flavoured base now — added too early it loses its sharp, volatile perfume into steam; added too late it tastes raw against the finished sauce — stir through and cook for one further minute only, until the spice smells fully roused but not scorched.

Add the bell peppers in the final five minutes of cooking, stirring them through the sauce over high heat so they take on the flavour of the kadai masala without surrendering their crunch. The peppers are done — and the dish is ready — when they are heated through but still hold their shape and offer a slight resistance to the bite; fully softened peppers tell you the heat has gone on too long and the dish has lost the textural contrast that defines it.