i've always said that if i ever won the lottery, i would travel. that's such a broad idea of traveling. there are many, many, many countries i'd like to see. however, i'd love to spend a month in india. to be fair, i don't even know much about india, apart from what i learned in World History and what i've seen in movies. maybe it's one of those things where one feels a rightness in something unknown: you don't necessarily know when a cake has come out right, but it feels perfect, or having just completed a difficult test that you studied for and leaving the classroom just knowing you did well. that's how i feel about visiting India.
until i actually win the lottery, i make do with eating indian food. chicken tikka masala is one of my favorite indian dishes, with it's tangy spices and tender chicken. it's usually my go-to dish when i go out for indian, unless there's a pre-fixed menu or i'm feeling adventurous.
it's been so cold lately, i decided to make use of some spices i had hanging out in my pantry. i didn't have all the necessary ingredients, but i made an adequate attempt at it. it sure has been keeping me warm this week, what with temperatures dipping into the 30s again.
Chicken Tikka Masala
adapted from Food & Wine and Grace Parisi
MASALA MARINADE
cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
MAKE THE MASALA MARINADE:
In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper.
the recipe calls for A LOT of different steps and use of some other ingredients that i didn't have. the next evening, i basically cut up the chicken, threw all the ingredients into a pot, added water, cooked on low til sauce had thickened. a very, very lazy way of cooking but it suited me.
today's song: Tyler Ramsey, Worried
until i actually win the lottery, i make do with eating indian food. chicken tikka masala is one of my favorite indian dishes, with it's tangy spices and tender chicken. it's usually my go-to dish when i go out for indian, unless there's a pre-fixed menu or i'm feeling adventurous.
it's been so cold lately, i decided to make use of some spices i had hanging out in my pantry. i didn't have all the necessary ingredients, but i made an adequate attempt at it. it sure has been keeping me warm this week, what with temperatures dipping into the 30s again.
Chicken Tikka Masala
adapted from Food & Wine and Grace Parisi
MASALA MARINADE
cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
MAKE THE MASALA MARINADE:
In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper.
the recipe calls for A LOT of different steps and use of some other ingredients that i didn't have. the next evening, i basically cut up the chicken, threw all the ingredients into a pot, added water, cooked on low til sauce had thickened. a very, very lazy way of cooking but it suited me.
today's song: Tyler Ramsey, Worried
It's really terrible that I'm half Indian and cannot make Indian food. My mom can---and she's not Indian at all---but she can make anything. Thing is, I'm so sensitive to spicy foods, I hardly even eat it. That's probably part of the problem. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteANYWAY: Love the way you improvised on the ingredients. My kind of cooking.
Thank you, Lan! You're the best. I love Indian food and I love the improv.
ReplyDeleteAwesome to come back and see a spicy and tasty Indian dish! I just took a friend to the Indian grocery today as she wanted to try her hand at Indian cooking. Looks really delicious!
ReplyDeleteI love this. I love curry. I love spicy food. I love I love I love!
ReplyDeleteps--thank you for the birthday wishes!
:)
I do the same thing when I make butter chicken. Add all the ingredients together and let it simmer. Seems like such a waste to toss away the marinade.
ReplyDeleteshannalee -- i had no idea you were 1/2 indian! you know what tempers the spiciness? yogurt. i like spicy food but i still want to be able to taste it and yogurt helps curb the sting.
ReplyDeleteaj -- thanks and welcome back! you call it improvising, i call it laziness. :)
meeso -- isn't there something so wonderful about indian food? i just love it, i finished the last of it last night for dinner and it still tasted wonderful after a few days!
monica -- spicy food is just so lovely on a good day, isn't it? and indian food always hits the spot for me.
wc -- i've always thought that about the marinade, when the recipe called to scrape off as much of it as possible and then bake, all i could think about was, what happens to the rest???
That's a good idea about the yogurt. Making a mental note!
ReplyDeleteI look this dish very much!
ReplyDeletetigerfish, thanks so much for stopping by. it is a great dish, one that i hope to make more often. :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI Like it
ReplyDeleteI Like it
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lan! You're the best. I love Indian food and I love the improv.
ReplyDelete