Place half of the grated garlic (about 1 teaspoon), half of the grated ginger (about ¾ teaspoon), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of the ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon of the garam masala, ¼ teaspoon of the Kashmiri chili powder, and ⅛ teaspoon of the ground turmeric in a small bowl (or medium bowl if marinating in the bowl). Whisk to combine. Transfer to a large zip-top bag if you’d like to marinate in a bag.

Add 1 ½ pounds cut-up boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the marinade and mix until each piece is well-coated. Seal the bag or cover the bowl and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to overnight.

Prepare a double layer of paper towels. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the paper towels, cover with more towels, and pat dry.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the chicken in a single layer and sear until dark brown or charred spots form on both sides, about 2 ½ minutes per side. (It’s OK if some of them burn a little; you want to mimic the tandoori effect as much as possible.) Transfer to a bowl (the chicken might not be cooked through). Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the pan and repeat searing the remaining chicken and transferring to the bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons of the water to the skillet and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Scrape into the bowl of chicken.

Wipe the skillet clean. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in the skillet over medium heat until melted. Add ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds and cook until they start to sputter, about 1 minute.

Add 1 finely chopped medium red onion, ½ finely chopped green chili, and the remaining grated ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden-brown, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric, and 1 pinch kosher salt. Cook, stirring often, until the spices are toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 teaspoon tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste darkens in color and caramelizes, about 3 minutes.

Stir in 1 (about 14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and the remaining ½ cup water. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the oils separate out from the sauce along the edges of the pan, 10 to 15 minutes. (This is a good time to prepare the rice or naan for serving.)

Return the chicken and juices back to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors meld, about 5 minutes more.

Stir in ½ cup heavy cream, then turn off the heat. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with rice or naan.