COOKBOOK: Chicken Tikka Masala

BY DANIELLE ANENE

Preparation

1. Slice the chicken into bite-sized chunks. Combine the cubed chicken with the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, salt, cumin, garam masala, paprika and stir until well-coated.

2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

3. You can either choose to grill the marinated chicken or lightly fry it.

4. Prepping up the sauce: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, then fry the onions for under 30 seconds, with ginger and garlic until tender but not browned. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika, chilli powder, and garam masala and stir constantly for about 30 seconds, until the spices are fragrant.

5. Stir in the tomato puree, tomato sauce, and 1 ¼ cups of water, then bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream.

6. Add your chicken (grilled or fried) to the sauce, then cook for another 1-2 minutes.

There you have it, your delicious chicken tikka masala, garnish with cilantro and serve over rice or alongside naan bread.

We must admit that there are times when we want to try something other than Nigerian meals, and for most people, this means going out and buying it. The most popular foreign meal may be Asian and, of course, Chinese, but there are many other parts of Asian meals to choose from, including Korean, Japanese, Philippine, and Indian meals.

In this edition, we'll show you how to make Chicken Tikka Masala, a delicious Indian stew.

The beauty of this stew is in the taste and smell; by the time you are done, you will know you're not preparing or eating a Nigerian meal, and your kitchen will be filled with an aroma that can only come from an Indian kitchen. And, like our Nigerian stew, it goes well with the Indian bread known as naan.

First and foremost, you must go to the market to get some ingredients that you may not have in your kitchen, and the wonderful thing about Nigeria, particularly Lagos, is that you can find just about any store to meet your needs. There are now stores that only sell Asian products, so you can get these items there.

Ingredients

CHICKEN MARINADE

• Boneless chicken breast chunk

• Greek yoghurt

• Lemon juice (2 tablespoon)

• Garlic cloves, minced

• Ginger, minced

• Salt to taste

• Ground cumin powder (2 teaspoons)

• Garam Masala powder (2 teaspoons)

• Paprika powder (2 teaspoons)

SAUCE

• Cooking oil (3 tablespoons)

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• Ginger, minced

• Garlic, minced

• Cumin powder (2 teaspoons ground)

• Turmeric powder (2 teaspoons)

• Coriander powder (2 teaspoons)

• Paprika (2 teaspoons)

• Chilli powder (2 teaspoons)

• Garam masala (2 teaspoons)

• Tomato puree (1 tablespoon)

• Tomato sauce(800 g)

• Heavy cream (250 mL)

• Fresh cilantro, for garnish