Recipe: Chicken tikka masala

I have never tasted real, traditional Indian curry, not even Britain's chicken tikka masala. The closest thing to authentic I've eaten was something I've made using a packet of gourmet Indian tikka masala spice paste. It's good but it's also expensive. So I ran to my trusted culinary partner, YouTube, watched all the videos I could find about chicken masala and tried to recreate the spice paste. This right here is my version.

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large sweet onion, diced

4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

1 pouch tomato sauce

3 tablespoons plain yoghurt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon garam masala*

2 tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 pinch cumin

1 pinch turmeric

salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine garam masala, paprika, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, yogurt, lemon juice, tomato sauce, ginger. Add chicken pieces to the mixture and marinate for about an hour or so.

2. Heat oil over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion. Add the chicken pieces, setting aside the marinade. Cook chicken until browned.

3. Stir in the reserved marinade. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

4. Garnish with fresh coriander (I use parsley) and serve with rice.

* Mix of black and white cumin seeds, coriander, cardamom, black and white peppercorns, fennel, cloves and nutmeg.