A few months ago for our family night we wanted to learn about Africa, and of course you have to learn about the food other cultures eat! Thanks to Britt Mitchell for sharing some amazing recipes she had while living in Africa. This particular recipe she shared with me is from www.foodlikeammausedtomakeit.info This recipe is my favorite! Some of these spices are tricky to find, I got mine at World Market, I also made my own garam masala spice which is pretty easy and just a mixture of spices. I posted the recipe below for the garam masala, and the tikka masala which is pretty much the same as the tandoori masala spice mix as well.
Chicken Tikka Masala
4 chicken breasts
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 Tblsp garmasal for chicken and 1 Tblsp for the tikka sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 medium sized onion
1 tsp chopped cilantro + more for garnish
2 medium sized fresh green chilis (I left these out)
2 14oz can chopped tomatoes
1 Tblsp tomato paste
1-2 cups plain yogurt, for marinade
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
Dice chicken breasts into cubes. Sprinkle with salt and 1 Tblsp garamasala spice. Cover with yogurt. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated with yogurt. Cover and place in fridge to marinade overnight or atleast 1 hour.
To cook chicken, place marinated chicken on a baking tray or on skewer sticks. The chicken can be grilled, or cooked in oven, or in a pan on a stove. (I prefer grilled). Grill for 8-10 minutes until cooked through, flipping halfway through. Remove from heat then add to Tikka Sauce.
To prepare Tikka sauce add oil to non stick pan on medium heat. Add chopped onions. Cover for 4-6 minutes, lower heat and cook until onion has softened.
Add 1 tsp chopped cilantro to onion. Add green chilies and ginger and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add Garamasala and paprika and saute another minute.
Add chopped tomatoes, cover and simmer on low heat for 10-12 minutes. Add cream to tomato sauce. Simmer for 5-7 minutes on low heat then add grilled chicken to Tikka sauce. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and top with more chopped cilantro. Serve Chicken Tikka Masala with basmati rice, naan bread, chipati bread, flat bread or couscous. EnJOY!
Garam Masala Spice Mix:
1 Tblsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Mix all spices and store in an airtight container.
Tikka Masala Spice mix:
6 tsp coriander
6 tsp cumin
6 tsp garlic powder
6 tsp paprika
4 tsp garam masala
3 tsp ginger, ground
1 tsp dried mint
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp tumeric
Mix all spices and store in an airtight container.
