Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => Tandoori Dishes => Topic started by: Cory Ander on November 28, 2009, 01:01 PM
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CA's Chicken Tikka Masala (chicken tikka in a very mild, sweet, creamy, coconutty, rich red sauce)
serves 2
Ingredients:
- 300g pre-cooked chicken tikka (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1555.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1555.0))
- 60 ml spiced oil (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3295.msg34667#msg34667 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3295.msg34667#msg34667))
- 1 tsp fresh garlic (pureed)
- 0.5 tsp fresh ginger (pureed)
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1514.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1514.0))
- 1 tsp curry masala (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3765.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3765.0))
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (diluted with 3 tbsp water)
- 200ml curry base (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3772.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3772.0))
- 6 tbsp coconut milk powder
- 2 tbsp fine desiccated coconut
- 2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
- 0.5 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 100ml fresh single cream
- milk (as required)
- 1 tsp lemon juice - optional
- 1tbsp almond meal (or cashew meal) - optional
- fresh chopped coriander - optional
- 1 tbsp butter ghee - optional
Method:
- Stir the coconut milk powder (and almond meal or cashew meal, if using), into the cream, to make a lump-free paste
- Heat the curry base to a gentle simmer
- Heat the oil in a suitable pan (I use a cast iron wok)
- Add the garlic and ginger and fry, for a minute or so, with continuous stirring (do not burn!)
- Remove from heat and add tandoori masala and curry masala
- Immediately add tomato puree, stirring continuously
- Add a ladle of curry base and stir
- Add pre-cooked chicken
- Continue to add the curry base, a little at a time, stirring occasionally as the water evaporates and the sauce thickens
- Continue to simmer, on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil begins to separate (5 to 10 minutes)
- Add the coconut meal/cream paste, sugar, salt and lemon juice (if using) and stir
- Maintain the sauce to the desired consistency by adding a little milk (or cream)
- Add butter ghee and continue to cook until melted and blended into the sauce
- Add fresh coriander to taste (if using)
- Serve
Notes:
- You can use any other oil (e.g. vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, ghee) rather than spiced oil, if you prefer, but the result may be different
- You can use any other decent, mildly spiced, curry base, if you prefer, but the result may be different
- You can use any other precooked meat (or prawns) - just add it, after adding the first ladle of curry base, and make sure it is heated thoroughly
Here is a photo of the resultant Chicken Tikka Masala:
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/d4d8fc14ebf90bd525528e1a2b82f8fa.jpg)
My Chicken Tikka Masala Phal recipe can be found here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4000.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4000.0)
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That looks fantastic, I'm gonna give this a go. Can you tell me what almond or cashew meal is please?
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Hi 976bar,
Almond meal or cashew meal are simply ground up almonds or cashew. It's cheapest to buy whole almonds or cashews and grind them in a spice mill (or by using a pestle and mortar - the harder way!).
Alternatively, at a price, you should be able to buy them already ground. Convenient though! :P
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Hi 976bar,
Almond meal or cashew meal are simply ground up almonds or cashew. It's cheapest to buy whole almonds or cashews and grind them in a spice mill (or by using a pestle and mortar - the harder way!).
Alternatively, at a price, you should be able to buy them already ground. Convenient though! :P
I thought that is what you meant, but I just wanted to be sure. I like the look of the other dishes you have done too especially the Madras :)
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Hi CA,
I'm still on my mission for the perfect BIR CTM, so I will need to give this a go.
What are they key changes from your original CTM, and why did you make them?
Josh
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Hi CA,
The picture looks great CA, I will have to try this next time I am off work, its the wife's favourite dish. I might pep it up a bit for myself but the Phall might be a bit too much for me :-X, so might try 1/2 the amount of chilli powder & minced chillies but even then might be pushing it but I will give it a try ;)
cheers
Will
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Here is tonight's chicken tikka masala
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/ec9e84b06e06ab4a327e510848e125f4.JPG) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#ec9e84b06e06ab4a327e510848e125f4.JPG)
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Pforkes - that's one of the better looking CTMs I've seen.
Love the oil ring too, for that takeaway authenticity.
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I took the photo and then uploaded it here. Then I looked at Cory Ander's photo of his CTM (using the same recipe) and decided that maybe I should heat it up, again to reduce the sauce. This, I did.
After doing this, the CTM tasted MUCH better...the sauce stuck nicely to the meat.
However, I'd used less oil next time (I used the 60 ml) as it actually had too much oil floating on it, when it was finished.
I'm working on a samosa recipe, right now. I'm getting close, but I'm waiting until I have it perfected before I post it here. Expect it before Christmas.
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What are they key changes from your original CTM, and why did you make them?
Basically to simplify the recipe Josh.
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Here is tonight's chicken tikka masala
How did you find it tasted and/or compared to what you're used to PF?
I think you were right to reheat it and thicken the sauce...the same thing occured to me on seeing your photo.
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It is such a long time since I had a CTM (I left England on Christmas day 1995) that I can not remember what a CTM was like, so I cannot compare it.
What I did like about it was how the curry stuck to the meat.
I used your recipe for making the chicken tikka. The only change I made there was to omit the chili. Also, I made three times the quantity and left it to marinate for the full 36-hours, before barbecuing it (on a hot charcoal, cast iron barbecue) to partially cook it, put 300g into each Ziploc bag (that's a sealable plastic bag) before freezing it.
With the CTM, I followed the recipe exactly. The only minor change was when I made the coconut milk powder cream and I realized I had no cream, so I used full-fat milk (I doubt it would have made very little difference to the final dish)
In a couple of hours, or so, I'll be having the second half for breakfast and I'll be able to find out how much better it tastes for standing over night.
This CTM I would identify closely with your korma, being extremely mild.
Americans are almost incapable of tolerating ant heat/spicy-ness in their food. if you go to a restaurant and they ask you how spicy you want it on a scale from 1 to 10 and you say "10" what you will actually get is about a 3 on a 'British scale' (I jest not). When I tell Americans that I going to cook Indian for them they "worry" that it is going to be too spicy for them (and really do mean that they worry!).
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Tried this earlier with blades tikka recipe, was really good. I found there wasn't enough sauce thought at first so I doubled the amount of base sauce. Next time I'll probably add a bit of chilli powder just to give it a bit of a kick.
Here's a pic
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/caf913e8a7ff0cd705ee00e20c941a84.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#caf913e8a7ff0cd705ee00e20c941a84.jpg)
should really have chopped up the coriander..
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When I tell Americans that I going to cook Indian for them they "worry" that it is going to be too spicy for them (and really do mean that they worry!)
Yep, I hear you on that. On the other hand, they seem to have no difficulty downing those scorching chicken wings that are hotter than any Phall I've ever had :-\
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Looks great Blanchy!
should really have chopped up the coriander..
For garnish I rarely bother...
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Looking good Blanchy...glad you liked it 8)
If it's a "bit of a kick" you want, why not try my Chicken Tikka Masala Phal: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4000.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4000.0) :P
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When I tell Americans that I going to cook Indian for them they "worry" that it is going to be too spicy for them (and really do mean that they worry!).
I live in Las Vegas and I COMPLETELY understand what you mean - they almost break out in a cold sweat.
When I am asked, in an Indian restaurant, here in the States, how hot I want my Indian I will say "ten" but end up with a British 'three'. Only twice have I been caught out in over 14-years. However, if I tell them i want a"British 10" then I get a genuinely hot curry. Most Indian restauranteurs have connections with Britain.
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Most Indian restauranteurs have connections with Britain
I've probably eaten at 200 indian restaurants throughout North America. There may be many who have "connections" with Britain, but haven't found ONE that is true BIR, or who ran an Indian restaurant in England. The closest I found is a Bangladeshi one where the owner came to Canada direct from Bangladesh. That one is pretty good and close to BIR.
There is a takeaway I go to nearby when I'm too lazy to cook. Next time I do I will take some pictures and post them, along with the name and descriptions. You guys will have a laugh.
pforkes - if you have a recommendation of a good one in Vegas, hit me up. I'm there a few times a year.
-- Josh
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a version of this I did a couple of weeks ago..
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/1077ad8b90ff7e3eb5020a0b23045e91.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#1077ad8b90ff7e3eb5020a0b23045e91.jpg)
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Hi Blanchy,
That looks really nice but, either your bowl of rice was really far away when you took the pic, or that was just a single portion ;D
Ray
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CA,
There is no mention of any food colouring in the CTM? How did you get that vibrant red without it?
Also, is that coconut milk powder, flour or coconut powder :P
Ray :)
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There is no mention of any food colouring in the CTM? How did you get that vibrant red without it?
It's in the tandoori masala Ray.
Also, is that coconut milk powder, flour or coconut powder
Coconut milk powder plus desiccated coconut (as specified ;))
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CA,
Thanks for that. I didn't click on the link, thinking I could get away with using ready made tandoori masala.
Think I need to knock up a batch,
Thanks,
Ray
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I have made this a fair few times now and it has turned out very good every time and is very easy to make. The only thing for me is the lack of tomato in it and too much cream. I was always under the impression a CTM has a lot of tomato in as in pureed.
I am making this tonight and I am going to half the amount of cream and treble the amount of tomato.
CA or anyone else have you tried it with more tomato in?
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made this last night with Taz base and spice mix - was excellent! To make it healthier I swapped the cream for yoghurt - which worked really well. Will certainly be making this one again!
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Wow, made this last night for my wife and sister in law and they both loved it as did I. So pleased I found this site and receipe. I was a little worried after adding the cream about the colour being to light and not matching the rest of the images here thinking I had done something wrong but it turned red again shortly after.
Well done and thank you.
Stu
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regularly cook this now in my house, using this http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2815.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2815.0) base sauce. Think its pretty much spot on BIR flavour, I make a slight modification to mine however.
I use 3 tbs of tandoori masala (I buy it from a shop though not your recipie, so the taste might be slightly different)
2tbs curry powder
2tsp garam masala
3tbs almond powder
3tbs coconut milk powder
3tbs dessicated coconut
I use all the optional ingredients apart from the condensed milk.
I think this makes it spot on BIR, well at least to my local which i know and love.
Thanks for the great recipie!
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CA or anyone else have you tried it with more tomato in?
Hi Paul,
I suppose it's down to what you're used to and what you prefer. Some BIR CTMs will be more tomatoey, and less creamy, for sure. I personally prefer it the other way around (because that's what I'm used to).
By all means change things to suit your palette Paul....and please let us know how you get on?
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made this last night with Taz base and spice mix - was excellent!
Glad you liked it TD
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Wow, made this last night for my wife and sister in law and they both loved it as did I
Glad you liked it Stu 8)
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I think this makes it spot on BIR, well at least to my local which i know and love.
Thanks for the great recipie!
Glad you like it MC 8)
I use all the optional ingredients apart from the condensed milk
In which case, you may be referring to my other (previous) CTM recipe here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1562.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1562.0) ?
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Hi CA
I made this recipe yesterday for my shop and it tasted amazing, but like all my other CTM's and korma's I've made it came out very watery. I have no idea why my curries are coming out thinner than I'd like. The base I recently made that I used to make your CTM is very thick. The cream paste I made with coconut and whipped cream was very thick. I added the curry base to it a ladle at a time. Any idea's on how I can thicken up my curries, i.e mainly the CTM and korma?
Cheers
Phil
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Hi missy keep cooking until the curry is reduced down to the required consistency on a high heat , this will evaporate excess water making your curry the required consistency
Garry
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Just a thought phil, are you using precooked chicken? I'm sure you know some raw meat can put put a lot of water - this has messed up a few of my curries, especially when cooking bigger portions.
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Hi missy keep cooking until the curry is reduced down to the required consistency on a high heat , this will evaporate excess water making your curry the required consistency
Garry
Will that cook out some of the flavours though?
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Just a thought phil, are you using precooked chicken? I'm sure you know some raw meat can put put a lot of water - this has messed up a few of my curries, especially when cooking bigger portions.
I'm only using pre-cooked chicken. I am making bigger portions, like quadrupling CA's recipes. That could be the reason, but it's a way that I'd prefer not stopping because it's so much easier for me than making individual dishes.
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In my experience it shouldn't wipe out the flavours , but I only ever make 1 or 2 portions at a time
Gary
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One cheat when making big portions like I used to in my old pub, was to add sweet potato mash to the curry - it has a lovely flavour, blends in to the sauce and adds a bit of sweetness to this style of curry too.
Apart from that - I would use less base relative to the increased portion size, if that makes sense.
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Hi Missy i have quadrupled CA's base and made curries CTM,Madras,Jalfrezi,Korma and Ceylon all in one go, its getting used to the thickness that YOU think should be right, buy a CTM or Korma from your local TA and try to get the thickness the same (thats what i do, every curry i make which i havent tasted before or for a long time i always buy it first from a few local TA's ).
Gazman stated by cooking the curry a little more stirring and scraping back (getting the little crusty bits off the edge of your pan) then reducing down to the thickness you desire, it enhances the taste because you are cooking out the liquid in the curry and leaving all the goodness of your base and spices etc behind.
Check the Post Your Pictures section and check to see other peoples curries it helps alot.
Hope this helps.
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Hi Missy i have quadrupled CA's base and made curries CTM,Madras,Jalfrezi,Korma and Ceylon all in one go, its getting used to the thickness that YOU think should be right, buy a CTM or Korma from your local TA and try to get the thickness the same (thats what i do, every curry i make which i havent tasted before or for a long time i always buy it first from a few local TA's ).
Gazman stated by cooking the curry a little more stirring and scraping back (getting the little crusty bits off the edge of your pan) then reducing down to the thickness you desire, it enhances the taste because you are cooking out the liquid in the curry and leaving all the goodness of your base and spices etc behind.
Check the Post Your Pictures section and check to see other peoples curries it helps alot.
Hope this helps.
Thanx for that. I will cook it for longer next time. I was always a little worried that I'd cook out the flavours/ spices. So, like in CA's recipes he adds a laddle at a time, should I leave it cooking on very high heat for quite some time in between adding the laddles of base?
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One cheat when making big portions like I used to in my old pub, was to add sweet potato mash to the curry - it has a lovely flavour, blends in to the sauce and adds a bit of sweetness to this style of curry too.
Apart from that - I would use less base relative to the increased portion size, if that makes sense.
thanx for that Tom, I will look into that further.
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I cook mine on a low/medium heat stirring nearly all the time, because i am doing other stuff as well when cooking curries, so just make sure you dont cook it so much that it gets reduced too much (did this last week with CA's CTM recipe, was nice but flavour was a little intense,but you can always add water/stock etc to get back to that taste you are looking for).
I know CA says in his recipe to add ladle at a time but i have just poured the whole base sauce in(due to not being able to add ladle at a time because of other stuff being prepared etc) and cooked on low heat for about 30-40 mins, you can see the "red oil" forming on the top of the sauce showing you that it is nearly ready.
Also dont forget to taste ALL the time.
My rule of thumb is never walk away from a cooking curry because you get used to seeing the reduction from start to the finished.
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I cook mine on a low/medium heat stirring nearly all the time, because i am doing other stuff as well when cooking curries, so just make sure you dont cook it so much that it gets reduced too much (did this last week with CA's CTM recipe, was nice but flavour was a little intense,but you can always add water/stock etc to get back to that taste you are looking for).
I know CA says in his recipe to add ladle at a time but i have just poured the whole base sauce in(due to not being able to add ladle at a time because of other stuff being prepared etc) and cooked on low heat for about 30-40 mins, you can see the "red oil" forming on the top of the sauce showing you that it is nearly ready.
Also dont forget to taste ALL the time.
My rule of thumb is never walk away from a cooking curry because you get used to seeing the reduction from start to the finished.
Thanx for that. Will cook all of my curries for much longer now and on quite a high heat. I just made a large jalfrezi and madras and they are thicker and tastier now.
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So, like in CA's recipes he adds a laddle at a time, should I leave it cooking on very high heat for quite some time in between adding the laddles of base?
Absolutely, Phil, that's what you should do. The whole process (and especially if using precooked meat) should take around 7 minutes (i.e. if you want BIR, rather than traditional, style). I definitely wouldn't want to cook precooked chicken for too long...it will become very dry, and tough, I think.
If you are cooking large volumes, you need to ensure that your pan is big enough and that your heat source is strong/powerful/hot enough. Otherwise, you will "stew", rather than "fry", the ingredients. Adding liquids (e.g. curry base), a little at a time, on high heat, and evaporating the water content, is a good way to go.
You also need to ensure that you don't add too much of any other liquid (e.g. coconut milk). Some ingredients will thicken the sauce (e.g. lentils, gram flour, coconut milk powder/flour, etc), but some will thin it (e.g. cream, milk, coconut milk, water, etc). So, substituting one for another will influence the consistency of your sauce.
So. my "rule of thumb" (for BIR cooking at least) is high temp, short time.
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So, like in CA's recipes he adds a laddle at a time, should I leave it cooking on very high heat for quite some time in between adding the laddles of base?
Absolutely, Phil, that's what you should do. The whole process (and especially if using precooked meat) should take around 7 minutes (i.e. if you want BIR, rather than traditional, style). I definitely wouldn't want to cook precooked chicken for too long...it will become very dry, and tough, I think.
If you are cooking large volumes, you need to ensure that your pan is big enough and that your heat source is strong/powerful/hot enough. Otherwise, you will "stew", rather than "fry", the ingredients. Adding liquids (e.g. curry base), a little at a time, on high heat, and evaporating the water content, is a good way to go.
You also need to ensure that you don't add too much of any other liquid (e.g. coconut milk). Some ingredients will thicken the sauce (e.g. lentils, gram flour, coconut milk powder/flour, etc), but some will thin it (e.g. cream, milk, coconut milk, water, etc). So, substituting one for another will influence the consistency of your sauce.
So. my "rule of thumb" (for BIR cooking at least) is high temp, short time.
Cheers CA, the ones i've been having the most problems with are the CTM's and Korma's. Think I've been adding to much cream and not enough coconut powder, dessicated coconut. But, next time I cook these dishes I will add more and cook them longer on high heat.
Do you think that if I'm making larger batches (about 1250ml of base sauce) I could add the chicken after frying the garlic and ginger paste, tomato paste, spices and about 500ml curry base together for about 5-7 mins?
I am gonna try cooking your chicken dhansak later on today, so I'll let you know how that goes on.
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Hi CA, just wanted to say thank you so much - we tried this recipe last night and wow it was amazing!! This is the 3rd recipe of yours we have tried and they have all been gorgeous so thank you very much ;D ;D ;D xx
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Hi CA, just wanted to say thank you so much - we tried this recipe last night and wow it was amazing!! This is the 3rd recipe of yours we have tried and they have all been gorgeous so thank you very much ;D ;D ;D xx
He does make a damn fine curry, as do many others on here, past and present contributors. Did you make it exactly to CA's spec using his gravy, spice mix etc? And we do love a picture of the finished dish on here too ;D
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oh yes he certainly does :) I'm so glad we found this website - it's our curry bible!! ;D ;D
We made it exactly to CA's spec and it turned out amazing! ;D We did say after we had eaten it we should have taken a picture, but it was just so yummy it didn't last long I'm afraid!! haha Next time we make it I shall get a picture in quick ;D ;D
Tracy xxx
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It's nice to see so many more new members on here trying all these wonderful recipes and not only enjoying, but posting their results too....
Well done to Stew for all his hard work in producing this website and bringing so many curry lovers together!! :)
Plus a thank you to all those contributing and mediating this site as well!! :)
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Hi CA,
I make all of your recipes now for my shop and supply business and the only dish I am having a few problems with and feel like needs improving is the CTM. It tastes good but is a little rich. I tried adding coconut powder and dessicated coconut but didn't like the flavour. I am also using whipped cream because it's the only cream that is readily available in Bangkok.
The following is the recipe I am making. What do you think I could add to it? Maybe some vegetables to break the richness? I really appreciate any advice you can give me.
Chicken Tikka Masala
serves 6
Ingredients:
48 pieces pre-cooked chicken tikka
8 tbsp oil
- 4 tbsp fresh garlic and ginger (pureed)
- 5 tbsp tandoori masala
- 5 tsp curry masala
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 4 tbsp tomato paste and
1 tbsp Ketchup (diluted with 8 tbsp water)
- 5 cups curry base
- 4 tsp sugar (or to taste)
- 2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 450 ml whipped cream
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Hi Missy,
I know your email was directed at CA but thought I would let you know how it is made here in Aus in the shop to give you some other ideas.
1. Flash fry cubed onion and capsicum, this is just a quick deep fry
2. Heat pan, add oil and heat
3. Add pinch chili powder, pinch methi, pinch black pepper powder
4. Add the flash fried onion and capsicum, quick stir till nice capsicum aroma emerges
5. Add pre-cooked chicken with a little of the cooking liquid
6. Add 1.5 - 2.0 chef spoon butter gravy
7. Add little hot water if required to get consistency, should be quite thick
8. Add 1 chef spoon cream, mix through, simmer couple of mins at most
9. Remove, package, garnish with fresh chopped coriander
The Butter Gravy is nothing more then the BIR gravy base (no veg except onion in it though), except that it has ground cashews added to it, they are soaked in hot water then pureed into a smooth paste and the spicing is different too with cumin being the biggest ingredient. There is sugar in the Butter Gravy hence no need to put it in the final dish at the restaurant, same too with some tomato ketchup. We do add additional tomato ketchup when making a butter chicken though.
Cheers,
Mark
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Hi Mark
Thanks for your reply. I have very recently started to fry onion and green peppers at the start as well and have found it makes the consistency of the curry much better and a bit more sticky, so I will be doing that all the time from now on. I think it could be down to the cream as to why my CTM's are maybe a little rich, so I may try putting less in or using half cream instead of full whipped cream.
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Hi Missy,
I know your email was directed at CA but thought I would let you know how it is made here in Aus in the shop to give you some other ideas.
1. Flash fry cubed onion and capsicum, this is just a quick deep fry
2. Heat pan, add oil and heat
3. Add pinch chili powder, pinch methi, pinch black pepper powder
4. Add the flash fried onion and capsicum, quick stir till nice capsicum aroma emerges
5. Add pre-cooked chicken with a little of the cooking liquid
6. Add 1.5 - 2.0 chef spoon butter gravy
7. Add little hot water if required to get consistency, should be quite thick
8. Add 1 chef spoon cream, mix through, simmer couple of mins at most
9. Remove, package, garnish with fresh chopped coriander
The Butter Gravy is nothing more then the BIR gravy base (no veg except onion in it though), except that it has ground cashews added to it, they are soaked in hot water then pureed into a smooth paste and the spicing is different too with cumin being the biggest ingredient. There is sugar in the Butter Gravy hence no need to put it in the final dish at the restaurant, same too with some tomato ketchup. We do add additional tomato ketchup when making a butter chicken though.
Cheers,
Mark
Any chance you can put your full base gravy recipe on here? Would love to see it.
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It tastes good but is a little rich. I tried adding coconut powder and dessicated coconut but didn't like the flavour. I am also using whipped cream because it's the only cream that is readily available in Bangkok.
The following is the recipe I am making. What do you think I could add to it? Maybe some vegetables to break the richness? I really appreciate any advice you can give me.
Hi Phil,
I suppose it depends on what you mean by "rich". To my mind, a CTM IS rich (and very mild, sweet, coconutty and creamy) but, to make it LESS "rich", you could try:
- omitting the ketchup
- reducing (or omitting) the sugar
- reducing the cream (and/or replacing some, or all, of it with milk and/or yoghurt)
- adding a little lemon juice (and/or yoghurt) to make it more "tarty" and "less rich"
However, I think that most of the above (perhaps from the ketchup) move it away from a "traditional" BIR CTM.
Other than that:
- where's the coconut (and/or almonds or other nuts)!?
- why are you adding chili powder (it's supposed to be VERY mild)?
Hope that helps!
PS: Surely it's not whether YOU like the taste of coconut but whether your customers do? And, in Thailand, I'd be very surprised if they don't!?
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Hi CA, just wanted to say thank you so much - we tried this recipe last night and wow it was amazing!! This is the 3rd recipe of yours we have tried and they have all been gorgeous so thank you very much ;D ;D ;D xx
Hi SE,
Glad you tried them, liked them, and reported back with your findings....but where are your photos? ;) 8)
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Hey CA,
Thanks for the recipe. I can't find coconut powder in my area, but I do have plenty of desiccated coconut and coconut milk. Is there any way to substitute either of these for the coconut powder (i.e. blending the desiccated coconut to a fine powder, or just adding coconut milk instead of coconut powder mixed into to single cream)?
Cheers,
Pat
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I can't find coconut powder in my area, but I do have plenty of desiccated coconut and coconut milk. Is there any way to substitute either of these for the coconut powder (i.e. blending the desiccated coconut to a fine powder, or just adding coconut milk instead of coconut powder mixed into to single cream)?
Hi Pat,
Yes, if you can't get it, replace the coconut milk powder with desiccated coconut. The coconut milk powder dissolves whereas the desiccated coconut does not. Grind the desiccated coconut (into something resembling a powder or "flour") if you prefer a less coarse texture to the dish.
You can also add some coconut milk (and/or cream) to get the final texture and flavour you want. Too much coconut milk will probably make the sauce too thin though.
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Lovely Thanks CA
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/bossman187uk/Curries/DSC_0019.jpg)
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/bossman187uk/Curries/DSC_0017.jpg)
CA Chicken Tikka Masala (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjgtgKAMYm4#ws)
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Hi BMB,
Once again, thanks for taking all the trouble to try this recipe, take photos, make a video, and to post your results. A stirling effort! 8)
I have to say that I'm pretty embarrassed (about this forum) that no other members have even had the courtesy to acknowledge your efforts (particularly regarding your videos) :-\
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Apologies just spotted one of the videos on Youtube.Looks a nice tikka massala to me.It must be a regional thing,down here in Essex I've never had corriander served on a massala,maybe a swirl of cream.Looking good though!!!
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I've never had corriander served on a massala
"optional", jb, "optional"....as with so many things in life! :P
....mind you, BMB sure seems to like a LOT of it (judging by his first photo)! ;D
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I hate Coriander (not you CA ;D) the herb
HS
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I hate Coriander (not you CA ;D) the herb
Don't use it then HS. Simples!
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I hate Coriander (not you CA ;D) the herb
Don't use it then HS. Simples!
I don't, and never have, Can't remember my currys from the T/A in the 60s/70s having grass cuttings all over them either :D
HS
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I don't, and never have, Can't remember my currys from the T/A in the 60s/70s having grass cuttings all over them either :D
I agree; I don't either (but I only started eating curries in the late 70s!). I think it may be more of a modern day thing? Though I do recall short, thin, pieces of stalk (which were very tasty and sweet) being in my special (fried) rice. At least that's what I think it was. It could well have been something else though?..... :-\
I think the same may be true of dried fenugreek leaves?
And tomato paste?
And garam masala?
And cherries? ;)
And....? :P
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Hi BMB,
Once again, thanks for taking all the trouble to try this recipe, take photos, make a video, and to post your results. A stirling effort! 8)
I have to say that I'm pretty embarrassed (about this forum) that no other members have even had the courtesy to acknowledge your efforts (particularly regarding your videos) :-\
Always pays to check ones facts before making a statement like that one CA
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Always pays to check ones facts before making a statement like that one CA
Semantics, perhaps, CH?
But, yes, I did recognise that, at the time of my post, you were the exception and had at least responded to two of BMB's FOUR video posts which he has made over the past 3 weeks or so.
So take a bow CH! 8)
Nevertheless, the fact remains, that I do still find it embarrassing that no other members (until my post) could be bothered to acknowledge his efforts (considering how "friendly" and "welcoming" some members like to pretend to be! ::)).
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But, yes, I did recognise that, at the time of my post, you were the exception and had at least responded to two of BMB's FOUR video posts which he has made over the past 3 weeks or so.
Cheers CA. That means i've missed two :o. Will check them out later today. All the best for Xmas and the NY
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Hi BMB,
Not a CTM fan myself but that aside, it looks like you have done a great job there, well done and sorry for a delayed response to your pictures and videos.
Ray (not pretending to be friendly, I am friendly...........most of the time!!!!) ;)
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Another fine looking dish and good video (shame about the music though ;D IMHO). You must like your corriander given the garnish ;D. Like jb, a swirl of cream in the dish is typical of the garnish in this neck of the woods with corriander already having been added right at the end of the cooking stage. Next video up is????.
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Thanks for the feedback guys,
It's OK I didn't expect a lot of comments about the videos, to be honest just a good excuse to use the HD camera and pop some bits on you tube. My technique must be perfect!... lol
I am just great full I stumbled upon this forum, I always loved the KD recipe's but it's nice feeling to progress and I feel the methods of cooking on here are far more logical than the generally boiling the spices method of KD. Having said that I still recommend The Curry Secret to people that may find a forum a bit daunting when starting out.
One day I would like to make the videos more of a tutorial and add the ingredients and written instructions in the video but never seem to have time. Plus feel a gimp talking like a presenter haha
Anyway really appreciate comments, cheers guys
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One day I would like to make the videos more of a tutorial and add the ingredients and written instructions in the video but never seem to have time. Plus feel a gimp talking like a presenter haha
Definitely do - I think videos are an incredibly valuable thing on this forum. To be able to see how people cook and the technique they use is something that's very useful to everyone here.
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I'd just like to say what an excellent recipe this is, I made it pretty much exactly to spec. I used CTs base, CAs mix with a little Zaal Garam masala. I made it Madras strength as directed in the Phal link.
I don't often eat CTM but was in the Indian area of Paris and I managed to convince the missus that we needed 1kg of coconut milk powder (smallest size available), for me this made a difference from other recipes I've tried.
It did that magical thing, sometimes when you smell or taste something you can remember the place it was linked too and all the connected sensations from that time. I was back in Preston in the late eighties when I used to eat this dish a lot more regularly, pretty much an exact BIR copy.
Thanks for that moment.
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Does anyone know if I simply double ingredients when cooking for four?
Thanks!
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The considered wisdom is that you should cook individual portions or at the most double portions, beyond that it gets difficult to get sufficient energy into the cooking dish to get the appropriate heat/caramelization/reduction etc. There are some recipes for bulk curries but they are different beasts entirely (search for bulk curries). I cooked a meal for 11 not long ago making a mixture of single and double portions and if you set up a factory line of ingredients it doesn't take all that much time at all - the cooked dished can go into a pot or oven to be warmed later.
I remember reading posts about scaling salt/spices if you are determined to make slightly bigger portions but I cannot find the posts :(
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My preference would be to do 2 double portions, I also favour just doubling up the meat, maybe adding a little extra liquid, but then again my missus doesn't like much sauce.
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I haven't a clue where this was copied from but I feel that it was from this site. Mmmm, there's a problem. In the book I have made it more clear than on the website but the recipes DO NOT scale up well beyond being doubled. That is because they are not scaled down versions of restaurant procedures but rather a method I devised to make domestic sized portions.
If you are making curries AND vegetable dishes then you WILL need the equivalent of 10 times the amount of basic curry sauce (BCS) to make a meal for 20.
Scaling up the curry recipes that much will NOT work either. What will happen is that you will get a kind of curried stew rather than the stir-fried effect of restaurant style curries. Also the spicing will be all wrong. You would certainly need to reduce the stronger spices, especially chilli powder, a fair amount. Getting the curries too wet will be a big problem and water should be added in very small amounts.
So, what to do?
You could hunt out some more traditional recipes where the curries are cooked for a long period of time and in larger quantities but that will not produce restaurant style curries which is what I expect you are after. Even a restaurant would probably make 10 x double portions of curry if you turned up and ordered the same curry for 20 (not the BCS, of course, that would have already been made in bulk earlier on in the day).
If you are committed to making restaurant-style curries then I can only suggest what I would do in the circumstances although, as you rightly point out, I avoid doing it like the plague and have never stretched to 20 (12 people is about my limit)!
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Hello there, interesting read, tikka masala same as restaurant can be made for 100 if you please. Same as korma..
(Not using original posters CA's method)
Sorry hey forgot to add, plenty of establishments are using batch tikka sauce and korma, only have to heat the chicken or lamb then serve. A portion can be knocked out in less than three minutes, this time taken is purely to warm the chicken to the centre.
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Thanks everyone,
I ended up making two 'portions' and to turned out i didn't need to do much more anyway as bundled the first and had enough (with extra chicken) in the second!!
Jenny
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Made this tonight for the first time. I used CA's pressure cooker base recipe for the base along with his spice blend. I couldn't find coconut milk powder locally so I went without.
All I can say is wow! This is the recipe I've been looking searching many years for. Where I live in Oregon, USA there is a severe lack of Indian restaurants. The closest IR is 45 minutes drive away from my city. This is spot on to what we've had at the 4 different Indian restaurants we've been to.
There are a few differences to how I made it. In the states it doesn't seem like they use food dye to get that red color. Mine ended up more like a tan/brick color. I also may have done it different with regards to pre-cooking the chicken. I marinated overnight with tandoori spice and yogurt. I also sliced up some onion with red and green bell pepper which I sauteed at the beginning. I made one mistake. After I sauteed the onion/pepper I didn't let the pan cool a little before adding the ginger/garlic and adding the spice. I burned them a little which made it slightly bitter.
I've ordered some coconut milk powder on Amazon so I'm looking forward to another go next weekend.
Thanks to everyone here that shares their knowledge.
My wife loved dinner by the way,. Tikka Masala is her favorite dish.
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Well done, GCC. CTM is not to my taste, but if you managed to create the flavour that you and your wife seek at a first attempt, then congratulations are fully deserved. You also appear to have very quickly learned about the need to get the pan temperature correct for each phase of the operation. Well done.
** Phil.
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Thanks Phil. I'm a decent home trained cook so I knew immediately when I messed up. CTM is not my favorite "Indian" dish either. My preference is Rogan Josh or the identical (so I've been told) Punjabi lamb curry.
I'll give the CTM another go this weekend. I've got the coconut milk powder now and I know the technique. If it turns out great I'll check that box and move on to the pilau rice. I'm a good rice cooker because unlike most Anglo Americans my wife and I prefer rice over any other starch. We get #25 bags of Thai Jasmine rice at the Asian (Oriental in British I think) market. Just the two of us will go through that bag in 6 months or so.
After the rice I'll work on naan bread. That will be a challenge because of what equipment I have at home. I've made naan once and it turned out OK using a preheated pizza stone in the oven. In my opinion this will be the toughest nut to crack so to speak.
Thanks for your comment. I'm looking forward to the upcoming experiments!
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I'm a good rice cooker because unlike most Anglo Americans my wife and I prefer rice over any other starch. We get #25 bags of Thai Jasmine rice at the Asian (Oriental in British I think) market. Just the two of us will go through that bag in 6 months or so.
Will you be using Thai fragant rice for pulao. or will you switch to basmati ? My wife (Vietnamese/Chinese) prefers Thai fragant, and I prefer Basmati, so we tend to keep both at home. If you have a microwave oven and a Pyrex
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I prefer the Thai "fragrant" rice. We have a rice cooker and I have the rice/water portions down to a science. My rice turns out perfect every single time. I made the pilau rice last weekend as an experiment. what I did was boiled the spices prior, strained the water, and then used the spiced water in the rice cooker in the proportions that I always use. 1 1/2 cups rice 2 1/4 cup water in the rice cooker. I went light on the spices in the water not knowing how it would turn out. I'll go heavier next time.
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Outstanding recipe.
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Outstanding recipe.
Hey Bob, could you please elaborate on exactly what draws you to the statement that this is an "Outstanding Recipe". It just looks like any old recipe to me. It might make a very nice curry but why the glowing accolades? Could you please be more specific and explain your reasoning? Photographs of your efforts in reproducing this recipe will help.
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I prefer the Thai "fragrant" rice. We have a rice cooker and I have the rice/water portions down to a science. My rice turns out perfect every single time. I made the pilau rice last weekend as an experiment. what I did was boiled the spices prior, strained the water, and then used the spiced water in the rice cooker in the proportions that I always use. 1 1/2 cups rice 2 1/4 cup water in the rice cooker. I went light on the spices in the water not knowing how it would turn out. I'll go heavier next time.
I never could get along with a rice cooker, I love the feeling and energy I get from perfecting rice. Preferred method is the absorption method.
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I never could get along with a rice cooker,
Nor I, although my wife (Chinese/Vietnamese) finds them excellent. For myself, I too use the absorption method but in a microwave oven
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Strangely enough Phil I found myself reading your post and method yesterday. Possible you will understand when you perfect a method it sticks like religion, my interest was aroused. I may just look out my vintage amber brown glass PYREX.
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I also think that cooking rice is a classic demonstration of formative causation / causative formation