Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is a South Asian dish based on Indian-style roast chicken chunks (chicken tikka) in a tomato, curry sauce. The cross-cultural popularity of the dish in the United Kingdom led former Labour foreign secretary Robin Cook to proclaim it as "Britain's true national dish".[1] Indian dishes such as Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken are similar in preparation and taste to Chicken tikka masala. In Pakistan, it is also known as Chicken Masala[2] or Tandoori Chicken Masala.
-- Wikipedia

That says it all. The curry sauce/gravy recipe is not etched in stone and so there are several popular versions of chicken tikka masala. Mine is just one simple easy way to serve this delicious dish - well, at least D thinks it is divine - I am primarily vegetarian so I use the masala for vegetable curries a lot...

The neat thing about this recipe for me is that it is the same masala from Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani. Instead of heavy cream, I used some canned evaporated milk for the rich creaminess without all the fat.

Ingredients:
see Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani for the masala paste ingredients
boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
1- 1½ cup canned evaporated milk
1 can tomato purée or crushed stewed tomatoes
1 Tbsp or so dark brown sugar
salt to taste
cilantro for garnish

1. Prepare the masala and marinate the chicken just as in the Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani recipe, reserving half the masala paste to be used in the gravy/curry sauce
2. Then, pan-sear the marinated chicken pieces in a cast iron skillet and cook the chicken pieces till done but not overdone as they turn rubbery
3. Meanwhile, start the curry sauce - add the reserved masala paste, a cup of canned evaporated milk, tomato purée, brown sugar and allow it to simmer over low heat
4. When chicken is done, add it to the curry sauce and simmer some more, adjust flavors

Serve hot with rice or roti or naan

Yellow Gazpacho

Summer garden has been yielding a steady amount of tomatoes this year. We have a few cherry tomatoes, small grape tomatoes, lots of yellow tomatoes, some beefcake meaty tomatoes and quite a few red Roma tomatoes.

I've been eating the sweet sun-gold cherry tomatoes and the grape tomatoes as-is, fresh from the garden. As Ana and D cannot stand raw tomatoes I roasted these for them. I stewed and canned some red Roma and beefcake tomatoes. I've liked the yellow tomatoes we've been growing in our garden the last few years as they seem to have a good flavor. This year, I made yellow gazpacho a few times.

Gazpacho is a chilled tomato soup that needs no cooking. But, since D doesn't like raw tomato flavor much, I ended up pressure cooking the tomatoes for this gazpacho. Simply throw in all the ingredients, pressure cook, then blend well, strain if needed (I didn't), and serve chilled.

Ingredients
yellow tomatoes, or any favorite tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
celery, yellow or green bell pepper, yellow onion, cucumber (optional), garlic
dried herbs: Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Lavender
a hint of olive oil
optional garnish: chopped chives, croutons, grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. For a traditional recipe, simply blend the ingredients, chill and serve
2. I pressure cooked the ingredients till mushy, blended them and served at a cool room temperature
3. Garnish with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese if preferred

Marinated Eggplant Sandwich

Sandwiches, salads, and soups are everyday food that can use some twist every once in a while. This marinated eggplant sandwich is one such where the marinated eggplant can be served in a salad form or in a sandwich, and all it takes is a little planning ahead to allow time for marination.

The marinade can be adjusted to taste. Simply pan sauté the eggplant slices till cooked but firm, not mushy. Then marinate for an hour at least. If not sauteing, the raw eggplant slices can be marinated for up to 6 hours or overnight.

Drain gently and assemble in a sandwich with other favorite ingredients like red onions, lettuce, fresh mozzarella, red bell peppers and such. I usually sauté and marinate the red onions as well as roasted red bell peppers for extra flavor.

Fresh mozzarella complements the acidic flavor the vegetables pick up from the marinade, but, any other favorite cheese would be fine, or none at all.

I used a simple spread made from plain cream cheese and home-made sun-dried tomatoes thokku, but, any favorite spread would be fine with this sandwich.

Ingredients
Long chinese eggplant or medium globe eggplant cut into ¼ inch slices
red onions, sliced as desired
tomatoes, sliced
roasted red bell peppers
fresh mozzarella
salt and ground black pepper to taste

for the marinade:
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley, or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2-3 garlic cloves finely minced
a few turns of the pepper mill
1 tsp coarse salt

Preparation

1. pan cook the vegetables till just rawness is gone, but not mushy, remove from pan, arrange in a shallow dish
2. combine the marinade ingredients, whisk well and pour over the veggies, allow to marinate in the fridge for several hours if possible, or at least for an hour
3. for a salad, simply add shavings of Pecorino or Parmesan cheese and serve fairly wet
4. for sandwich, drain the veggies so the sandwich doesn't get soggy, arrange on favorite sourdough-garlic bread or rosemary-potato bread or any other favorite bread slices, and serve with a favorite soup

Just-for-fun Cupcakes

This batch of cupcakes came about as I wanted to try something simple and fun for Oggie's half-birthday, not that he cares, but, Ana might enjoy it... and, as usual, I looked in Suzanna Tee's Cupcakes book for inspiration. This is based on her birthday party cupcakes recipe. Rather than fancy frosting, I made a cream cheese frosting that doubled as a spread as well for toast and bagel.

Ingredients
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup superfine sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp canola oil - optional - adjust quantity so the batter is the right consistency - just a little thicker than pancake batter
some colorful confetti and stars - I use the Betty Crocker cake decoration items

frosting: plain cream cheese, home-made raspberry jam

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 350°F; place paper baking cases in a muffin pan handy; this makes about 12 regular size cupcakes
2. Combine the cupcake ingredients and beat with an electric whisk till smooth and uniform
3. Spoon into the paper baking cases evenly to get about 12 cupcakes; bake for about 15-20 minutes till golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
4. Frosting: start with half a cup of cream cheese and quarter of a cup of jam and beat with an electric whisk till smooth and a little stiff; add more jam or cream cheese to preferred taste and consistency as needed
5. Allow the cupcakes to cool, apply frosting on top before serving; top with some confetti/stars/sprinkles if desired

California Sushi Rolls

D loves sushi. I don't mind California rolls once in a while. So, we end up making a few for him with seafood, and a few for me and Ana with avocado, cucumber, and carrots.

The process is really simple, but takes a bit of practice. Five years ago, a library book I borrowed helped me learn the technique, but, there are quite a few good websites with pictures and videos that show the process nowadays.

Urumaki is a reverse sushi roll where the rice is on the outside and Nori on the inside. I like Hosomaki, which is a thin roll of just a few ingredients, with Nori on the outside. And, since I am not really a seafood fan, I skip all the traditional fillings and go with a few trusted veggies like cucumber, avocado, carrot, red bell pepper, daikon radish, small round red radish and such.

Uwajimaya is one of my favorite stores from where we get nori, sushi rice, wasabi and other Asian ingredients when possible. But, most Asian stores these days seem to carry the basic sushi necessities like bamboo sushi mat, nori, sushi rice, sushi vinegar etc.



Ingredients
2 cups sushi rice cooked per directions
2-4 Nori (seaweed) sheets
sushi vinegar
lemon juice
soy sauce
pickled ginger
wasabi (optional)
salt to taste
toasted sesame seeds for garnish
bamboo sushi mat
some plastic wrap

filling:
1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced thin
1 medium carrot cut into thin sticks
pickled ginger (optional)
imitation crab, if using

Preparation

1. Mix just enough sushi vinegar to cooked sushi rice, hot off the stove, till just wet but not soggy; then lay the rice out on a cookie sheet or large plate to cool; this helps develop a nice sheen on the rice as well; keep it covered till ready to use
2. Drizzle some lemon juice and sprinkle some salt on the veggies and have them handy before starting to roll
3. Many websites show clearly how to roll sushi, so, am deferring to them for good pictures and explanation
4. Lay the bamboo sushi mat on a flat surface, lay a plastic wrap on the mat, then a sheet of Nori, then spread some sushi rice, arrange the veggies at the end closest to you, taking care not to pile on too much
5. Start rolling it tight into a log, pulling the mat towards you as you roll away
6. Take it out of the mat, keep the rolled sushi log in the plastic wrap till ready to cut and serve
7. sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds before serving the sushi

Serve with wasabi, pickled ginger, Tsukuri Jyouyu - soy sauce with mirin and kombu, or other dipping sauces to suit your taste.

Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani

PBS recently aired a re-run of Planet Food featuring South India, hosted by Padma Lakshmi. One of the recipes was Hyderabadi biriyani made typically with lamb, cooked in "Dum" style - viz., slow-cooked in a sealed vessel using steam. The veteran chef who shared his recipe mentioned that cooking over coal fire in a copper pot gives the best results.

Since I don't have a copper pot or easy way to have a coal fire going, I simply cooked on stovetop, sealing tight with the lid that came with the non-stick pan.

It is fairly simple: marinate the chicken in this exotic yogurt-based marinade, pour rice over it, add some saffron dissolved in milk, some salt to taste, seal and cook till chicken and rice are just done. I tend to overcook chicken sometimes, but, this time I tried to watch closely. Important thing was not to stir at all till it is fully done over slow heat.

I spent quite a bit of time in Hyderabad, India, but never had the chance to try this local specialty. However, one of my mom's friends used to make this incredibly superb Hyderabadi biriyani (vegetarian) and baingan bartha (eggplant dish) which my taste buds remember fondly to this day... Mine here didn't turn out quite as I remember, but was still delicious nonetheless :)

Ingredients
spices:
6-8 cardamom pods
2" Indian/Chinese Cinnamon Sticks (Dalchini)
2-3 cloves
1-2 star anise
2-3 Indian bay leaves

marinade:
2-4 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
2-4 Tbsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 cup plain yogurt

other:
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups basmati rice, soaked and drained
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or water
a few strands of saffron, soaked in ½ cup warm milk
1 cup French Fried Onions
salt to taste
1 Tbsp Ghee or Cooking Oil

chopped cilantro for garnish
optional: carrots, peas, edamame, bell pepper, mint leaves; plus, raisins and cashews sautéed in ghee for garnish

Preparation

1. marinate the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes
2. heat oil in a pan/pot, add the marinated chicken, basmati rice, spices, stock/water, saffron in milk, french fried onions, cover tightly and cook over medium-low heat till rice and chicken are mostly done; turn off heat, cover the pan/pot with a tea towel and put the lid back on tight and allow to steam for another 10 minutes till cooked through
3. garnish with cilantro, and raisin+cashew, serve hot