Chicken Tikka Masala is a fusion dish that has become one of the most popular currys in the world. Chefs from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the UK, all claim to have created this wonderful dish, but who is right? Its origin is shrouded in mystery, but one thing is sure, everyone loves the delicious spicy creaminess of chicken tikka masala !
For those of you with time problems, the good news is that it can be cooked in 30 minutes, pre-cooked and frozen to be used later and is also very easy! The bright color of the dish comes from turmeric and paprika, do not be alarmed if while cooking the Chicken Tikka Masala will seem very hot, adding yogurt and cream will mitigate it very much! Thank you Maria Nasir for this wonderful recipe!
Chicken Tikka Masala, Ingredients for 4 people:
For Marinade:
- 1/2 kg boneless chicken, skinned and cut into bite size chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp red chilli powder or paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon of coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (sugar free of course!)
For the masala sauce:
- 4 ripe tomatoes, passed
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 piece of fresh ginger for a couple of centimetres (peeled)
- 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon of coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder or paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt or less, depends on the preferences
- 250 ml of plain yogurt
- 250 ml of cream
- 50g ghee or vegetable oil
Put the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric in a food processor. Add a little water and blend up to get the Masala paste. Set aside.
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces, stir well so as to coat them completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Heat the oil up in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, and sauté until it is golden translucent and tender.
Add the masala paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree and 1/4 cup of water (about 60 ml). Lower the heat, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked.
Add yogurt, stir and cook always with the lid on for another 5 minutes.
While the masala cooks, heat a frying pan or a griddle and cook the chickenpieces until ,cooked in tne inside and golden brown on the outside.
Add the cooked chicken bites to the masala sauce, mix in the cream. Let it simmet at very low heat for 2 minutes. If the masala sauce becomes too thick, add a little hot water to get the desired consistency.
Decorate your Chicken Tikka Masala with chopped fresh coriander, if desired, and serve hot and serve with naan bread an pilau rice.