For Dinner Tonight ...
Jun. 14th, 2011 07:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
texchanChicken Tikka Masala. My all-time favorite Indian restaurant dish -- although my understanding (which might not be correct) is that this is not a "real" Indian dish. Still, it's available at most Indian restaurants, and it's typically what I order. It's so yummy and tomato-y and yummy. *sigh*
I've never made it before, so (needless to say) I tried a new recipe. I always thought it would be a super hard dish to make. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's that I have always felt a bit intimidated by Indian-style cooking, because of all the spices and the gorgeously aromatic sauces. But I found a recipe online that seemed do-able for me. I've been planning on making this dish for several days now. Yesterday afternoon, I mixed up the Masala marinade, trimmed and sliced my chicken, and put it into a glass bowl to marinate for about a day and a half, with the intention of cooking the dish tonight.
Hubby called this afternoon shortly after I got home from picking up the kiddo (and a trip to the grocery store for salad fixings), and said he would not be home for dinner tonight. Which, at first, seemed to put an end to my plans. Because, of course, the whole point was to fix it for him. Disappointing. But then I decided I would go ahead and cook it. I had already marinated the chicken, and I've been looking forward to making this (which kind of frightens me ... but that's another story for another post *nervous laugh*) for three or four days.
And so ... I did! It took about an hour, all told, from cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces and gathering the ingredients to finished dish. I am sitting here now, eating some of it over rice for my dinner.
And you know what? It's not bad at all! I had my doubts -- as I always do when trying a new dish -- but I'm really happy with how this came out. It's tasty and a little sweet, but also spicy. It's not all that spicy, overall, but I am one of those people who doesn't like spicy-hot food. I only included 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, along with 1 1/2 tablespoons of chili powder, which isn't all that much. Even so, I think I'll probably leave the cayenne pepper out next time I make it. And I'll use just a tad more sugar, too. Other than that ... I'm more than happy with my first attempt at this. So ... yay! =)
I've never made it before, so (needless to say) I tried a new recipe. I always thought it would be a super hard dish to make. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's that I have always felt a bit intimidated by Indian-style cooking, because of all the spices and the gorgeously aromatic sauces. But I found a recipe online that seemed do-able for me. I've been planning on making this dish for several days now. Yesterday afternoon, I mixed up the Masala marinade, trimmed and sliced my chicken, and put it into a glass bowl to marinate for about a day and a half, with the intention of cooking the dish tonight.
Hubby called this afternoon shortly after I got home from picking up the kiddo (and a trip to the grocery store for salad fixings), and said he would not be home for dinner tonight. Which, at first, seemed to put an end to my plans. Because, of course, the whole point was to fix it for him. Disappointing. But then I decided I would go ahead and cook it. I had already marinated the chicken, and I've been looking forward to making this (which kind of frightens me ... but that's another story for another post *nervous laugh*) for three or four days.
And so ... I did! It took about an hour, all told, from cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces and gathering the ingredients to finished dish. I am sitting here now, eating some of it over rice for my dinner.
And you know what? It's not bad at all! I had my doubts -- as I always do when trying a new dish -- but I'm really happy with how this came out. It's tasty and a little sweet, but also spicy. It's not all that spicy, overall, but I am one of those people who doesn't like spicy-hot food. I only included 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, along with 1 1/2 tablespoons of chili powder, which isn't all that much. Even so, I think I'll probably leave the cayenne pepper out next time I make it. And I'll use just a tad more sugar, too. Other than that ... I'm more than happy with my first attempt at this. So ... yay! =)
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-15 10:41 pm (UTC)I've had Tikka Masala before but w/ lamb instead of chicken. Its awesome sauce! Though your alot braver than I am in the kitchen. The most I've done as far as Indian food is made chicken Korma where the Korma came out of a pre-made glass jar and some naan bread that just needed to be reheated in the oven LOL! Yea.. real boss huh? >,<;; But I'm a total Akane Tendo in the cooking arena, so for me its an accomplishment when its not charred or rubbery yaaahh! LOL! Plus your right! There are soooo many spices that sometimes go into Indian (and also Syrian) foods. @_@ Some are hard to find at the local grocery store.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-06-17 11:54 pm (UTC)I've never had Tikka Masala with lamb. I might have to try that some time -- but in a restaurant only. I don't think I want to cook with lamb at home. That might be a bit out of reach for my cooking skills (hee!).
I was surprised at how easy this dish was to make. And, overall, how quickly I got done with it. My hubby liked it, too, so I'll definitely make it again. Yay for being able to add something new to the recipe book!! *woot*