chicken tikka masala

That spoon is bugging me, too.  I have no idea why I left it in

Indian food to me was once as much a mystery to make as it was to eat.  When I went to a friend's intensely Indian sweet sixteen (kind of like a Indian quincenera) with steaming catering trays full of samosas, curries, paneer, you name it - I passed up on all that goodness to nibble on a piece of naan instead. Luckily my view of eating Indian food has changed since then, but my view of cooking it didn't until a couple of hours ago.

Now I love Aarti Sequeira for many reasons - you might hear me going off about her a few more times on this blog, just a warning - but I especially love how she demystifies Indian food for the rest of us.  That orange color?  Tomatoes and a dash of cream.  I KNOW.  The flavor?  Ginger, garlic, serrano peppers (what she calls the "trifecta" of Indian food), and paprika.  Like, whoa, so normal.  Oh yeah, and garam masala.  Garam masala, or "real" curry powder (curry powder is a Western invention!), is typically a blend of coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom (whooo alliteration).  Sure, they might be spices you don't use everyday, but really nothing unheard of. Contrary to what you might think, I didn't have to go to lengths to get my hands on some.  I got about 50 cents' worth from the bulk section of my favorite all-American grocery store (Sprouts).  It's worth noting that recipes for garam masala differ like crazy.  It's kind of like Korean barbeque; no marinade recipe tastes exactly the same, but they all result in that recognizable Korean barbeque flavor profile: soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and garlic. The garam masala is what gives this masala and so many other Indian dishes that kind of distinctness, but obviously the taste of your masala will differ based on the garam masala blend you use.

By the way, this entire meal cost me just about $10*, including the rice I served it on.  While I did have some of the ingredients on hand (chicken, yogurt, cream, and tomato paste**), literally everything else (look at the recipe list, it's pretty long) was $10.  I reaped 4 generous servings and 3 more in the freezer for some glorious no-cook dinners in the near future.  That's 7 plates of good chicken tikka masala for $10, people.  7.  You can't even get 2 with that money.  Are you getting this?

And the taste? If you've ever eaten Trader Joe's chicken tikka masala frozen entrée before, it tastes very similar to that.  And that's a good thing - I actually like TJ's better than some Indian fast food restaurants out there because it tastes lighter and the texture is chunkier.  Also, there are huge, tender pieces of chicken in it. Very much like the one in that horribly lit picture up there.***

so hurried, I didn't even move the towel and Wheat Thins out of the frame!

* I've said this before, but buying in bulk is a lifesaver.  If I bought a box of rice and two spice jars, this meal would have cost at least $7 more.  It's not always cheaper to buy in bulk (read the $/lb carefully), but it definitely is when you only need a little of something.

** Another lifesaver - tomato paste in a tube.  No more opened cans of barely touched tomato paste!  Just close the cap and keep it in the fridge for later use. Trader Joe's recently started carrying tomato paste like this, so they're getting easier to find.

*** Why the poorly lit pictures?  Well, I'm not the biggest camera whiz, but also I just moved back to San Diego for work (more on that later) and am staying at an apartment with notoriously bad lighting for indoor pictures (aka very little, and very yellow.  Like, when-I-tried-to-white-balance-the-photos-they-turned-blue kind of yellow).  Why so few?  Well, we were hungry.

Chicken Tikka Masala

slightly adapted from Aarti Sequeira

Marinade:
1 cup yogurt

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (used a Microplane for this, but you can finely mince it)
3 cloves garlic, grated (")
1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 large chicken breasts, cut into large bite-sized chunks (I think it could even use 3, if you want a more meaty curry)

Sauce:

2 tsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

2-inch thumb of ginger, grated or finely minced

6 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced

2 serrano peppers, seeded and finely minced (be careful not to touch your eyes!)

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp paprika

8 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 to 2 cups water

Oil, for grilling (I don't have a grill, so I used a really hot cast iron pan - you want to get a good sear on the chicken)

1/4 cup heavy cream

Minced fresh cilantro, for garnish

Cooked brown basmati rice, or naan, or bread for serving

1. Marinate the chicken.  In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat.  Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator up to overnight.

2. Make the sauce. When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the ginger, garlic, and serrano peppers.  Saute until lightly browned around the edges.  Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes.  Add the garam masala and the paprika and sauté for about 1 minute to draw out their flavors. Add the tomatoes, salt, and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. 

3. Cook the chicken.  Fire up your grill, or put your cast iron skillet over high heat.  If you don't have cast iron, get your pan as hot hot hot as possible.  Lightly brush with oil.  Place the chicken on the grill/pan, shaking off some of the excess marinade.  Cook until it's charred, about 2 minutes on each side.  (Don't worry that the chicken will still be a little uncooked, it finishes cooking in the sauce and gets super tender.)

4. Finishing time! Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender, and process until smooth.  Pour back into the skillet and bring back up to a boil.  Add the chicken.  Take the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add the cream and stir through.  Garnish with minced fresh cilantro, and serve over rice/naan/bread!