In The Kitchen with Kanta : Chicken Tikka Masala

Happy New Year everyone, I hope that 2017 brings you all happiness and prosperity.  I decided to kick off the year with a dish that’s packed with flavour and extremely delicious; the classic Chicken Tikka Masala.  This is a dish that I absolutely love, and I regularly use this amazing recipe from Madhur Jaffrey.  So try it yourselves guys and start your 2017 with a kick.

Ingredients

• 675 g Chicken thighs or breasts, diced
• 1 ¼ tsp Chilli pepper, powder
• 4 tbsp Coriander, leaves
• 7 Garlic clove
• 2 tbsp Ginger, root
• 140g Onions, diced
• 2 Tomatoes, medium, chopped
• 350 ml Chicken stock
• 3 tbsp Lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 3 tsp Paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 7 tbsp Olive or sunflower oil
• 6 tbsp Whipping cream
• 4 tbsp Yoghurt

Method

Start by marinating the chicken.  Put the chicken in a bowl and rub in the salt and lemon juice. Pierce the chicken pieces lightly with the tip of a knife and rub in the seasonings again, then set aside for 20 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, cream and garam masala. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate overnight for six to eight hours.

Now make the masala: pour the 4 tablespoons of oil into a large, non-stick pan and set it over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the onions. Stir and fry until they brown, 6-7 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and continue to fry, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and paprika. Stir then add a tablespoon of the yoghurt. Stir and fry until it is absorbed. Add the remaining yoghurt a tablespoon at a time.

Now put in the tomatoes. Fry them for three or four minutes. Add the stock and salt, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes. The sauce should turn thick. Stir in the garam masala and coriander leaves, taste and add more salt if you need it.

Shortly before you eat, preheat the grill to its highest setting. Thread the chicken on to two to four skewers.  Brush with the 3 tablespoons of oil and balance the skewers on the rim of a shallow baking tray, so that the meat is suspended and does not touch the tray. Grill them for six minutes on each side, or until they are lightly browned, cooked through and charred in places. (Cut a large piece of chicken to the centre to check there is no trace of pink.)

When the chicken is cooked, reheat the sauce and mix in the chicken.

Serving

Serve immediately with fluffy rice.

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com.  Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.