Simple Indian

TexanOfTheNorth · November 2013

Was in the mood for Indian food last night so decided to make some tikka masala chicken. The sauce and nan bread were store bought but both were very good. This is a very quick and easy cook; taking only about 30-40 minutes.

They make a variety of different sauces, all of which are very tasty.

Begin by browning some chicken breast and thigh meat

Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside while you cook some sliced onion and okra

Add the chicken and sauce back to the onions and okra

Cook another 10-15 minutes until it starts to bubble

Heat nan bread for less than 1 minute per side

Serve over basmati rice

Village Idiot · November 2013

No wonder we kicked you out of Texas. :-& Those jars should have had Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce in them.

TexanOfTheNorth · November 2013

Village Idiot said:

No wonder we kicked you out of Texas. :-& Those jars should have had Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce in them.

)

... actually, I make my own enchilada sauce.

Griffin · November 2013

Looks like a quick, tasty meal though I have no idea what it tastes like. I really need somebody to learn me somethin' about Indian food. All I know is I hate that curry powder that you get at the store. Never could stand it. I know there tons of types of curry powders out there, but that store bought stuff on the spice aisle right there next to cumin, like the McCormick brand which I assume is not authentic is disgusting. I should add that to the What won't you eat thread.

TexanOfTheNorth · November 2013

Griffin said:

Looks like a quick, tasty meal though I have no idea what it tastes like. I really need somebody to learn me somethin' about Indian food. All I know is I hate that curry powder that you get at the store. Never could stand it. I know there tons of types of curry powders out there, but that store bought stuff on the spice aisle right there next to cumin, like the McCormick brand which I assume is not authentic is disgusting. I should add that to the What won't you eat thread.

@Griffin, the tikka masala does not have a curry taste at all (imo). Given that curry is not a single spice but a blend, I can't say that some of the spices used in this particular sauce are not used in curry; there is cumin and corriander but I can't remember the other spices.

The taste is more on the sweet "tomatoy" side and not at all hot (spicy).

Griffin · November 2013

I know there is a lot more than I know. I had a curried goat in Jamaica that was out of this world. I just need to learn more.

chashans · November 2013

That looks really good TexanOfTheNorth. What kind of pan are you using? Looks to be a thin walled flat bottom wok of sorts.

Chef Charles · November 2013

That looks really tasty. I like the Pataks line of products and I use their curry pastes whenever I attempt to make a curry dish on the egg.

dawsonhull · November 2013

Looks great! I love Chicken Tikka Masala! Where did you get the sauce from? Would it be in a normal grocery store (Kroger or Publix)?

Hoov · November 2013

That looks like a tasty meal! I've never cooked Indian food before.

Village Idiot · November 2013

I don't know why you people insist on cooking foreign stuff. Can't you stick to American food, like Kung Pao Chicken, Szechuan Beef, or Crepes aux Crevettes?

TexanOfTheNorth · November 2013

@Chashans, yes that's what it is; GrillPro I think. Big enough to fix a meal for me and Mrs. TOTN.

@dawsonhull, they carry it in our local grocery store. Our Costco also carries larger jars of a butter chicken sauce that is also very good.

caliking · November 2013

Looks pretty good.

If you're okay with a 30-40min cook time, try some of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes. For decades she has made Indian cooking accessible to Western audiences.

A good start is : http://www.amazon.com/Madhur-Jaffreys-Quick-Indian-Cooking/dp/0811859010/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384529578&sr=8-1&keywords=madhur+jaffrey

A friend started cooking more recently and fed us a few meals from this book and they were quite good. Indian food differs widely across the different regions of India, what we mostly see in restaurants is northern and southern Indian food. North Indian food comprises the meat curries, etc (chicken tikka masala, goat curry, palak paneer, etc) and South Indian food tends to be vegetarian (dosa, idli, sambar, etc). But local offerings depend on where folks emigrated from e.g. there is a large Kerala contingent in the Houston area and so there are a few Kerala restaurants. They make awesome duck curry, beef fry, pork fry, and other things.

@Griffin - go to a well-reviewed Indian restaurant and try their lunch or dinner buffet, that way you get a mix of things to try. Just know that you can make far better tandoori chicken at home than most restaurants. If you like Jamaican goat curry, then you're on the right track. Many Indians ended up in the Caribbean as slaves and/or indentured laborers, so the food does have Indian influences. When you've got your feet wet, there is an awesome Pakistani joint called BBQ Tonite not too far from you. Its not a bbq joint, but the name comes form a famous restaurant in Pakistan (in Karachi I think). The place is not fancy, and the food is a little greasy, but they make great haleem (beef and lentil stew?), paya (trotters), goat curry. The weekend buffet is good.

And "curry powder" is an abomination. It gives Indian food a bad name. Most folks I know don't know what its supposed to be used for (myself included). If you want to start cooking some Indian food then your local Indian grocer will have all the spices you need for a fraction of the cost of the McCormick bottles.

TexanOfTheNorth · November 2013

@Caliking, thanks for the feedback. We have an Indian cookbook at home (can't remember the name) and have done several of the recipes from there. I really enjoy experimenting and learning how to make and cook different types of food and have no trouble doing so from scratch.

I agree with you about the wide variety of Indian food and commented about that on another recent thread in relation to people who say they don't like Indian food. Your suggestion about eating at a well reviewed Indian buffet is an excellent idea!

caliking · November 2013

TOTN - the other option is to get yourself invited to Little Steven's place. That guy knows how to throw down some Indian chow!

TexanOfTheNorth · November 2013

@caliking... can't tell you how many nights I've sat faithfully by the telephone waiting for that invitation! [-O<

Skiddymarker · November 2013

Looks very good, south Asian comfort food.

Patak's is kinda the Heinz of Indian sauces IMO, good products and available just about everywhere here on the left coast, which given our large south Asian population speaks to its quality.

Many folks make their own masala, but sometimes need the quick and easy fix.

Aviator · November 2013

TexanOfTheNorth said:

@caliking... can't tell you how many nights I've sat faithfully by the telephone waiting for that invitation! [-O<

I think LS is heterosexual.

)

Little Steven · November 2013

Griffin said:

I know there is a lot more than I know. I had a curried goat in Jamaica that was out of this world. I just need to learn more.

Way different set of spices in Jamaican curry Grif. When most of Europe gave up on slavery they had a bunch of south Asian guys put under something called Indenture which was kind of, well, like slavery. Short story is they used what they had available in the Caribbean like nutmeg, allspice, mace and Scotch Bonnets. They made the curries with those instead of the cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, cumin and coriander like India.

Simple Indian

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