Melondy wrote:

> Kate Connally wrote:
>
>> I recently signed up to test recipes for America's
>> Test Kitchen. They send you the link to the recipe by
>> e-mail, you make it, and then you fill out an on-line
>> survey. You don't have to make all the recipes they send
>> you just the ones you want to.
>>
>> I did my first one last weekend. It was Chicken Tikka
>> Masala. Here's the recipe link:
>>
>> http://www.cooksillustrated.com/othe...d=697&bdc=8364
>>
>> Chicken Tikka Masala is not one of my favorite Indian
>> dishes, and I wouldn't order it a la carte, but I often
>> have some when I go to an Indian buffet. So, I've had
>> it plenty of times.
>>
>> I didn't care for theirs, compared to the ones I've
>> enjoyed at Indian restaurants. One thing was the
>> fresh ginger. I didn't think the flavor was right for
>> this sort of dish. Also, I thought it was a little too
>> tart (too much tomato vs. cream?). I'm used to this dish
>> being very creamy, zero tartness, and more spicy (flavor,
>> not heat). But it wasn't bad. Some people may like it
>> better than I did. I rated it a 5 (scale of 1-10) on
>> the survey.
>>
>> All in all it was a fun experience and can't wait for
>> the next one.
>>
>> Kate
>
> This is one of my DH's favorite dishes though we know it as Butter
> Chicken.

Butter Chicken - at least according to my Indian friend who
makes the best butter chicken in the world - is Murgh Makhani.
(Murgh = chicken, makhani = butter) Chicken Tikka Masala is similar.
In butter chicken the chicken is marinated and then baked or
roasted and put in the sauce. In CTM the bonely chicken chunks
are cooked in tandoori seasoning in a tandoori oven. I guess
they're more similar than I previously thought. I always thought
of them as very different, probably because my friend's Butter
Chicken is different from and so much better than any CTM I've
ever tried.

> An Indian friend of ours taught it to me. Her recupe is a bit
> different. Main thing I noticed was I marinate the chicken in the spicy
> yogurt sauce. I put some onion and garlic, garam masala and cilantro
> thru the food processor. It sits overnight in the fridge. Then next
> day, I amke the sauce, again with onion, garlic, and ginger put through
> the FP and then sizzled with cinnamon stick in the oil. Then you add all
> the rest of the spices and tomatoes and cream. Roast the chicken in the
> oven, add it to sauce.
>
> I find that the overnight marinating in the acidic yogurt really adds to
> the buttery texture of the chicken and heightens the spiciness.

I just ate some of the leftovers for dinner last night and
it was much improved by sitting in the fridge for a couple
of days. Many things are better reheated.

Kate


--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?