Chicken Tikka Masala

I adore Indian food--ADORE!!!  You think it would, therefore, be easy to find a recipe that matches the flavors I adore so.  Well, not as easy as you might think.  Turns out, I didn't know which region of India the dishes I liked came from until I started asking.  The Northern and Southern regions are vastly different.  Turns out that I prefer North Indian cuisine.  Here is Chicken Tikka Masala recipe I modified from http://www.grouprecipes.com/.  I did alter the recipe by marinading the chicken in the yogurt mixture, and I also added lite coconut milk instead of heavy cream.  I prefer my tikka masala to be a bit sweeter, not a lot, just not tart which can tend to happen with all the tomatoes; add more sugar if you are like me.  Also, it tastes better the next dayafter the spices had time to meld all together.  I got another recipe to make my own garam masala in case I couldn't find any, but luckily Whole Foods had it. 


Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients

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• chicken Tikka: 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil shopping list
• 2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 
• masala Sauce: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons) *You could alternatively use the bottled variety; I recommend Christopher Ranch garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 
• 1 fresh serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced, or canned green chilies. 
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup lite coconut milk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 

How to make it 

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• The Problem: Chicken tikka masala is not an authentic Indian dish—it was invented in a London curry house. Without historical roots, there is no definitive recipe. The variations we found had mushy or dry chicken and sauces that were unbearably rich and/or overspiced.
• The Goal: The promise of a new way to cook chicken with exotic flavors holds plenty of appeal—especially if the recipe can be kept simple and made with readily available ingredients.
• The Solution: To season the bird, we rubbed it with salt, coriander, cumin, and cayenne and refrigerated it for 30 to 60 minutes. Then we dipped it in yogurt mixed with oil, garlic, and ginger. To cook the chicken, we chose to keep this a year-round recipe by using the broiler instead of the grill. And since large pieces don't dry out as quickly as smaller ones under the broiler, we cooked the chicken breasts whole, only cutting them into pieces after cooking. While the chicken was cooking, we made the masala sauce. Masala means "hot spice," and the ingredients in a masala sauce depend on the whim of the cook, although tomatoes and cream are always present. We added onions, ginger, garlic, chile, and a readily available commercial garam masala spice mixture (McCormick won a recent taste test). A little tomato paste and sugar gave our sauce color and sweetness.
• 1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside. (Note that restaurant Tikka Masala will sit in the mixture ideally overnight, per another group recipes user who commented on this recipe)
• 2. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.
• 3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.
• 4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

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Books like Twilight Continued: Latest Finds

I am constantly on the search for books that I will like as much as I did the Twilight series.  While none have come close to the brilliance that is Stephenie Meyer, I haven't given up hope.  Here are a few that I have picked up recently and are on my reading list so we'll see how they compare.  I am hoping they will match up to the The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones; City of Ashes; City of Glass series and The Hunger Games Trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. 

 Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) by Cassandra Clare (hardcopy only, $11.55 from Amazon beats Walmart and Target prices)
  Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls)by Maggie Stiefvater (paperback is only $8.99)

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (paperback is only $9.99)

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Healthy Stir-Fry

"Healthy Stir-Fry" should be considered a redundant title, but sometimes it's not.  Consider the usual side dish that accompanies most stir-fry recipes, that being white rice.  I put it in my useless food category because it lacks the fiber and protein of brown rice and it seriously spikes insulin levels.  It is a worthless starch in my opinion, yet I still stock it for the rare occasion that I am willing to throw caution to wind and indulge in a great rice pudding recipe.  Now, if you are not a fan of brown rice, I pose to you the saying my aunt would regularly recite to me when I would visit her house and she would try to get me to eat a new vegetable: "try it; maybe someday you will like it."  Funny enough, one day I started liking cucumbers thanks to her!  If you really hate brown rice, perhaps try it once and a while in small doses.  Your body will thank you.  I have relatives who are very allergic to wheat (and they know this because they go into a major stupor after eating it as their body works fervently but failingly to digest it) but have no issues with brown rice. 

So...back to making stir-fry healthy.  For starters, watch the oil content.  I limit myself to 2 Tbs. where at all possible.  Next, go for the low sodium soy sauce--high sodium content and water retention are the best of friends, for men or women.  Third, go light on the portion size of proteins that pack a punch in the fat department.  Most people think that pork is super light, but mind you there are varieties that can seriously increase your waistline.  A good alternative is shrimp, or chicken if you don't want to pay the price for shellfish.  If you do go for chicken, look for a brand that raises its foul without hormones and doesn't inject its product with chemical solutions or flavor enhancers.  I like Foster Farms, and you can get that at Costco even. 

Healthy Stir-Fry

1 large onion, preferably of the sweet variety, but yellow will do just fine, diced
2 Tbs. oil, preferably peanut or sesame oil, but other oils work fine also
1 Tbs. minced garlic; you can add less if you aren't as much of a garlic fan
3-4 carrots, thinly chopped
2-3 stalks of celery
6 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
3-4 cups brown rice
soy sauce to taste, about 1 tsp.
oyster sauce to taste, about 3 Tbs.
Optional: 1 cup cooked chicken, pork, or shrimp

1.  In a wok or large frying pan, saute onions in oil until soft over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more, being careful to stir often so the garlic doesn't burn.
2.  Dump onion contents into a separate bowl and set aside.  In the wok you just used, add the rest of the veggies along with a 1/2 cup of water and cover and steam for 3-4 minutes until soft.  Strain off any remaining water.  Dump steamed veggies into the bowl holding the onions and garlic.
3.  In the same wok you've been using, add in the brown rice and briefly fry for 2-3 minutes.  You can add extra oil at this point if you would like, but I try not to in order to control the fat content of the dish.
4.  Add all the veggies (and cooked protein of your choice if you are opting for it at this point) to the wok with the brown rice and combine over medium-low heat to reheat veggies (and not burn the rice.)  At this point, add the soy and oyster sauce.  NOTE: The oyster sauce is KEY to this dish--without it, you will lack some serious flavor.
5.  Top with baby green onions (scallions).

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