Manju Malhi’s Chicken Tikka Masala
“Chicken tikka masala is a great way to introduce a first time ‘curry eater’ to Indian food as the strong flavours of the warming spices compliment the creaminess of the sauce. You may have seen the remarkable Heston Blumenthal recently on BBC2’s ‘In Search of Perfection’ series making his version of this infamous dish. Well, leaving molecular gastronomy aside, this is the way I make it so I hope it passes your taste test. Enjoy!” Manju Malhi
A delicious looking chicken tikka masala from Easy Indian Cookbook by Manju Mahli
© William Lingwood/Duncan Baird Publishers
Ingredients:
Serves 4
4 tomatoes, chopped
6 tbsp double cream
5cm (2in) piece ginger root, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
2 onions, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp salt
A pinch of garam masala
1 recipe quantity Tandoori chicken bites (see below)
Preparation
Place the tomatoes, cream, ginger, and garlic in a blender and blend until a thick sauce forms, then set aside.
Heat the oil in large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the bay leaves and onions and fry, stirring constantly for 6 to 8 minutes until the onions are golden brown.
Add the chillies, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and garam masala and stir 1 minute, or until you can smell the aroma of the spices. Watch carefully so the mixture does not burn.
Add the chicken pieces and fry, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir the tomato and cream mixture into the pan. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 3 minutes.
Bring a kettle of water to a boil while the chicken mixture is simmering. Add ½ cup boiling water to the chicken and simmer another minute, stirring, or until droplets of fat appear on the surface. Serve hot with buttery spinach and potatoes and plain basmati rice.
Serve!
For more of Manju Malhi’s delicious recipes go to: www.manjumalhi.co.uk
