Chicken Tikka Tomato Masala
"An all time favorite. . ."
photo by Jonathan Melendez
- Ready In:
- 1hr 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 43
- Serves:
-
3
ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
-
1st Marinade
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1⁄2 teaspoon red chili powder (preferably kashmiri type)
-
2nd Marinade
- 4 tablespoons yogurt
- 2 tablespoons double cream
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, crushed (kasoori methi)
- salt
-
Tomato Masala
- 6 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 5 cm cinnamon sticks
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 4 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed
- 4 black peppercorns
- 1 3⁄4 lbs tomatoes, cut in half
-
Gravy
- 6 tablespoons ghee
- 4 ounces onions, finely chopped
- 1 ounce blanched almond, toasted almonds
- 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 1 tablespoon double cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 -3 teaspoons honey
- 1 processed cheese slice
- 6 tablespoons double cream
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garam masala
- salt
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped
directions
- Mix ingredients for the first marinade. Add chicken pieces and marinate for 25-30 minutes. Dry-roast coriander seeds in frying pan over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add cumin seeds and dry-roast for 30 seconds. Grind these spices in blender, or mortar & pestle, then mix them in non-metallic bowl with other ingredients for second marinade. Salt to taste, and add chicken pieces. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto metal or pre-soaked wooden skewers. Pre-heat a grill, chargrill or grill pan to hot. Grill the skewered chicken, turning a few times, so that the chicken gets cooked evenly from all sides. Remove the chicken from the grill. Take the pieces off the skewers and place on a plate.
- For tomato masala heat ghee, or oil in frying pan. When the ghee is ready, turn the heat to medium-high and fry coriander seeds and cinnamon stick for 1 minute. Add bay leaves, cloves, green cardamoms and black peppercorns, and fry for 1 more minute. Now add halfed tomatoes and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add 125 ml of hot water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cover with a lid. After 20 minutes remove skin from the tomatoes and continue to simmer until the tomatoes have completely disintegrated. Now remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves from tomato masala and blend it with a hand-held blender and pass it through a sieve to obtain smooth puree. Set this masala aside.
- For the gravy heat the ghee in frying pan. When the ghee is hot, add the onions and reduce the heat to medium. Fry for 10-15 minutes, or until onions are tender and golden.
- In the meantime, put almonds and desiccated coconut in blender and grind to powder. Now grind this almond-coconut powder with double cream and a little water to make a fine paste.
- When the onions are golden add garlic, ginger, and green chillies, and fry for 1 minute. Then add turmeric, paprika and cumin and saute for 30 seconds. Put in the tomato masala, almond-coconut paste, tomato paste, honey and 125 ml of hot water. Cook for 10 minutes, or until sauce starts to thicken. Remove the curry sauce from the heat, and blend it again with the hand-held blender until smooth. Return to a clean pan, reheat again and add cheddar cheese. When the cheese is melted, slowly whisk in the cream. Add dry fenugreek leaves, garam masala and salt to taste. Put in the chicken pieces and stir for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
- To finish the dish, stir in the chopped coriander leaves. Serve with naan bread or pilau rice.
Questions & Replies
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What in the world is double cream? -
Why did you make this its terrible.
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Why did you make this its terrible.
Reviews
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I love this recipe! It was worth all the steps, and can't wait to make it again. Served it with rice and homemade naan for a complete meal! -
Substitute the cream with plain non fat yogurt - Greek will work too. Cream does not belong in Indian dishes. A culinary travesty in all Indian restaurant in the US, sadly ?? -
I just love Tikka Masala but have never been brave enough to try it at home.. But this wasnt too hard and it was better I think than local take-out -
Taste like booty and my oven explodes becuase and i got food poison definitely wont make this again and you shouldn’t make this too!??????????
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An exceptional restaurant quality dish and worth the trouble. I doubled the recipe and forgot purchase a second pepper. I?m not sure how hot it would have been had I not doubled up; however, it came out great adding a few tablespoons of crushed red peppers. The flavors were even better after the sauce set up overnight.
