I don’t cook much Indian food. When my middle brother used to live with me, he used to cook Indian curries all the time. I would smell all the spices in our little apartment for days after he cooked. I suppose that’s why I never cooked it myself. It was always a thing that he did and I cooked other things. So I decided to cook chicken tikka masala. My husband enjoyed it so much he requested that I cook Indian food a little more often.
Serves 4
Prep time 20 mins
Cook time 50 mins
Ingredients
Marinade
600g chicken thigh fillets
1 tbsp ginger, minced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp salt
190g plain yoghurt
Curry sauce
2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped finely
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp paprika powder
400g can of tomato puree
180ml thickened cream
Coriander, to garnish (optional)
Mix the chicken with the marinade ingredients and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
Heat some oil in a large pan and char the chicken pieces, in batches, on both sides. Don’t cook it all the way through, just seal the outside of the chicken with the char. Set aside.
In a large pot, heat the canola oil and sautee the onion, garlic and ginger until it starts to caramelise. Then add the spices and stir until fragrant.
Add the tomato puree and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add a little bit of water so it doesn’t burn.
Add the charred chicken pieces to the pot and stir in the thickened cream. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for a further 15 minutes.
Garnish with coriander and serve with basmati rice or roti. I didn’t garnish in the picture because I had used up all the coriander that morning.