Chicken Tikka Masala

As a late anniversary gift to ourselves, Tom and I decided to hire Alyssa of Culinary Craftwork to teach us how to cook some of our favorite Indian recipes. Alyssa is a knowledgeable and gifted chef and we had a great time learning to cook Indian food "like the pros".  All the Indian dishes that follow are Alyssa's creations. We were surprised at how simple the recipes were because the food was absolutely delicious.  Garlic and onion are crucial to all of these recipes and we learned that even when you think you the onions are golden, they need to cook just a little more. 

Prep time:  15 mins + overnight to marinate

Cook time:  30 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ lb boneless chicken thighs

½ cup tandoori marinade

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 plump clove garlic, minced

½ cup finely chopped onions

1 ½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp cayenne powder

½ tsp crushed fennel seed

½ (6-oz can) tomato paste

1 1/3 cups chicken broth

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced

½ cup heavy cream (or coconut milk)

1 tsp kosher salt, to taste

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

2-4 tbsp cool butter (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

The day before you are planning to make this dish, mix the chicken with the pepper and tandoori marinade.  Let marinate overnight.  

Heat the vegetable oil in a 4-qt pan.  Add the onion, ginger, garlic and stir over high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the sliced chilies.  Add the garam masala, cayenne and fennel seed. Scrape the mixture into a blender; add tomato paste and chicken broth.  Blend until very smooth.

Pour mixture back into the pan, add cream and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until reduced to about 2 cups.

Meanwhile grill the chicken breasts until just-done.  Let cool, then slice into strips or cubes.  Add the chicken to the sauce in the pan.

Cut the butter into chucks and whisk into sauce till blended.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding more garam masala if desired.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Serve with basmati rice.

Saag Paneer

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time:

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 green chilies, sliced

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp turmeric

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground coriander seed

1 ½ lb fresh spinach or 2 packages frozen spinach

14 oz package paneer, cubed

¾ cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

 Put the ginger, garlic, green chilies and onion into the container of an electric blender or food processor along with ¼ - ½ cup of water.  Blend until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a large, wide nonstick pan over a medium flame.  Put in all the pieces of paneer and fry them until golden brown on all sides.  Remove to a plate and sprinkle them with salt and ¼ tsp garam masala.

Add the onion paste to the hot oil in the pan and fry it, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until golden.  Now add the turmeric, ground coriander and garam masala.  Put in the spinach, cover the pan and cook gently for 15 minutes.

Add the paneer and cream.  Continue cooking on low heat for 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and additional garam masala if desired.

Bengan Bhartha

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour, 10 mins

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb whole eggplant

2 plump cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion finely chopped

1 to 3 green chilies, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp cayenne

½ tsp paprika

1 cup tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

¼ cup heavy cream (optional)

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

1 cup chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Rub the eggplants with a bit of oil.  Prick them with a small, sharp knife and place them on a baking sheet.  Roast the eggplants until softened, about 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, peel and mash.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and cook the onion, stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and green chilies; mix in the spices and salt.  Stir for about 1 minute.

Add the tomato and chopped cilantro and cook, stirring, until all tomato juices evaporate, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Mix in the mashed eggplant and the peas.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.  Mix in the cream (if using) and cook one minute.  Transfer the eggplant to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Roti (Indian Flat Bread)

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Makes: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil or ghee

2 cups chapatti flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/3 cups warm water

½ tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt.  Make a well in the center.  Add the warm water and mix in with your hands to form a soft, pliable dough.  Continue to knead until the dough has a ‘satiny’ texture.  Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.  Let rest for at least 15 minutes.

Break off small pieces of dough and roll them into balls.  Drip the balls in flour and roll out to a uniform thickness.

Heat an iron griddle over moderately high heat.  Test with a droplet of water to make sure that the surface is hot enough.  The water should dance around.  Transfer the rolled dough to the griddle and cook until air bubbles appear.

Flip the roti over and cook on the other side, pressing down with a spatula.  The dough should puff up (it will deflate again).  Cook until light brown spots appear.  Brush with melted ghee and transfer to a plate or bowl covered with foil.  Continue rolling out and cooking the rotis.  Stack as they are cooked.