This weeks dish is Chicken Tikki Masala. I got this from a blog a friend recommended called The Pioneer Woman. She has a cooking tab and I have become a huge fan! She takes pictures of each step in her recipe and so it's very easy to follow along. This dish came from her contributor's section called Cooking with Pastor Ryan.
Ingredients:
3-4 Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
6 Tbsp Butter
1-1/2 cups Heavy Cream
28 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes*
1 Large Onion
4 Cloves of Garlic
2" piece fresh Ginger
3 Tbsp Garam Masala spice mix
Cumin
Ground Coriander
Kosher Salt
Sugar
Optional:
Fresh chopped Cilantro
Chili Peppers
Turmeric
Frozen Peas
Directions:
Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with some coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so as not to totally char the chicken. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.
Next dice on large onion. In a large skillet melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and saute until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1x2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tbsp. of salt.
Next you are going toadd about 3 Tbsps. Garam Masala spice. And if you like it hot this is also when you will add your hot chili peppers. Serranos work well. Now you are going to add your can of diced (or crushed) tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 Tbsp. sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.
To a rice cooker, add 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 Tbsps. butter, 1 tsp. salt, 1 Tbsp. Turmeric and 4 cups of water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away. If you do not have a rice cooker, cook your rice as usual but make sure that you use Basmati rice.
After the Tikki Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1-1/2 cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and stirl them into the Tikki Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the Tikki Masala over the rice. Make sure to have some Naan handy too! Mmmm....
The Verdict:
If you like Indian food then you will LOVE this dish. If you have never had Indian food before then you may or may not love this dish! At least that was the reaction I received from my family tonight. The Doc and I LOVE Indian food. We have yet to find good take out here and so when I took my first bite I almost cried it was SO good! Who knew I would be able to duplicate an actual Indian dish and have it taste just as good as what we used to get back in Hanover, NH and Philly!
My Dad, who has never had Indian food before, said it was delicious. My mom, who turns her nose up to anything that is a little different, even tried it. She wasn't a fan but I was really proud of her for actually trying it! My siblings on the other hand, were not fans at all. Their comments will not be repeated on this blog because they are not family friendly. My siblings significant others all seemed to enjoy trying something a little different than what they are used to eating!
I can't get over how authentic it tasted! I really felt like I have outdone myself. YUM!
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