Yesterday we had our delicious Strawberry Lassis (an Indian smoothie!) and today we're getting on to the main course. I'm a sucker for a good Tikka Masala. When I was in college there was a tasty Indian restaurant in town that was quite popular called The Bombay House. It seriously made me want to travel to India just to eat the food. I expressed this desire to a coworker who had to travel to India occasionally on business. He basically wished me good luck with that and told me I'd get food poisoning. So I'm pretty happy sticking with making my own Indian food at home. Granted, I'll still travel there someday. I'm a dreamer that way.
Back to that little Indian restaurant. I've never had a dish there I didn't like. A few years ago I took a friend there who claimed to hate Indian food because it was bland and boring. I had no choice but to force her to eat at this place because whatever Indian food she had in the past was obviously not real Indian. Despite all of the wonderful, mouth-watering, full flavored dishes, there's just something about a good tikka masala that just warms the soul. It's Indian comfort food. That creamy tomato goodness, spiced with the aromatic spices of India is comfort food to this white girl. I've kept the spicing rather mild by Indian standards in this recipe. It's got some heat to it, but it definitely won't burn your face off. And let me tell you, this is just as good at the restaurant. All you need to go with it is some rice and naan (Indian flatbread). It's super easy and tomorrow I will prove it and show you how to make your own Naan on the grill.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut into one inch cubes
1 cup plan greek yogurt
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
6 skewers
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp gharam masala
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
cilantro for garnish
Instructions
1. For the chicken: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the greek yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne pepper, pepper, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cubed chicken. Stir until well combined and chicken is coated. Let marinate for at least an hour. When ready to grill, thread the chicken onto skewers, leaving a little space in between each piece for even cooking. Grill over medium-high heat for roughly 4 minutes per side. Actual cooking time will depend on thickness of the meat.
2. For sauce: Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan. Add in the garlic and jalapeno and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add in the cumin, paprika, and gharam masala and toast for another minute. Add in the tomato sauce, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Add in the whipping cream and stir until evenly combined. Serve hot over rice with cooked chicken skewers.
