More Indian Food Goodness

One of my favorite indian dishes is Dal Makhani.  Dal is a stewy blend of lentils and spices.  Super yummy.  I could live on dal most everyday. (another reason why I need a personal chef: indian food preparation is kind of time consumming.)
Anyway, I keep saying that I will find a recipe and learn to make it myself.  That hasn't happened yet.  But Nate and Toby made me some for Mother's Day.  This is the recipe that they used. It was a little spicy. So you may want to go easy on the green chilis and the red chili powder.  We are going to have to make this recipe a few more times to figure out the right blend.  Also, the recipe calls for whole black gram.  That is black lentils.  Let me know if you try it out.

Another favorite dish is Chicken Tikka Masala.  This was also very tasty.  It's a fairly mild dish as far as indian food goes. Both these recipes are from Complete Indian Cooking by Hamlyn.

Chicken Tikka
5/8 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsn grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs lemon juice
2 tbsp oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

Mix together all the ingredients, except the chicken.  Drop cubes in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Thread the chicken onto 4 skewers and broil in the over for 5 - 6 minutes, turning frequently.  You could also grill the chicken if you'd like.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken Tikka (recipe above), marinated and treaded onto skewers, but not cooked
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
juice of 1/2 a lime

Masala Sauce
4 Tbsp vegetable oil or clarified butter
2 onions thinly sliced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cardamoms*, bruised
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp tomato paste
4 Tbsp hot water
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Make the masala sauce by heating the oil in a large pan.  Add the oinions, ginger and garlic and cook over a gentle heat, until softened.  Add the spices and fry, stirring, for 1 -2 minutes, until fragrant, then add the cream, tomato paste, water, sugar and salt.  Bring slowely to the boil over moderate heat, stirring, then lower the heat, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and let stand while cooking the chicken.

Barbecue or broil the chicken tikka according to the above recipe instructions. Then remove the chicken from the skewers.  Add the chicken to the masala sauce, return to a low heat and simmer, stirring, for about five minutes.  Add the chopped cilantro leaves and lime juice, and taste for seasoning.

Serve with basmati rice, chapatis, or naan.

*note: don't eat the cardamom pods.  They don't taste good.