Chicken Tikka Masala

For the Feast of Blessed Mother Teresa

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup yogurt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger salt to taste 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

4 long skewers   1 tablespoon butter 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons paprika salt to taste 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 can diced roasted tomatoes 2 cups heavy cream 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 'toasted sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.	Preheat a grill for high heat.
3.	Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
4.	Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic  for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro and toasted almonds. Serve with basmati or jasmine rice. adapted from Allrecipes.com

Comments

[Anne]

Elizabeth,
I was reading the recipe and under #4 you have the direction to "Saute garlic and jalapeno" but there is no jalapeno listed in the ingredients. How much jalapeno is called for in the recipe? I like to start out with the recommended amount and tweak it to my dh's taste. Thanks. Anne

[Rachel]

I LOVE chicken tikka... yum :) Thanks for sharing this recipe!!

[Elizabeth M]

We love Indian food here too and our kids are finally liking some of it. We're lucky that our favorite Indian restaurant has very reasonable buffet nights with a wide range of good food. But, when we cook it at home, my favorite's are Madjur Jaffrey's cookbooks. They look hard (because of all of the spices) but they are really not! Enjoy. I'm going to have to try this version soon.

[Elizabeth Foss]

There was jalapeno in the original recipe. I left it out--it's pretty spicy without. I forgot to delete it from the directions--just went back and did that. Thanks for the heads up!

[Susan L]

Oh, yum! We love this kind of food! (Have you seen the beautiful book, Mangoes and Curry Leaves?) My daughter's husband's family is from Bangladesh, and she is learning to cook the foods of northeastern India/Bangladesh. We enjoy the fruits, and we are learning some of it, too. So delicious.

So, this one has familiar spices and flavors, and I will definitely make it!

Thanks a bunch!
Susan