Tikka Masala

By cooksalot

From Sina

Ingredients

• For the chicken*:
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs – breasts for John’s mother
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt – any plain yogurt will do
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced – jar stuff works fine
• 1/2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
• Skip this part if your date tells you at the last minute that he/she has gone vegetarian. Be grateful that you didn’t buy the expensive organic chicken that has been massaged and read to on a daily basis.
• For the masala sauce:
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced fine (about 3/4 cups)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 small Serrano chili, minced – take the seeds out for John – too spicy!
• 1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. garam masala
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 lb. peeled tomatoes with juice -14-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves – garnis

Preparation

Step 1

First, rinse and drain jasmine or basmati rice.
If you should remember to make the rice shake a little coriander on the top along with a dash of olive oil and some sea salt. When it comes to a boil cover it with a lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 14 min.

Combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, in a bowl. Let the chicken sit in the spice mixture for at least an hour.

Preheat the broiler to 500℉

Stick the spice-coated chicken back in the fridge. Whisk the garlic, ginger, yogurt, and oil together.

In your mother’s old Dutch oven heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, cooking and stirring frequently for about ten minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chili, tomato paste, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Cook, stirring frequently. Add crushed tomato, sugar, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about fifteen minutes.

Use tongs to dip the chicken into the yogurt mixture. Broil chicken 6 inches away from heat.

Add the heavy cream to the sauce, stir, return to a simmer and then turn off the heat. Check the chicken- it should read 160℉ in the fattest parts and look a little charred. The recipe says ten to eighteen minutes, but you know you need exactly fifteen after making this at least once a month for the last ten years.

Add the chicken to the sauce; pull the rice off the burner. Garnish with chopped cilantro.