today, i'll share with you the "recipe" (quotation marks because i didn't make things from scratch).
*funfact: i took these photos with my cellphone, and in an effort to not have to retrieve my usb cord, i emailed them to what i thought was myself. when i didn't get an email immediately, i looked at my sent mail. i definitely sent these photos of masala to some random person. sorry, ma'am. i hope you don't think i'm a weirdo...*
anyway, on with the masala.
you'll need:
rice (of your choice--basmati rice usually "goes" with ctm, but it's tre expensive. so regular rice will do)
chicken (you want breast pieces or something you can cut into chunks)
bottled chicken tikka masala simmer sauce (mine comes from target, but you can probably find it elsewhere)
frozen sweet peas
naan (if you know how to make it, do so. if you don't, buy it from the store)
frozen (or fresh, or canned) mango
yogurt (you can use plain if you wish, but i find that french vanilla works really well)
milk
sugar
a little mango juice (to thin out the drink)
okay, so here's whatcha do (and i'm sorry for the lack of photos--i only thought of posting this recipe after i finished making dinner...):
1- cook your rice (you can do this first because it will probably take the longest. that is, unless you're making minute rice. in which case, it'll take no time at all). if you don't know how to cook rice, click here or scroll down to the bottom of this post for my mini-tutorial).
2- start a-workin' on your chicken. to make things infinitely easier, i use gloves and kitchen shears, so all i have to do is snip-snip-snip and throw the gloves away. you'll want to season your chicken with salt and pepper or seasoning salt and pepper (don't season like there's no tomorrow--you'll be simmering the chicken in sauce).
3- heat a pan for your chicken. you want a kind of large pan since you'll be stirring sauce in it and whatnot.
4- cook! that! chicken!!! you'll want to cook the chicken until it's golden brown. it needs to be white and juicy inside. a few tricks: you'll know when to turn the chicken over when the side that was pink has started to turn white around the sides. you'll know it's done when the meat is kinda firm to the touch.
5- throw the sauce in there. it's a little pasty (as in, it's like a paste), so you might need a spoon to scoop it out.
6- right after you put the sauce in, throw in the frozen peas.
7- stir a little, simmer on low for five-ish minutes, or until the sauce loosens up and the peas are warm.
8- heat up your naan (for you quick folks, put it in the toaster or on a stovetop skillet. for you old fashioned folks, put it in a hot oven for a few minutes).
9- serve and eat!!!
for the lassi:
1- clean out your blender pitcher (it's good practice to rinse that thing out before each use. you never know what could have accumulated in there).
2- throw in your mangoes (you can rinse them if you'd like. totally up to you). you can use a small bag or a half bag, or however much you think you'll need for the amount of people you're serving.
3- add some yogurt. now, this is where it gets weird. i'm kind of an eyeball cook sometimes (i mean, if i'm making a cake, i measure the heck out of my ingredients, but i've always loved making drinks in the blender and stuff, so i think i'm pretty good at the old eyeball method). you'll want to add almost as much yogurt as mango. just a liiiiitle less.
4- add some sugar. this is truly to taste. realize, however, that you cannot take sugar out, but you can always add it. so add just a little at a time if you're not a veteran eyeballer.
5- add a splash of milk (maybe like two tablespoons).
6- blend until smooth.
7- if it's too thick, add some mango juice (or a mango juice cocktail, like i did) and blend again.
it should look kinda like mango sorbet or icecream.
aaaand, here's what it looks like!
there you have it. chicken tikka masala and mango lassi. easy as pie.
yum, yum, yum! enjoy, my friends!
until next time,
a
----
okay, that rice tutorial:
1- put about two tablespoons of butter in the pan (less, of course, if you're just cooking rice for yourself)
2- add dry rice (the parboiled kind, not the kind you have to soak for like twelve years) and stir to coat the rice in butter. lightly toast it.
3- after your rice is slightly toasty, add two cups of water (or enough to drown the rice--that is, enough so you can't see the rice anymore. and yes, the water will be cloudy. you started out with butter, remember?).
4- cook for 20-30 minutes, or until rice is soft-ish and the water is gone. make sure to check on the rice and stir it to make sure it doesn't stick.
5- fluff that junk. add salt to taste.
that looks good -- but it's too hot to cook!
ReplyDeletei usually have two fans plus the air conditioning. heat can't rule me! :)
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