Week 24: Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

The Recipe
700g chicken in bite sized pieces
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
ginger
chili powder
Juice of 1 lime
2tbsp tomato paste
1tbsp paprika
1/2tsp cumin
1/2tsp tumeric
1tsp garam masala
1tsp salt
oil
2dl yoghurt
2tbsp ground almonds (~20-30)
2tbsp cream
Wedges of lime to garnish

Add onion, garlic, ginger and chili powder to a bowl and use a handblender or similar to blend it. Add lime juice, tomato paste and the spices (paprika through salt) and mix into a fine paste.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the paste and cook for a few minutes until nice and fragrant. Add yoghurt and bring to a boil while stirring.

Put the chicken into a slow-cooker and pour the sauce over. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6.

Mix in ground almonds and cream.

Serve with rice or naan bread. Garnish with wedges of lime and mango chutney.

The Verdict
I'd worried it might be a bit too hot, but actually it was rather mild in taste. Both the ginger and the chili was supposed to be fresh, but I used powder instead. Also, I didn't have any cream, but used milk instead. Don't think it made too much of a difference, since it's only 2 tbsp.

The spice palette worked really well! A bit tame for me, but the others liked it - and I could just add chutney and chili flakes to mine, so it was all good. The meat was a bit dry, unfortunately. I think next time I might either leave the chicken uncut while cooking, or I'd reduce the cooking time by ~1 hour (on low anyway).