Tikka Masala
6 servings
60 minutes
Tikka Masala with Naan flatbreads occupies about the same place in Indian cuisine as borscht with pampushki in Ukrainian cuisine - that is, it is actually central. The main part of the list of ingredients here is occupied by spices, and the recipe itself is actually extremely simple and requires only monotonous adherence to simple and constantly repeating actions: chop-stir-simmer.
1
Cut 500 grams of chicken fillet into small pieces (about ten equal pieces). Place in a lightly greased baking dish, mix slightly, and put in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Sunflower oil: 3 tablespoons
- Chicken fillet: 1 piece
2
In a deep pan, heat some oil, add cumin, bay leaf, black and green cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. Sauté for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add four chopped onions, mix, and sauté a bit more.
- Sunflower oil: 3 tablespoons
- Caraway: 1 teaspoon
- Bay leaf: 1 piece
- Black cardamom seeds: 2 pieces
- Green cardamom seeds: 3 pieces
- Cinnamon: 1 piece
- Carnation: 3 pieces
- Onion: 4 heads
3
Dice four tomatoes and mince the garlic. Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and sauté, stirring, for a few minutes until the tomatoes release their juice and become soft. Sprinkle with coriander, chili pepper, and turmeric.
- Tomatoes: 4 pieces
- Finely chopped garlic: 4 cloves
- Ground coriander: 2 teaspoons
- Ground chili pepper: 1 tablespoon
- Turmeric: pinch
4
Remove the cooked chicken fillets from the oven and add them to the pan. Stir and cook everything together for a couple more minutes. At this stage, you can slightly reduce the heat so that the vegetables and meat stew instead of frying.
- Chicken fillet: 1 piece
5
Clean the green pepper from seeds and membranes, cut it into small cubes, add it to the pan with vegetables and chicken, mix everything thoroughly, and simmer for five minutes, stirring constantly and preventing the meat and vegetables from sticking to the bottom.
- Green pepper: 1 piece
6
Carefully pour the cream into the pan (it should be rich enough, at least 30%, as regular cream will curdle immediately under high heat).
- Cream 33%: 0.3 glass
7
Add garam masala — an Indian spice mix that usually includes chili pepper, garlic, ginger, onion, and other spices. Mix everything carefully and leave on the heat for a couple more minutes.
- Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
8
Remove the thick and aromatic tikka masala sauce from the heat and let it sit for one or two minutes. Then remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf from the pan and serve immediately while hot.