Tikka Masala

Tikka Masala

serves 4

(India)

Tikka Masala is dish of roasted chicken chunks  in a spicy masala  sauce and one of those Indian restaurant specialties that is dead simple to prepare at home.

Ingredients

Tikka Masala marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

4 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt, or to taste

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit-sized pieces

4 long skewers

Tikka Masala sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

3 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

accompaniment :

yellow rice prepared to package instructions

naan bread

Preparation

prepare the marinade:

In a large bowl combine the yogurt, the lemon juice, the cumin, the cinnamon, the cayenne, the black pepper, the ginger, and the salt.  Pour the mixture into a large, 1 gallon, resealable plastic bag, add the chicken and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to marinate.

Lightly oil the grates of your grill and preheat it to high heat.

grill the chicken:

Distribute and thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers, discard the marinade.  Grill the chicken until juices run clear when a piece is pierced, about 5 minutes on each side.

prepare the masala sauce:

Melt the butter in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and chopped jalapeno for 1 minute.  Add the cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt, stir in the tomato sauce and cream.   Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the skewers and add the pieces to the thickened sauce and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

service:

Transfer the Tikki Masala to a serving platter and serve immediately accompanied by yellow rice and naan bread.

Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

Curried Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

serves 4

(America)

Neat little chicken salad sandwiches, along with radish and water crest sandwiches,  are traditionally one of the "ladies club bridge" or "high tea" staples.  This recipe adds a definitely Middle Eastern taste to the humble chicken salad finger sandwich  with the addition of curry powder to the recipe and a neat twist by dropping the bread  and wrapping the curry dressed chicken nuggets in pieces of Hearts of Romaine.

Ingredients

4 cups chicken stock

2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt

1/3 cup golden raisins

1 cup roasted cashews, roughly  chopped

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

2 heads of  hearts of Romaine lettuce, separated

Preparation

1.  Preheat oven to 350° F.

2.  Spread the shredded coconut on a cookie sheet, place in the oven and toast for  about 8 minutes until most of the shredded coconut is nicely browned.

3.  In a 3-quart over medium heat bring the chicken  stock to a simmer.   Add the chicken and simmer, uncovered, for  25 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a clean work  surface and cool until the breasts can be handled comfortably.   Either shred the chicken or chop it into 1/2-inch pieces. Set the shredded or chopped chicken aside in medium bowl.

4.  In a separate, small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry, lime juice, honey, salt, raisins, 1/3 cup chopped cashews, 1/3 cup of toasted coconut, and ¼ cup chopped cilantro.  Check seasoning and adjust to taste.  

5.  Combine the curry/yogurt sauce with the chopped/shredded chicken and thoroughly mix.  

6.  Transfer the curry chicken salad to a platter  over a bed of lettuce , garnish  with extra chopped cilantro and coconut. Serve accompanied by additional lettuce leaves, additional chopped cashews, roughly chopped cilantro, and toasted coconut.  To eat, place some of the chicken salad on a lettuce leaf, top with some chopped cilantro, chopped cashews, and toasted coconut fold and enjoy.

Vegetable Samosas

Vegetable Samosas

Makes 48 Samosas

(India)

Samosas are delicious little Indian dumplings we first enjoyed at various Indian Restaurants while we lived in Southern California.  While you can  go to the trouble of making your own dumpling skins, commercial wan-ton skins do an excellent job and while the recipe calls for circular wan-ton  skins square ones are more  common.  The only trick here is to be sure that the potatoes are thoroughly cooked. 

Ingredients

48 3 1/4 x 3 1/4-inch Won Ton Wraps

vegetable filling:

4 tablespoons of Ghee*

1 pound of potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 – inch dice

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 cup peeled and finely chopped yellow onions

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons of Garam Marsala

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

½ teaspoon of turmeric

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 cup of frozen peas, thawed

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Preparation

vegetable filling:

1.  Heat a large frying over low heat and add the Ghee, potatoes, garlic, onion, and ginger.  Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring several times, to sweat the potatoes,  do not allow the potatoes to brown.

2.  Add the remaining ingredients and continue cooking, covered, until the potatoes and peas are tender (about 5 minutes).  Taste and adjust seasoning, remember potatoes require lots of salt.  Set aside and allow to cool before filling the pastries.

filling the pastries and frying the Samosas:

1.   Working with one wrap at a time, position the wrap directly in front  of you oriented as a diamond with each point pointing in a compass direction.    Place a generous teaspoon of the filling in the center of the diamond, wet the edges of the diamond with a little water and fold the bottom half of the diamond up over the top half and the filling  forming a triangle, press the edges slightly to seal and place on a dish.   Continue this process until all the wrappers and the filling have been used up.

2.   After all the Samosas are formed, either heat about 4-inches of oil in a large pot  to 375 degrees F.  over medium high heat or place the manufacturer's suggested amount of oil  in the container of a deep fryer and heat it to 375 degrees F. 

3.  When the oil comes up to temperature add the Samosas to the oil, several at a time, and fry until golden brown (for the oil in pot method) or per manufacturers suggested time (if you are using a deep fryer), about 4 minutes.  After they are fried , remove the samosas from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on a dish lined with paper towels to drain.

4.  Serve warm accompanied by your favourite Chutney, alone  or as an accompaniment to your favourite Indian dish.

*clarified butter