A little spice

Believe it or not, I had never sampled true Indian food until last Saturday. I went with a friend to a local Indian restaurant, and we ordered a few of the staple dishes, my favorite of which was chicken tikki masala, a creamy tomato curry served over rice. A little recipe hunting, and turns out...it's not too hard to make at home.

Chicken Tikki Masala

Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 TB lemon juice
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. ground pepper
2 t. ground red pepper or less
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 piece (1-inch long) ginger, minced

Sauce:
1 TB unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic minced
2 t. ground coriander
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. paprika 1 t. garam masala
1/2 t. salt
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:
Mix marinade, pour over chicken cubes and let marinate for an hour or so. Cook chicken cubes on skewers on the grill outdoors or a Foreman grill indoors.
For sauce, melt butter on medium heat, add garlic, cook one minute. Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Stir in tomato sauce. Let simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cream and simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add in the cooked chicken cubes and sprinkle in cilantro. Serve over rice.

recipe/epicurious
image/optusnet