Ginger's Home Cooking: Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:
1 cup yogurt
1 & 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 & 1/2 tsp. mild chilli powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit-sized pieces
5 long skewers
1 Tbsp. butter
1 clover garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 Tbsp. dried cilantro (coriander leaf)
2 & 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 & 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. onion salt or onion granules
8 oz. (226 gr) passata (tomato sauce)
8.8 oz (260 ml) double (heavy) cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (coriander leaf) to garnish

This is one of my favourite Indian dishes. I like my Mexican food spicy, but I like my Chinese & Indian food mild. Korma & Tikka Masala are among my favourite Indian dishes, because you can taste the sweet smoothness of things like coconut milk or cream alongside all the exotic spices & the flavours in the rice & naan bread, etc without setting your mouth on fire & ruining the experience. This dish is extremely mild, but if you like it with a little kick, you could always add another jalapeno or two to the mix. I had never attempted to make my own Indian food - I'd always ordered it from the local takeaway - but then I found this recipe online. It was such a hit that we never order Tikka Masala from the takeaway any more. As with almost every recipe I've ever used, I made a few small changes & personalized it. I like to serve it with Basmati rice & a shop-bought good quality naan bread. This will serve around 4 to 5 people & it's even nicer the second night. I also sometimes use the marinated Tandoori chicken (without creating the sauce) to skewer & cook on the barbecue - it's amazing.

Method:
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 tsp. of cumin, 2 tsp. of mild chilli powder, 2 tsp. of black pepper, 2 tsp. of ground ginger, 2 tsp. of salt & 1 tsp. of cinnamon. Stir in the raw cubed chicken, cover & refrigerate for at least 1 hour (I have left this for several hours & it works out fine). After an hour, proceed.
If using wooden skewers, pre-soak them in water. Pre-heat your grill (broiler) to high. Lightly oil the grill grate & place over a grill drip tray. Thread chicken onto skewers & discard any marinade remaining in the bowl. Grill until juices run clear. This only takes about 5 minutes on each side, as the yogurt & lemon & spice combo has already begun to 'cook' the chicken. Melt butter in a large deep skillet or wok over a medium heat. Saute garlic & jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 1 Tbsp. dried coriander leaf, 2 & 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1 & 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4tsp. onion salt or granules. Stir in tomato sauce & cream. Simmer on a low heat until the sauce thickens, approximately 20 minutes or so. Add the grilled chicken & simmer for a further 10 to 15 minutes on a low/medium heat while you prepare your rice & naan breads. You can garnish with fresh coriander leaf (cilantro) or parsley at the end, but this is optional.