Instructions: Soak the poppy seeds in 100ml water for 1 hour then drain off the water and grind into a fine paste in a pestle and mortar. Hang the yoghurt in cheesecloth for 1 hour to drain off the whey, then place the hung yoghurt in a bowl and whisk. Heat most of the ghee in a cooking pot; add the almonds, cashews and bay leaf and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onions and fry for about 10 minutes until they are lightly browned. Add the chopped green chillies, cardamoms and ground poppy seeds and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 200ml water and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf and allow to cool. Put the mixture in a blender and puree to a smooth paste without any grains. Add 1 tablespoon ghee to the cooking pot, and then add the garlic, ginger, whole green chilli and clove. After 1 minute add the chicken pieces. The chicken will gradually release its juices until the meat is almost dry. Lower the heat then add the yoghurt and stir continuously to prevent it from curdling. Add the ground spice mixture with the nutmeg and mace and salt to taste. Stir well and add 300ml hot water. Taste the mixture. If you find it bland you can ad additional whole green chillies. Cook over a low heat for about 30 minutes until the chicken is tender. -

A mild aromatic court dish perfected at Lucknow, originally made with almonds only, modern chefs prefer a combination of cashews and almonds.

The traditional recipe also included 25g "chaar magaz" or "four seeds", a mix of various melon, squash and pumpkin seeds available from speciality Indian grocers stores, and a teaspoon of powdered rose petals, these are omitted from this recipe.

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