CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA RECIPE from a Dubai expat on Dubai Good Old Days site

There is quite a bit of work involved to do this one, so I have separated it into two parts to make it easier to follow through :-
 
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA RECIPE,

you will require:

For the first Part:
 
1Kg boneless chicken breast.
1/4 cup yogurt.
3 tsp minced ginger (Or paste).
4 tsp of crushed garlic.
1/4 tsp white pepper.
1/4 tsp cumin powder .
1/4 tsp mace .
1/4 tsp nutmeg .
1/4 tsp green cardamom powder .
1/2 tsp chili powder .
1/4 tsp turmeric .
3 tbsp lemon juice .
4 tbsp vegetable oil .
Melted butter or ghee (for basting).

For the second Part :

5 oz. tomato paste .
10 oz. tomato puree .
1 Kg of tomatoes, chopped .
2 tsp ginger paste .
2 tsp garlic paste.
3 medium sized green chillies .
1 tbsp red chilli powder .
2 tsp of mixed cloves.
8 green cardamoms .
Salt To Taste .
3 tbsp butter.
2/3 (75%) cup cream.
1 tsp fenugreek .
2 tsp ginger,
and lastly honey to taste.

Right, what you do is this:
Whisk all of the ingredients from the first part together in a large bowl.
Cut the breast into 2 inch cubes. and add to the bowl.
Leave it to marinate overnight in the fridge.

Then what you do is, preheat the oven to 350? F., put the chicken in, and cook for 8 minutes, basting it with the butter/ghee a couple of times.
Drain the excess marinade and continue cooking for another couple of minutes.
While this is going on, make the sauce from the second part, by Deseeding, and chopping the green chilies. Into thin rings.
Put the tomatoes, tomato paste and the tomato puree in a pot and add approximately 4-1/2 cups of water.
Then add the ginger and garlic paste, the ringed green chilies, red chili powder, cloves, cardamoms, and salt. (Go easy on the salt; usually a pinch or two does the job).
Cook over a low heat until the slurry has been reduced to a thick sauce.
Strain through a strainer and bring to a boil.
Add butter and cream. Stir.
If the sauce tastes a bit sour, add some honey to get the acquired taste.
Then add the fenugreek and ginger, stir, and serve the sauce with the chicken.

There?s quite a bit of work into preparing this dish, so we tend to cook it when we have friends over. It?s well worth the effort in the end!

Tikka Marinade - ex Ravi chef discussions with an old Dubai expat:

2 Cups plain yoghurt,
2/3 green chillies,
about a golfball size of grated green ginger,
3 large cloves of garlic,
1 and half tsp of salt,
1 teaspoon black cummin,
1 teaspoon red chilli powder,
1 and half teaspoons of garam massala,
a good slug of vinegar, 2
 tablespoons of olive oil,
half a teaspoon each of red and yellow food colour.

Food process and/or beat until really smooth.
This should make about half a pint of marinade.
Use accordingly on lamb or chicken.

One of the  best truly Indian restaurants in the Manchester area........... well it closed down 4 years ago.

The good news is - the same people have re-opened as Seven Spices in Cheadle Hulme village & the food is as before - excellent

Let me state I am not generally a vegetable fan - especially the leaf variety - peas & beans & celery are about my lot with veggies.  Cabbage i hate !

So, one evening in Dubai in early 1980s, my wife & I were just about to go out for the evening to a dinner party when our housegirl - Anna Sequira (from Goa, but now in Mumbai with her family)came in with a delightful smelling dish with pourris & said I've made this for you - spicy cabbage - then left.  So, even though I hate cabbage, it smelled so good, I thought i would taste it.  Scooped up with the pourris, the dish was nothing short of fantastic - we ate the lot!  Our dinner party was a little short lived - we could only manage the odd mouthful.

Here it is courtesy of Anna dictating to my wife ( Mrs Ghoulie)

2 large white onions
I white cabbage
fry in oil.  then add

2 green chillies
3 medium tomatoes
1 Maggi chicken stock cube
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
3/4 glass water

pourris, 3 glasses wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, water for dry dough consitency, roll out to 5mm thickness - fry in hot deep oil.

The quantities I know are slightly vague - but that's my wifes hurried dictation.  Anna couldn't see what the fuss was about.

enjoy it - I certainly still do