I was really pleased to see this healthier version of Chicken Tikka Masala in October’s Good Food Magazine and despite my faffing about and dawdling in the kitchen it tasted delicious…
A lot of ingredients, but it’s truly worth having a go. You’ll need a pestle and mortar, a blender and some skewers (or a way round it!).
The marinade and the sauce can be made a day in advance if required.
To serve 4
The marinade and meat ingredients:
4-5cm piece of ginger
4 plump garlic cloves
3 tablespoons natural yogurt
2 teaspoons lime juice (fresh works best)
1 tablespoon chopped coriander (they say finely, I’m impatient, rough is fine!)
half teaspoon hot chilli powder
half teaspoon garam masala
half teaspoon paprika (I only had smoked paprika, that was fine too)
quarter teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
half teaspoon fenugreek seeds
600g skinless, boneless chicken cut into chunks (about 3-4cm)
Sauce ingredients:
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
2 onions, sliced into wedges
half teaspoon paprika
half teaspoon turmeric
half teaspoon garam masala
quarter teaspoon hot chilli powder
2 tablespoons tomato puree
300ml water
2 tablespoons natural yogurt
For the marinade, grate the ginger and garlic and mix together in a small bowl. Put half of the mixture into a larger bowl and put the other half to one side for the sauce.
Into the larger bowl add the yogurt, lime juice, chopped coriander, chilli, garam masala, paprika and turmeric.
In a small dry pan (I use a milk pan) toast the cumin, coriander and fenugreek seeds – take care not to burn them, especially the fenugreek seeds. Remove from the pan and grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar. Stir half into the yogurt mixture and put the rest to one side for the sauce.
Stir the chicken into the yogurt mixture, ensuring it’s all coated. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Then to the sauce:
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onions and cook over a medium heat until the soften and start to turn brown.
Stir in the ginger and garlic and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Then mix in the paprika, turmeric, garam masala, chilli and the rest of the toasted seeds – some of the spices will stick to the bottom of the pan, don’t worry.
Add the tomato puree and 150ml of water, cook for a minute or so before blending to a thick smooth sauce (I got bored – lumpy sauce is just as tasty!). Return to the pan and stir in the rest of the water.
When you’re ready to eat, put the chicken pieces onto skewers and under a high grill place then on a baking tray lined with foil – I use a deep-sided tray with the skewers resting on the edge so they’re raised off the foil. Grill for about 12-15 minutes – they will be slightly blackened, that’s good!
If serving with rice, get that on the go as per the packet instructions, then heat up the sauce in a pan. Once the sauce is heated through, remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt.
To serve, a shallow bowl is ideal, but a plate or deep-side bowl is fine too. Pour in some sauce and lay the skewers on top… or just bung it all together if you’re not fussy!
You can also sprinkle some coriander leaves on top and serve with lime wedges for that little bet extra.
Yum!
