Chicken Tikka Masala

One of my fondest memories from visiting London in the fall of 2005 involves eating Indian cuisine. We were travelling in a tour group and asked our guide for a recommendation for something different, off the beaten path. His recommendation? His favorite Indian restaurant in all of London. I was a little skeptical (as was my sister who had never had Indian before), but we decided to give it a try. My husband's parents were travelling with us and his mother is a vegetarian, so Indian food, rich with vegetables and savory flavors sounded right up her alley. I had only eaten Indian once before at that point and was unsure what to order. Everything sounded wonderful - smoky tandoori chicken, slow cooked pork on skewers, curried vegetables, and savory chicken masala. There is a reason why this meal was memorable - the flavors were absolutely amazing. In fact, I have spent years trying to replicate those flavors visiting U.S. restaurants and trying out recipes at home (and failing miserably).

I came across this recipe while visiting the What's Cookin, Chicago? blog, in search of frozen meal ideas. The photo looked beautiful and the combination of ingredients listed made me feel that this recipe might be the one! Was it? Oh, yes.

The recipe called for 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts weighing a total of 3-4 lbs. I don't know about you, but finding a chicken breast that weighs almost 1 lb seems a little unlikely (and 3-4 lbs was waaaay too much chicken). I recommend purchasing 2 lbs. of chicken but keeping the rest of the recipe measurements the same as this ensures that you get plenty of sauce. I marinated the chicken overnight and I feel that this really brought out a lot more flavor during cooking. This recipe is really a 2 day process, but is worth it because it makes for easier preparation the night you serve this up. Garam Masala, an ingredient I had never used before, really gave the dish a deep, smoky, flavor that you just can't beat. The aromas coming out of my kitchen were unreal while the sauce cooked.

We served up the chicken with basmati rice and homemade naan, thanks to my husband who is a bread making wizard! Because there was so much of it, it lasted for at least three meals, with each one tasting even better than the previous because the flavors kept marrying in the fridge. If you want a little piece of London (er, India) on your table, this recipe fits the bill.


Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons table salt
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves , minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Combine cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so the mixture adheres. Place chicken in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger. After the seasoned chicken has spent 30-60 minutes in the fridge, pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken and toss to fully coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight.


Masala Sauce Ingredients

• 2 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion , diced fine
• 2 medium garlic cloves , minced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point, allow the sauce to cool. Transfer the sauce into a storage container, cover and then refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the chilled sauce from the fridge and heat up in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Remove the chicken from the fridge and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the yogurt coated chicken on the parchment lined baking sheet. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Before serving, stir in cilantro into the sauce.


Adapted from What's Cooking, Chicago?

Samoa Bundt Cake

Samoa Girl Scout cookies are a special treat that comes once a year. That blend of crisp cookie, gooey caramel, toasted coconut and drizzle of chocolate is to die for, and now we won't have to wait any longer to get our 'fix'. Introducing... the Samoa Bundt Cake. This recipe was another Pinterest find and its appearance had perfect timing, a few days shy of my husband's birthday. I know how much he loves Samoa cookies (and sweets in general), so this was perfect to try out. I generally shy away from baking cakes unless we are having company or taking it somewhere; otherwise we have to eat the whole darned thing! It was a birthday cake, though, which means a celebration, and I knew we'd have plenty of family members to help demolish it.

From beginning to end (including clean up time), this cake took a little over 2 hours which isn't too shabby for a made-from-scratch cake. Keep in mind that the frosting needs to chill for one hour, the cake needs to bake for 50-60 minutes, and then it needs to cool completely before you frost it, so it's best to make the frosting first.

To toast the coconut, I used a large skillet on the stove set to medium-high. You must constantly keep an eye on the coconut and stir continuously until it reaches a golden brown. If you take your eye off, pieces will start to burn. How do I know tihs? Let's just say I took a second trip to the grocery store :( Another option is to toast the coconut in a 350 degree oven, keeping a watchful eye on it, and stirring it every few minutes. This seemed a lot of (hot) work to me, hence I went with the stove approach.

Making the frosting is really simple with a hispanic product called Dulce de Leche. Most grocery stores should have this next to the sweetened condensed milk. The brand name I used is La Lechera and its manufactured by Nestle. They make both Dulce de Leche and sweetened condensed milk, so pay close attention to what you grab. If your supermarket doesn't carry it, find your closest Hispanic grocery store as they should have it in stock.

Lots of bowls are used in this recipe due to two different cake batters being made in addition to the frosting, which means I even had to pull out my hand mixer. No worries, if you don't have a stand mixer and a hand mixer, just clean your supplies in between each step.

Combining the two batters to make it marble is kind of fun. First make sure you spray down your bundt pan heavily and dust it with some flour. I forgot the flour step and some of it stuck to the pan, but it was nothing that a little frosting couldn't patch up ;)

Once last tip - after you melt your chocolate, let it cool down a little bit before applying. I didn't do this and some of it slid right off the cake. The cooler it is, the better it will stick.

The overall verdict on this cake was that it was absolutely delicious, tasting very similar to the aforementioned cookie. It is super sweet, and a little goes a long way. I recommend serving it with milk or coffee. The next time you crave a Samoa cookie during the summer, fall, or whenever, this cake will definitely satisfy.

Samoa Bundt Cake

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 can of Dulce de Leche
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 T vanilla extract
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup toasted coconut

Beat Dulce de Leche, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt for 3 minutes. Add in 1 cup toasted coconut. Chill for 1 hour.



Batter #1 Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 cup of dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup All Purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and sugar on medium high until fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Add in milk and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients slowly and mix until well combined.



Batter #2 Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp All Purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup milk

Beat oil and sugar on medium high until combined. Add in egg, mixing well. Add in milk and vanilla and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients slowly and mix until well combined. Stir in boiling water.

Grease and flour the bundt pan well. Layer the cake, pouring some of the brown sugar batter, then cocoa batter, then brown sugar, until both batter bowls are empty. Tap the bundt pan on the counter a couple of times to remove bubbles. Bake approximately for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (mine only took about 50 minutes). Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then turn it out onto a cooling rack.



Topping Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups toasted coconut
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Once the cake is completely cooled, frost it and then sprinkle with coconut. On the sides and center you may need to gently pat it to stick. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 15 second intervals until it is completely melted. Place chocolate in a ziploc bag with a corner cut out about 1/4″ up from the corner. Let it cool a little and then drizzle stripes on the cake.


Adapted from BetsyLife

Bang Bang Cauliflower

Have you have ever been to Bonefish Grill and had their Bang Bang Shrimp? It's this wonderful appetizer of crispy fried shrimp smothered in a creamy, spicy sauce. It's highly addictive (and, unfortunately, highly fattening as well). The flavors you get, though, are so craveable, and are actually very easy to reproduce in a more healthful way. Let me introduce you to...Bang Bang Cauliflower.

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and was intrigued. For one, cauliflower? It's not my favorite vegetable but it is one that is easy to manipulate and infuse with flavor. Secondly, this recipe is baked, not fried. Unfortunately, a lot of 'oven fried' recipes don't deliver with their promise of crispiness, so I was a little skeptical. What really got me, though, was the sauce. It uses Siracha, my favorite hot sauce, along with lite mayonnaise. That has to make it a little more healthy, right?

I will admit that breaking up a head of cauliflower is not the easiest (nor most tidy) task, and next time I might just buy a bag of pre-cut florets and break those down a little further. The dredging process does take a little bit of time, but the end result is totally worth it.

The cauliflower wasn't super crispy, but the panko helps give the crunch you are looking for. The sauce is SUPER spicy, so I would recommend cutting back on the Siracha to your taste. We topped our cauliflower with freshly cut green onions from our garden (one of the few veggies to make their appearance this spring), and were in love with this dish. Obviously our son couldn't try it because I forgot to set some florets aside before mixing them with the sauce (oops!), but next time I'll remember to do so because I think he'll enjoy the texture/flavor without the sauce. Serve this up alongside an entree such as Broiled Tilapia with Coconut Curry Sauce, and you've got a wonderful Asian-inspired meal for your dinner table.


Bang Bang Cauliflower

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper
• sliced green onion
• 1/4 cup lite mayo
• 1/4 cup Siracha
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice your cauliflower florets. Mix salt, pepper, and panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Set  a separate bowl aside with the egg whites.

Dip florets into egg whites, coat with panko mixture, and then place on an ungreased sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the florets start turning golden brown.

In a small bowl mix all of your sauce ingredients (lite mayo through sugar). Toss the florets with sauce, top with green onion, and serve right away.



Adapted from Around the Table: Loving Food in RI & Beyond......