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