Cooking Chicken Tikka Masala - session #1

My kid requested that I make chicken tikka masala. So I went to the Indian grocery store to get Naan. While I was there I asked lots of questions and got some good leads. Here's what I recall of the discussion (with large chunks removed because it was mostly just getting past misunderstandings due to language barrier):

Rami: my recipe comes out not chunky and I've had tikka masala made by an Indian friend's mom and it was chunky. how do I make it chunky?

Owner: using a blender, make a sauce out of 4 tomatoes, 4 onions, some garlic cloves, some ginger

(my recipe, which I found by googling "chicken tikka masala instant pot" instead uses tomato from a can.)

Owner: also slice an onion and cook in oil. 

(I looked up another recipe which says to cook the onion until it's caramelized, which is about 20 minutes.)

Rami: I read that the chicken should be grilled on skewers instead of sautéed. Is that right?

Owner: yes that's the best way.

Owner: you can use tikka masala paste and add it to your recipe.

(I said I didn't want to do that because I like cooking the recipe myself from ingredients. I thought about this more and realized that it's wrong. Now I want to ask him this: Do you use that paste, or do you only recommend it to your customers? I would ask this because if he uses it, then I think I should use it too.)

So I cooked the recipe with the new ideas. It came out pretty good, better than before. Initially it was too much water (water was coming out of the gravy) and I figured out what I did wrong. I fixed it (or mostly fixed it) by sautéing longer, evaporating some of the water. What I had done wrong was accidentally skip one of the sauté sessions. I didn't follow the recipe well. I think I should have done some better planning. I should have rewritten the entire set of instructions with the new ideas, instead of keeping it all in my head.

Here's my new recipe:

Chicken tikka masala - instant pot recipe

# INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 large onion cut into thin half wheels

• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 2 jalapeño chilies roasted, seeded, and diced

Marinade

• 1 cup plain greek yogurt 
• 2 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice about half a lemon
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Spices

• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 2 tsp paprika

Salt and pepper 

• 1 tsp freshly ground kosher salt 
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

Sauce - blended 

• 4 tomato
• 4 onion 
• 10 cloves garlic
• Same amount ginger 
• 4 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

# INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinade the chicken for at least 1 hour.
2. Grill: the chicken and chilies. 
1. Let chicken rest for 10 min before putting in pot. [1]
3. Saute mode: Set to sauté (medium). When HOT, 
1. Add oil. Heat until hot. 
2. add onion and sauce until caramelized. About 20 minutes. Needs CONSTANT stirring.
3. add garlic and chilies, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
4. add Spices. Fry these spices with the onions for a minute to release their flavor. 
5. Add salt and pepper directly prior to adding sauce. This helps draw the flavor of the onions, spices, and tomatoes together.
   
4. Pressure cook Mode: Add Sauce and stir. Manual for 10 minutes. Then QR. 
5. Saute mode: Set to sauté (low). When HOT, add cream and stir. Simmer until the sauce is thickened to your liking, a few minutes.

# NOTES

• [1] This seals in the flavor and ensures the tenderness of the meat. 

This recipe was adapted from these two recipes, plus feedback from a local Indian grocery store:

https://www.savorytooth.com/instant-pot-chicken-tikka-masala/

https://food52.com/recipes/13819-ultimate-chicken-tikka-masala