Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 6
Chicken Marinade:
1 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder or chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Sauce:
4 tablespoons ghee (or unsalted butter)
1 large onion, sliced
2 serrano chilis, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 teaspoons dried whole fenugreek leaves (can substitute dried mint leaves & a pinch of ground fenugreek)
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup heavy cream
Chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, for serving
Pulau/Spice Basmati rice, for serving
Directions
For the chicken marinade: Whisk together the yogurt, ginger, salt, chili powder, garam masala, pepper, turmeric and garlic in a large bowl until combined. Toss the chicken in the spiced yogurt marinade until evenly coated. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 24. (Overnight works best.)
For the sauce: Melt the ghee in a large Dutch oven or wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and serrano, season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and beginning to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until very fragrant and the ginger starts to turn golden and sticks to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the fenugreek leaves, garam masala, chili powder and paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up into pieces with a spoon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by half and the tomatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.
Let the hot sauce cool for about 5 minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender filling no more than halfway. (If your blender is small, you may need to work in batches.) Remove the center cap from the lid and place it on the blender. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and puree until creamy. Pour into a clean pot and bring to a simmer. Season with salt.
Meanwhile, position a rack directly under the broiler and preheat to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside.
Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the rack. Broil until the chicken starts to brown in spots, 3 to 6 minutes per side (it will not be cooked through). Remove from the broiler. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the simmering sauce, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
Top the chicken and sauce with cilantro. Serve with rice and naan.
Pulao - Spiced Basmati Rice
Serves 6
To prepare fried onions
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 ½ cups chopped onion (about 2 medium-large)
To prepare zafrani pulao:
2 cups good quality long grain basmati( biryani/pulao) rice, (soaked for 45 minutes)
3 green cardamom pods
4-5 cloves
1 inch stick of cinnamon
2 tablespoons ghee
A generous pinch of good quality saffron soaked in 4 tablespoon of milk
3 ½ cup water
salt to taste
coriander leaves ( for garnish)
1 bay leaf
Instructions
To make fried onions
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add onions and slowly cook until golden, about 20 minutes, reducing heat if they are getting crispy or browning quickly. Remove from the pan and set aside.
To make zafrani pulao:
To begin with, in a heavy bottom pot, add soaked and strained rice, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, ghee, and salt
Then, add water and mix everything. Place the pot on the heat and bring it to boil. Once water starts boiling, give it a gentle stir so that ghee gets mixed evenly
Cook until water dries up and the rice is done to 90%
Now, once the rice is cooked to 90%, pour the saffron soaked milk on the top. Cover and simmer until done.
Once cooked, fluff up the rice very gently using fork
Dish out and garnish with fried onions and chopped coriander leaves. Pulao is ready to be served.
Spinach & Ginger Dal
Serves 4
2 C lentils, red, brown or green
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1 2” piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small jalapeno or to taste
1 handful of cilantro
1 Tbsp ghee or canola oil
2 C fresh spinach, washed
1 tsp garam masala
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt & pepper
Put the lentils and a TBSP of salt in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
In a food processor, grind the cilantro, ginger, garlic and jalapeno to a rough paste. Heat a bit of canola oil or ghee in a large saucepan, add the ginger garlic paste and saute until very fragrant. Drain the lentils and add to the pot. Add water to barely cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the lentils are nearly tender. Stir in the spinach and cook until the lentils are completely done.
Adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
Just before you serve, stir in the lemon juice and garam masala.
Mango Lassi
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 ½ cups plain yogurt
4 1/2 fluid ounces whole milk
7 ounces from 3 fresh mango, peeled, pitted and sliced
4 teaspoons sugar, to taste, or feel free to try salt and cardamom seeds
Directions
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours
