There's a Scouse in the Kitchen ...Chicken Tikka Masala

There’s a Scouse in the Kitchen…

Chicken Tikka Masala  This recipe is based upon one from Pat Chapman of “the Curry Club”. So it must be good.

First :

You need to make a bowl of mixed spices, half of which you will use to marinade the chicken and the other half goes into the sauce.

Cumin Powder:  2 teaspoons  (get it at any supermarket but cheaper and in quantity at a middle Eastern or Indian store, comes in a packet, put it in an airtight jar and it keeps for ages.

Garlic Powder 2 teaspoons, you can used minced garlic in a jar from the supermarket and you only need half the quantity.

Ground ginger 1 teaspoon, as above I like to used the minced ginger in a jar, half measures.

Ground coriander 2 teaspoons, nice to have this spice but ok if you can’t find it. It is literally the ground seeds from a Cilantro plant.

Paprika , 2 teaspoons I like the smoked paprika from Fresh and Easy but any will do.

Chilli powder 1 teaspoon, heaped if you like a kick, level if you are a first timer.

Garam Masala, 1 ½ teaspoons, I like to buy a big bag of this as I use it a lot.

Chopped mint, 1 teaspoon of fresh or ½ teaspoon of dried (fresh is better)

Mix it in a bowl, if you use all dried ingredients it will keep for eternity in a sealed jar, but it is so easy to mix that I keep all the ingredients in an old box and knock it together as need it.

Prepare the chicken:

Chop it into big cubes about a generous inch, bigger chucks cook slower and seem to work better.

Place the cubes in a bowl with the juice of half the lemon and leave it in the fridge for an hour or so.  

Meanwhile….

Tandoori Marinade

3 or 4 oz of natural yoghurt, natural not flavored ! , full fat, low fat no fat doesn’t really matter.

3 fl oz of sour cream, milk is an ok substitute.

2 tablespoons ( about half of the tandoori marinade you have just made)

1 teaspoon of curry powder, you can use Patak’s curry paste if you prefer

2 teaspoons Garam Masala

Chili powder  ( from a ½ teaspoon for a hint of heat to 4 teaspoons if you want meltdown.

A handful of chopped cilantro, leaves and stalks (hard to get it wrong) .

Ditto Chopped mint

2 teaspoons of garlic puree, I liked the minced garlic but you can use paste or 2 or 3 bulbs of fresh in a liquidizer with a dash of water.

1 teaspoon of minced ginger or an inch of fresh ginger, scraped and sliced.

1 teaspoon of ground cumin,

juice of the other half of the lemon.

Mix it all in a big bowl.

Place the chicken cubes in it an let it sit, (for at least an hour, ideally overnight) in the fridge.

Tikkas

Big onion, cut in half across the middle then quartered:

Take a skewer and load onion chicken onion along it. Reserve the sauce.

Cook the tikkas on an oiled barbecue grill low heat, turning regularly until the chicken  is cooked right through, I like the edges to be blackened a little but it is personal preference.

Meanwhile..

Masala Sauce

1 jar of Pataks Curry sauce, available at Fresh and Easy and Ralphs

1 teaspoon of tandoori paste  ( the leftover spices mixed with a little vingar and oil) or you can buy a Patak's Curry paste.

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil  (ghee if you can find it but oil is healthier)

the rest of the tandoori marinade that the chicken was in

2 teaspoons of tomato paste

a can of tomatoes (chop them up as they are cooking)

a red pepper chopped up small

a handful of chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons of sour cream

Heat the oil in a large pan add the tandoori paste and keep it moving for a minute or two then add the jar of curry sauce,, use a little water in the jar to rinse out the remainder. Drop the heat and keep it moving around the pan, add the marinade (it’s important to keep the temperature low at this stage or the yoghurt and cream will separate).

Next add the tomato paste, the tomatoes and the pepper, you should have a creamy sauce, if it looks too thick add a little water. Now add the chopped cilantro and sour cream . Keep  it simmering and deskewer the tikkas straight into the sauce,

Serve on a bed of basmati rice or in pitta pockets as a snack.

Delicious with Garlic Naan bread.

This is a really easy curry..