Chicken Tikka Masala

In an effort to totally ignore the sticking snow outside my window this morning (yes, I said sticking snow), I am going to write about food. Spicy, hot, tantalizing food.

Namely, the dish that made my mouth die and go to Heaven last night. I've made it before, and it was really good, but I cut quite a few corners the last time, because I wasn't prepared with the full gauntlet of ingredients. Never again. This stuff is amazing!

It came from my newest favorite cookbook (for the last year), Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Which, by the way, is well worth the purchase, as it is loaded with really yummy recipes.

I'm not going to plagiarize and write the whole recipe up here, but will send you over to Martha Stewart to get the original recipe, then I'll tell you what I did differently.

1. I used olive oil in place of peanut oil, because that is all I have in my pantry.
2. I omitted the red chile peppers, not because I have anything against them, but because I forgot to buy them. The recipe had plenty of flavor and heat without them, but if you like your Indian food flaming hot, be sure to add them.
3. I made my own Tikka Masala paste, based on Jamie's recipe, omitting the coriander seeds (because I was out), swapping olive oil for peanut oil, doubling the tomato paste, omitting the ginger (my husband isn't a huge fan, and there is already ginger in the main mixture), also omitting the red chile peppers, the coconut, and the almond flour.
4. Instead of measuring out a half cup of the Tikka Masala paste that I just made, I scooped the entire batch into the pot.
5. I made plain brown rice to go with the Masala, and garnished it with Cilantro.
6. I make my own Garam Masala (an Indian spice mixture called for in the Tikka Masala paste), but you may be able to find it pre-made at your grocery market.

I am typing it here, so that in future I can remember my alterations and make it exactly the same way again. It was that good.

If you have never attempted Indian food in your own kitchen, I can't say that I blame you... there are usually a bajillion steps and ingredients, many having strange-sounding names. This recipe is no exception, but honest and true, is easy to make, just a little more time-consuming than your usual week-night fare. But if you give yourself plenty of time and prepare all of your ingredients ahead (including spice mixture and paste), it goes together in a flash.

Oh, and my picture is way better than Martha's. Neener, neener!