Britain's favourite.

My favourite dinner at the moment is diabetes-friendly tinned cat food, but for humans in Britain the number one dish is apparently chicken tikka masala. At the weekend Martin cooked a version of this that was quite extraordinary. It came from The Cinnamon Club Cookbook by Iqbal Wahab, founder of the Cinnamon Club restaurant in The Old Westminster Library - and one of the first Indian restaurateurs in London to get a Michelin star.

Now I'm only a cat, but even I know that chicken tikka masala is a made-up mongrel of a dish. In the book, Wahab tells an (apocryphal) story of its origins in the 1970s, when a British diner in an Indian restaurant ordered chicken tikka. The ignoramus was dismayed to be presented with a dry, grilled dish and demanded sauce, whereupon the chef opened a tin of tomato soup, warmed it through and poured it onto the chicken.

The Cinnamon Club version, Old Delhi Style Chicken Curry, is vastly superior. Marinate chicken (thigh meat, no skin or bone) with some garlic and ginger paste, a little salt, some chilli powder and lemon juice, for twenty minutes or so. Then add some yoghurt mixed with garam masala and leave for at least the same time again, while heating the oven to 220 centigrade. Roast the chicken until brown (or better, do this in a tandoor or over barbecue coals). Meanwhile put plenty of tomatoes (tinned are probably best, though Wahab doesn't say this) in a pan, and bring to the boil with some crushed ginger, garlic, whole cardamoms, cloves and a bay leaf. Simmer until the tomatoes are broken down, put through a blender (and a sieve if you want to be really smooth) and reheat, beating in a lot of butter until you get a glossy sauce. Put the cooked chicken and any juices in, simmer for five minutes, add more ginger, some cream, some crumbled dried methi leaves and garam masala and check the seasoning. You might (OK, you will) want to put some chillies in, too.

This is a spectacularly good dish. As you eat it, you're aware that it's a complete fabrication and has almost nothing to do with Indian food, but you don't care because it tastes like heaven. It's incredibly rich, though. I only had a pawful, and that was enough.