Yes, you can follow the recipe exactly, but use chicken instead of beef. There are so many spices you can use, though, to make a curry and naturally they’ll all give a different taste. Blindly experimenting can be tricky as some spices just don’t go with others. Why not check out different traditional spice blends and see what ingredients they use? The internet is great for this or check out the spice stands in supermarkets and delis. There are some yummy blends like pancha pora out there. If you’re going to make your own paste, make lots as it takes a bit of time to do and it keeps for ages in the fridge. I often will use turmeric and cumin powder plus garam masala for a quick curry or dahl.

Janella Purcell