Indian Delight

We love Indian food, so I have experimented with making some of my favorites at home. I first mastered Chicken Tikka Masala, aka Butter Chicken, since it is my go to order in Indian restaurants. Speaking of restaurants, my favorite local Indian restaurant recently shut down (major bummer). It is one of the many reasons I am glad to be experimenting with cooking Indian food at home.

Continuing, I tried making Samosa's for the first time; one recipe using fillo dough, and the other with a homemade pastry dough. The homemade pastry dough wins hands-down. The filling for these is a simple mixture of potato and peas with plenty of spices and is absolutely spectacular.

Chicken Tikka Masala is an interesting process. My youngest daughter helped me with the process and she was also surprised by it. You start by combining garlic, ginger, onions, cayenne pepper, yogurt, and cilantro stems in a food processor. This mixture is used to marinate the chicken. The next step is to start the sauce, by again using the processor to puree onion, garlic, and fresh ginger. You saute this in a large skillet for about 20 minutes, and then add the "magic bullet" of spices. You continue the sauce with pureed tomatoes, and then finish it with a little heavy cream. While the sauce is simmering, you roast the chicken in the oven. Once the chicken is done, you combine it with the sauce, stir it up, and serve it hot.

The Chicken Tikka was served with Cumin Scented Rice Pilaf. Who needs take out when you can have this flavorful meal right at home? Can't wait to experiment with homemade Chutney's next...