A few years ago, I was part of a group at work who would bring in ingredients and start making Masala in the break room at 9:00 am so that it would be all nice and blended by lunch time. Two people were always tasked with bringing in the spices (not me), so I've been on the lookout for a good Masala for a while. If you like yourself some good Masala, give this a try. I didn't mix the Masala spices (just used the prepared Garam Masala you can get at any grocery store), but it sure tasted like what we made for lunch. Good memories. Now I just need to find me a good Garam Masala recipe so I can make that up myself.
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken tenders
salt
ground coriander
cumin
1/2 C plain yogurt
6 Tbs butter
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 2" piece fresh ginger root, pealed and finely grated
3 Tbs Garam Masala
28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
1 Tbs sugar
1-1/2 C heavy cream
2 C Basmati or Jasmine rice
1 Tbs ground turmeric
4 C water
1 C frozen peas
Line a baking sheet with foil and place a large, oven-safe cooling rack in it that will hold all of the chicken. Season the chicken with some salt. Sprinkle on all sides with coriander and cumin. Coat the chicken completely with the yogurt. Place chicken on the cooling rack.
Place under the oven broiler on high about 10-12 inched below the heating element. Broil for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so the chicken doesn't completely char. Some blackening on the edges is normal. Chop chicken into chunks.
In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbs of the butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. Add garlic, ginger, and 1 Tbs salt to the onions. Next, add the Garam Masala and tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.
Add sugar. Let mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.
In a medium sauce pan, mix rice, 4 Tbs butter, 1 tsp salt, turmeric, and water. Cook as you normally cook rice. You can also use a rice cooker.
After the sauce has simmered for 5 minutes, add the heavy cream and chicken. Stir until the chicken is thoroughly coated with the sauce. Continue simmering while the rice cooks.
Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heating element and add frozen peas. Cover again. The steam from the rice will cook the peas.
Serve the chicken and sauce over the rice.
Printed version