Tikka Masala: The Recipe

Check out this recipe on my new and improved website: thewalkingcookbook.com

Aaaaand, we're back! I hope that everyone had a lovely and restful holiday filled with delicious food and all of the other important things in life.

The end of a year and beginning of the next is always accompanied by lists. So I am going to make a list of predictions for my culinary life for the upcoming year. Look forward to the following Walking Cookbook trends:

• Indoor grilling (I just seasoned my cast iron grill pan/skillet and can't stop looking at it)
• Bread (and other bread-related products, to overcome my fear of yeast)
• Celiac-friendly, egg free, and dairy free dishes (shout out to my super-allergic best friend!)
• Sauces of all varieties
• Micro-portions (I got a tasting party dishware set for Christmas)

We'll kick off 2013 with some food that will heat things up in two ways... Indian Tikka Masala. I'll prep some chicken and some salmon (or maybe swordfish, a new favorite of mine for its steaky texture and chickeny flavor) in the Tikka Masala style, which takes two separate steps. First, I will marinade the meat and grill it. Second, I will make the gravy (the actual meaning of the word curry) and mix it all together. Served with rice and naan, it will be a full (though not very balanced) meal.

Quick note: The meat should marinade overnight, so keep that in mind when choosing when to make this recipe.

A cilantro garnish is the perfect topper, both in color and flavor

The Recipe: Chicken (or Fish) Tikka Masala, adapted from Grace Parisi at Food & Wine
Yield: 4 servings

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 2.5 lbs meat (skinless, boneless chicken thighs; salmon or swordfish cut in 1.5" cubes

Gravy Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp garam masala
• 1 1/2 tbsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 35-oz can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped and juices reserved
• pinch of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

• Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
• Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in the pieces of meat. Add to the marinade, turn to coat, and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and scrape off the marinade as much as possible. Place on the grill and cook until the bottom third of the meat is cooked through (3-5 minutes). Flip the meat, cover with an aluminum foil tent, and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Keep in mind that with fish you will reduce these times a bit, since rare fish is far less dangerous (and disgusting) than rare chicken.
• Transfer grilled meat to a cutting board and let rest.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. Move to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
• In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add the garam masala, chile powder, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes, their juices, sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Cover partially and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer.
• Stir in the meat; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.

Will I make naan from scratch? Not sure yet, but if I do I will use this recipe.

Time to Memorize: 6 days