Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the dish I would normally order when having Indian. Wondering how it is made, I flicked through Jamie’s Comfort Food, and it was on the first page of the cookbook. It might not be an easy dish, but if you persist, I’m sure you will be rewarded.
Let’s start off with chicken kebab. It is marinated to absorb all the goodness of spices like clove, cumin, smoked paprika and garam masala. A small tub of yoghurt helps all the rich flavour soaked into the meat. Leave it to marinate overnight. Then straight to a smoking hot griddle pan, you can hear cold meat sizzles as it is in contact with the surface of the pan. After a few minutes, what you will get is charred, tender and juicy kebabs, rich in flavour.
The sauce is another story. The sweetness of caramelized garlic and onion marry well with coriander and chilli. Ground coriander and turmeric are then added the party. You can smell something good coming out of the casserolle pan. Then goes in two tins of georgeous plum tomato and coconut milk as they brought comfort to the dish. Let it simmer and season to taste. Once it’s done, you could taste all the flavour compliment each other.
If you are after something fancy, why not adding authenticity to this dish by making your own Paratha bread? The dough is as simple as counting one, two three: white and multigrain flours, milk, olive oil, and a pinch of salt, mixed and kneaded together. Fry the bread on a hot pan until you get slightly burnt surface. Serve it while it’s hot: break it with your fingers, dip into the sauce, and straight into your mouth. You can thank me later…
- Chicken:
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon each smoked paprika, garam masala
- 2 lemons
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 thumb-size piece of ginger
- 6 tablespoon natural yoghurt
- 1 kg skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 3 green chilies
- Sauce:
- 2 onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 red chilies
- 1 bunch of fresh coriander
- olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon each smoked paprika, garam massala
- 6 tablespoon ground almonds
- 2 x 400 g can tomatoes
- 300 ml boiling water
- 1.5 tablespoon chicken powder
- 2 x 400 g coconut milk
- Paratha:
- 300 g wholemeal flour
- 300 g bread flour
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 400 ml milk
- Chicken:
- Toast ground cloves, cumin, smoked paprika and garam massala for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl
- Add zest of one lemon, crushed garlic, grated ginger and yoghurt.
- Dice chicken breast to 5cm chunks and add into the bowl. Massage chicken so flavour can sink in.
- Skewer up the chicken chunks, interspersing them with lemon wedges and green chilli.
- Cover with cling wrap and let leave it for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Sauce:
- Finely chop garlic, onion, chilli and coriander stalks. Fry them until golden and fragrant.
- Add coriander powder, turmeric, smoked paprika and garam massala. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add ground almond, fry until caramelised.
- Add tomato and water. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Season to taste.
- Paratha bread:
- Mix flour and salt. Add olive oil slowly. Then add milk.
- Knead for a few minutes on a flour-dusted surface.
- Rest for 20 minutes, devide dough into 8.
- Thinly roll each dough into A4 sized sheet.
- Drizzle and rub lightly with oil. Roll up into a loose log, roll the log up like Catherine wheel.
- Roll out with a rlling pin again to a flat round with 0.5 cm thick.
- Cook in a hot oiled frying pan on medium heat for 3 minutes each side.
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