From the April 2013 issue of Bon Appetit comes this very delicious, very easy Tikka. There are just a couple of things I want to say about it.
One, the spices are key so if yours are old, or if you have no idea how old they are, or if they have a paper price sticker and it says something like 39-cents, or if you’re cooking at my mom’s apartment, throw them out and buy a fresh bottle. I usually go through spices quickly enough that it’s not a problem but paprika seems to be one of the ones that lingers on long past its efficacy. Then it’s just red powder. Pretty, but pointless from a flavor perspective. In the case of this recipe I’m thinking it might be your ground coriander, if you have such a thing.
Second, you will never, ever, if you live to be as old as Brooke Astor, get the gunk off the wire rack you broil the chicken on. I even took the precaution of spraying mine with vegetable oil spray and still the yogurt mixture got into every tiny crevice of that damn thing. So hit it hard with the Pam and be prepared to spend some time with it after dinner. (Or maybe you’re a normal person and have a bristly scrub brush; that should work.)
As you can see I served this with basmati rice and green peas to make it a one-dish meal. I forgot to buy naan but that would be a perfect side (or you could even serve the Tikka on top of the naan).
Chicken Tikka Masala can be found right here on Epicurious.
1. Outdoor grill, if you can (obviously)
2. If you can’t, put grill or oven rack (as long as there’s no non-stick or treated surface on it) into a very large plastic garbage bag, spray a bunch of oven cleaner in there. Close it up and let it sit. Hose off outside.
Sparkly clean!!!
McCormick has a Spice Age utility on their website:
http://www.mccormickgourmet.com/Products/LifeofSpice.aspx
Also, if it says “Baltimore MD” on the label it’s at least 15 years old.
Okay, I have to know–did you use the full two cups of cream? Cause I made a version of Tikka recently (just the sauce, I had leftover tandoori meat from a restaurant), and I just couldn’t add as much cream as it asked for. I wanted to sub yogurt, but the partner wouldn’t allow that.
Hi Karen, yes I DID use the whole 2 cups of cream. I think you could use less but I would substitute something else so it’s as saucy as it needs to be. I like the yogurt idea — will the partner know if he doesn’t see it happening???
This looks fabulous, Kate — will be making it soon! And I’ve got the solution (albeit a strange looking one) to the wire rack gunk problem. There’s a nifty silicone tool called a roasting laurel that works amazingly well. At first glance it looks like a frivolous gadget but is one of the coolest things ever because not only does it keep the meat up out of the grease, but it goes in the dishwasher and comes out perfectly clean. Plus it can be shaped to keep things upright (like baked apples or stuffed peppers) during baking. I got one at BB&B some time ago and have bought several on Amazon since then for gifts.
Anyway, thanks again for the recipe. So glad to see your posts popping up again!