I live in the states and have come to love chicken tikka masala, but I can't 
find a good recipe.  The ones I've tried always turn out sour and bitter, 
not rich and creamy.  Any suggestions?

Tom

Quoting from message 
 posted on 15 Sep 2007 by Tom Huntress
 I would like to add:

> I live in the states and have come to love chicken tikka masala, but I can't
> find a good recipe.  The ones I've tried always turn out sour and bitter,
> not rich and creamy.  Any suggestions?

Take a look at

http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ejones/ufdi/faqrec/ctm.html

there are a few variations there.

-- 
.ElaineJ.  Home Pages and FAQ of uk.food+drink.indian can be viewed at 
.Virtual.  http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/ejones/ufdi/index.html 
StrongArm  Under construction, FAQ, recipes, tips, booklist, links
.RISC PC.  Questions and suggestions please, email or to the newsgroup

"Tom Huntress"  wrote in message 
news:bJCdnYdmz7EgxHHbnZ2dnUVZ_s2tnZ2d@comcast.com...
>I live in the states and have come to love chicken tikka masala, but I 
>can't find a good recipe.  The ones I've tried always turn out sour and 
>bitter, not rich and creamy.  Any suggestions?
>
> Tom
>

Hi Tom,

Even though I have been cooking Indian food for years, I just recently (two 
weeks ago) made this dish for the first time.  I was very pleased with how 
it turned out.  Not only did I like the sauce that turns it into the dish, I 
loved the marinade for the chicken, which grills beautifully (since I don't 
have my very own tandoor - but someday!).  Note that my recipe is 
technically for Butter Chicken, but personally, I don't see the difference 
between the two.  If I am missing an important distinction, please, someone, 
let me know what it is.

Here is the recipe I used - well, both recipes.  I cut the spice down 
(represented by the amounts shown) because I have a three year old who 
wouldn't appreciate too much heat... so season to taste!  I don't make this 
often because of the calorie content, but I thought it was very good, creamy 
and full of flavor.  Don't let anything scorch or burn, because this will 
definitely contribute to a bitter taste.

Judy B - Rochester, NY, US

Tandoori-Style Chicken



• ½ cup plain yogurt

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 small onion, peeled and cut into chunks

• 1 jalapeño, stemmed, and seeded if desired

• 1 inch-long piece gingerroot, peeled and sliced into coins

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

• 4 pounds skinless chicken drumsticks and thighs, rinsed and patted dry

• Vegetable oil, for brushing



For marinade, combine all ingredients except for chicken and oil in a food 
processor and purée until smooth.



With a sharp knife, make several incisions on each chicken piece to help 
marinade penetrate meat. Transfer chicken to a large glass or ceramic baking 
dish and pour in marinade, turning chicken pieces to coat. Cover dish with 
plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. 
(I did overnight and it really had flavor all the way through).



Grill until done in the manner you like best.  Need to cook it in the oven? 
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove chicken pieces from marinade. Transfer 
chicken to a roasting pan and drizzle with vegetable oil. Roast, basting 
occasionally, until juices run clear and meat is just cooked through, about 
25 minutes.



The Sauce - turning into Butter Chicken/Chicken Tikka Masala



1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon combination of whole cloves, 1/4 of a crumbled cinnamon stick, 
whole black pepper, cardamom seeds (or whole garam masala blend of your 
choice – but this worked very well for me)

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon seeded and chopped mild chili peppers

1 3/4 cups tomato puree

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala (powdered)

1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (also known as kasoori methi)

1 cup water

Salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half



In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the whole garam 
masala, which will crackle. Then add the garlic and ginger pastes and 
chopped chili peppers, if desired. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture 
is fragrant. Add the tomato puree, chili powder, garam masala, dried 
fenugreek leaves and the water.



Add salt to taste. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring just to a 
boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, 
then the cream or half-and-half, stirring constantly. (The dark sauce will 
turn an orangey pink.)



Transfer the cooked chicken pieces from the delicious tandoori chicken you 
made to the pot, stirring to coat them with the sauce, and cook for 5 
minutes. Serve hot.

what you have here is a recipe for tandoori (style) chicken masala,
not chicken tikka masala. Nothing wrong with the recipe (I cook
something similar quite often) but it will not be the same as CTM,
IMHO. What is needed is a recipe for chiken tikka, that is, chunks of
chicken breast meat, marinated, and cooked 'en brochette'. Then, once
cooked through, added to the sauce that is given in your recipe.
HTH
cheers
Wazza

"wazza"  wrote in message 
news:1190294628.103332.180810@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> what you have here is a recipe for tandoori (style) chicken masala,
> not chicken tikka masala. Nothing wrong with the recipe (I cook
> something similar quite often) but it will not be the same as CTM,
> IMHO. What is needed is a recipe for chiken tikka, that is, chunks of
> chicken breast meat, marinated, and cooked 'en brochette'. Then, once
> cooked through, added to the sauce that is given in your recipe.
> HTH
> cheers
> Wazza
>
>
>

So is the only difference that one is chunks of chicken which have been 
skewered (en brochette, understood!) and cooked and one is, tandoori chicken 
which has been removed from the bone?  Crazy!  :)

Thanks!  Now I know - because I had wondered.

Judy

On 20 Sep, 16:06, "Judy Bolton"  wrote:
> "wazza"  wrote in message
>
> news:1190294628.103332.180810@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>
> > what you have here is a recipe for tandoori (style) chicken masala,
> > not chicken tikka masala. Nothing wrong with the recipe (I cook
> > something similar quite often) but it will not be the same as CTM,
> > IMHO. What is needed is a recipe for chiken tikka, that is, chunks of
> > chicken breast meat, marinated, and cooked 'en brochette'. Then, once
> > cooked through, added to the sauce that is given in your recipe.
> > HTH
> > cheers
> > Wazza
>
> So is the only difference that one is chunks of chicken which have been
> skewered (en brochette, understood!) and cooked and one is, tandoori chicken
> which has been removed from the bone?  Crazy!  :)
>
> Thanks!  Now I know - because I had wondered.
>
> Judy

not really, the chicken tikka is quite different from tandoori
chicken, though this is by implication, as both could be thought of as
"tandoori'ed" chicken. Chicken tikka has a different marinade from the
tandoori chicken.

One can assume that the CTM is made up, because chicken tikka (by
implication a kebab) should be eaten as is, ie, no gravy/sauce.
Tandoori chicken the same, although there are a couple of dishes which
use the tandoori chicken and finish in a tomato sauce, which is very
much as you describe. Also, as you mention, there is a dish called
butter chicken, originally made with uh, just butter, but developed
further to include the ubiquitous tomato, and from this was (probably)
developed the CTM.

At the end of the day, its what people like, but it is worth
considering what the original intentions were, and how they developed,
just in case, somewhere along the line, a truely worthwhile dish has/
had been created.
HTH
cheers
Waaza

On 16 Sep, 15:19, "Judy Bolton"  wrote:
> "Tom Huntress"  wrote in message
>
> news:bJCdnYdmz7EgxHHbnZ2dnUVZ_s2tnZ2d@comcast.com...
>
> >I live in the states and have come to love chicken tikka masala, but I
> >can't find a good recipe.  The ones I've tried always turn out sour and
> >bitter, not rich and creamy.  Any suggestions?
>
> > Tom
>
> Hi Tom,
>
> Even though I have been cooking Indian food for years, I just recently (two
> weeks ago) made this dish for the first time.  I was very pleased with how
> it turned out.  Not only did I like the sauce that turns it into the dish, I
> loved the marinade for the chicken, which grills beautifully (since I don't
> have my very own tandoor - but someday!).  Note that my recipe is
> technically for Butter Chicken, but personally, I don't see the difference
> between the two.  If I am missing an important distinction, please, someone,
> let me know what it is.
>
> Here is the recipe I used - well, both recipes.  I cut the spice down
> (represented by the amounts shown) because I have a three year old who
> wouldn't appreciate too much heat... so season to taste!  I don't make this
> often because of the calorie content, but I thought it was very good, creamy
> and full of flavor.  Don't let anything scorch or burn, because this will
> definitely contribute to a bitter taste.
>
> Judy B - Rochester, NY, US
>
> Tandoori-Style Chicken
>
> · ½ cup plain yogurt
>
> · ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
>
> · 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
>
> · 1 tablespoon ground cumin
>
> · 1 teaspoon kosher salt
>
> · 1 teaspoon ground coriander
>
> · ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
>
> · ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
>
> · 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
>
> · 1 small onion, peeled and cut into chunks
>
> · 1 jalapeño, stemmed, and seeded if desired
>
> · 1 inch-long piece gingerroot, peeled and sliced into coins
>
> · 2 garlic cloves, peeled
>
> · 4 pounds skinless chicken drumsticks and thighs, rinsed and patted dry
>
> · Vegetable oil, for brushing
>
> For marinade, combine all ingredients except for chicken and oil in a food
> processor and purée until smooth.
>
> With a sharp knife, make several incisions on each chicken piece to help
> marinade penetrate meat. Transfer chicken to a large glass or ceramic baking
> dish and pour in marinade, turning chicken pieces to coat. Cover dish with
> plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
> (I did overnight and it really had flavor all the way through).
>
> Grill until done in the manner you like best.  Need to cook it in the oven?
> Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove chicken pieces from marinade. Transfer
> chicken to a roasting pan and drizzle with vegetable oil. Roast, basting
> occasionally, until juices run clear and meat is just cooked through, about
> 25 minutes.
>
> The Sauce - turning into Butter Chicken/Chicken Tikka Masala
>
> 1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
>
> 1 tablespoon combination of whole cloves, 1/4 of a crumbled cinnamon stick,
> whole black pepper, cardamom seeds (or whole garam masala blend of your
> choice - but this worked very well for me)
>
> 1 tablespoon garlic paste
>
> 1 tablespoon ginger paste
>
> 1 tablespoon seeded and chopped mild chili peppers
>
> 1 3/4 cups tomato puree
>
> 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
>
> 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (powdered)
>
> 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (also known as kasoori methi)
>
> 1 cup water
>
> Salt
>
> 1/2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
>
> 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
>
> In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the whole garam
> masala, which will crackle. Then add the garlic and ginger pastes and
> chopped chili peppers, if desired. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture
> is fragrant. Add the tomato puree, chili powder, garam masala, dried
> fenugreek leaves and the water.
>
> Add salt to taste. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring just to a
> boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add the sugar,
> then the cream or half-and-half, stirring constantly. (The dark sauce will
> turn an orangey pink.)
>
> Transfer the cooked chicken pieces from the delicious tandoori chicken you
> made to the pot, stirring to coat them with the sauce, and cook for 5
> minutes. Serve hot.

Great recipe can't wait to try it.
Anne