For those of you who don’t know it, the number one meal in the UK is not Fish & Chips; is not Beef roast and Yorkshire puddings; is not steak and ale pie. No, the number one meal, courtesy of all the Indian take away places more common than McDonalds, is Chicken Tikka Masala. Oddly, Tikka Masala was invented in Britain and isn’t even Indian really.
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From Wikipedia: “The origins of chicken tikka masala are hotly disputed. A widely reported explanation of the origins of the dish is that it was conceived in a Bangladeshi restaurant in Glasgow in the late 1960s, when a customer, who found the traditional chicken tikka too dry, asked for some gravy. The chef supposedly improvised a sauce from tomato soup, yogurt and spices. This claim has not been incontrovertibly proven, and there are other accounts and hypotheses of its origins. Although it has all the ingredients of an Urban legend, this is generally accepted as an attempt to create a pseudo-Indian dish that would initially have appealed to the British palate, but nowadays it is served in almost every "Indian" restaurant in the world, even in India.”
From Wikipedia: “The origins of chicken tikka masala are hotly disputed. A widely reported explanation of the origins of the dish is that it was conceived in a Bangladeshi restaurant in Glasgow in the late 1960s, when a customer, who found the traditional chicken tikka too dry, asked for some gravy. The chef supposedly improvised a sauce from tomato soup, yogurt and spices. This claim has not been incontrovertibly proven, and there are other accounts and hypotheses of its origins. Although it has all the ingredients of an Urban legend, this is generally accepted as an attempt to create a pseudo-Indian dish that would initially have appealed to the British palate, but nowadays it is served in almost every "Indian" restaurant in the world, even in India.”
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Not finding good Indian food in Tucson, Susan ate her fill when she was in London. I thought, therefore, that I should attempt the Tikka Masala when I was visiting her. Khushi, back in London, supplied me with her versions of the very best spices, and then I used a recipe (shock! Horror!) off the weightwatchers site to replace the high fat coconut milk and cream usually present in the Tikka Masala. But I adapted of course – how can they possibly call for simply a half teaspoon of paprika – I used closer to a full tablespoon. Spice weenies watch out.
Not finding good Indian food in Tucson, Susan ate her fill when she was in London. I thought, therefore, that I should attempt the Tikka Masala when I was visiting her. Khushi, back in London, supplied me with her versions of the very best spices, and then I used a recipe (shock! Horror!) off the weightwatchers site to replace the high fat coconut milk and cream usually present in the Tikka Masala. But I adapted of course – how can they possibly call for simply a half teaspoon of paprika – I used closer to a full tablespoon. Spice weenies watch out.
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The chicken was marinated in yoghurt, cumin, ground coriander, a dash of hot sauce (it called for chopped jalapeno and I had none), garlic and fresh squeezed lime juice. Best to let it marinate for a day, but I only had 1 hour. I then skewered it and grilled in on the grill. Even by itself, the sample I had to ‘check if it was done’, was mighty tasty.
The chicken was marinated in yoghurt, cumin, ground coriander, a dash of hot sauce (it called for chopped jalapeno and I had none), garlic and fresh squeezed lime juice. Best to let it marinate for a day, but I only had 1 hour. I then skewered it and grilled in on the grill. Even by itself, the sample I had to ‘check if it was done’, was mighty tasty.
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The sauce began with two teaspoons of olive oil, cumin and ‘tandoori masala spice’ from Khushi – which was deep red and more sweet than hot I thought, so I used quite a bit. (Note to self, bug Khushi for more of that!) Then you add a can of fat free evaporated milk, a can of chopped tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. To that you add the grilled chicken and then throw in some chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve over rice.
The sauce began with two teaspoons of olive oil, cumin and ‘tandoori masala spice’ from Khushi – which was deep red and more sweet than hot I thought, so I used quite a bit. (Note to self, bug Khushi for more of that!) Then you add a can of fat free evaporated milk, a can of chopped tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. To that you add the grilled chicken and then throw in some chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve over rice.
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Weightwatchers points: 7 per serving (pictured above) according to the website.
Weightwatchers points: 7 per serving (pictured above) according to the website.
It really was yummy, and so much more WW-friendly than regular tikki masala.
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