from last wednesday april 18, 2012:
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
Ythair gave me a recipe a while back and I finally decided to make it tonight to share with my family (they were all completely unexposed to indian food and this is a great introductory dish). Surprisingly even my brother was going to be here for the night so it was even more fitting for me to slave away in the kitchen for 2 1/2 hours to make sustenance for the people I love; it's not often we all get to have dinner together. Complete success. My dad smoked a bowl and passed out on the couch after telling me I should cook every night. I am definitely not cooking like this every night from now on but I might make an effort to do it more often than I currently do.
INGREDIENTS- 3 whole (to 4) Chicken Breasts
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Coriander Seed
- Cumin (to taste)
- 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
- 6 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 whole Large Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 piece (approximately 2 Inches) Chunk Fresh Ginger
- Garam Masala (I had a hard time finding this, you can always make your own if you can't find it and have a decent spice stock)
- 1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
- Sugar
- 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
OPTIONAL:
- Fresh Cilantro
- Chili Peppers (I used Serrano Peppers)
- Turmeric
- Cayenne Pepper
Garam Masala Mix:- 1 tablespoon coriander; ground
- 1 tablespoon cumin; ground
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper; ground
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; ground
- 1 tablespoon ginger; ground
- 1 tablespoon cardamom; ground
- 1 tablespoon nutmeg; ground
- 1 TEASPOON cloves; ground
DIRECTIONS:Season your chicken breasts with some kosher salt, coriander, and cumin. Coat the breasts completely with the plain yogurt (it rubs the yogurt on its skin).
Place 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 or until it has
some nice blackened edges, but be careful so as not to totally char the chicken. Remove from oven when done.
Okay, so you need to dice your onion, mince your garlic, and peel and grate roughly a 1x2 inch chunk of ginger; might as well go ahead and chop up your
peppers as well and set them aside for later (I find it easier to keep track of things if I do all my prep stuff at the same time, saves me from doing a last minute
scramble to chop something up that I forgot). Anyway, in a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat; toss in your onions and sauté those
babies until they are slightly browned; also about a tablespoon of salt. Add the garlic and ginger to your onions and maybe another tablespoon of salt if you
want and reduce your heat to MEDIUM. Time to add 3 tablespoons of Garam Masala and those chili peppers I told you to chop up earlier -- now is the time to
add them for some heat.
Once all that is done you are going to add your can of diced tomatoes; continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about
1 tablespoon sugar, it'll reduce to acidity of the tomatoes. I also added a good dose of cayenne pepper here for some more heat. Simmer for a few minutes
and start making your Basmati rice.
If you do not have a rice cooker, cook your rice as usual (bring 2 cups rice and 3 cups water to a boil then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 12-14 minutes)
but make sure that you use Basmati rice, adding 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon ground tumeric. If you do have a rice cooker then
you own a godsend that I am not fortunate enough to possess.
[I forgot to take a picture of my rice!
To make up for it here is a picture of one of my dogs -- he thought it smelled amazing too and wouldn't stop eyeballing my chickens]
Fuck it. Carrying on, your Tikka Masala sauce should have had a chance to simmer for a while now so we're going to add in 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and stir it
up real good-like. Chop your chicken boobs into chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce as well. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro goes great here but
it is completely optional.
Serve that delicious rice I forgot to take pictures of with the Chicken Tikka Masala on top; garnish with a pinch more cilantro. Eat that bitch up like there is no tomorrow.
I decided to go back for seconds to eat while I watched a couple episodes of Dexter.
This will be even better reheated for breakfast tomorrow.