Something Spicy

The other day I was craving flavor, in a bad way! Seth drove me all around Oak Harbor trying to figure out what I was craving...Seafood? No. Steak? Sadly no. I wanted spices, Indian spices! Unfortunately Oak Harbor is short on Indian so we usually settle for anything on the Asian continent. Too bad it was Sunday night because our Thai and sushi restaurants were both closed and I ended up ordering a tuna and sesame appetizer at Flyers, a local burger joint. Needless to say, that didn't satisfy my cravings. That next day, I made my own version of Chicken Tikki Masala. Its not totally authentic, but it sure brought some flavor!

Chicken Tikki Masala

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 chopped red onion (or 1 cup)

4 cloves of garlic

1 Thumb size piece of ginger, finely minced

2 ribs lemon grass, minced

1/2 lemon

1 6oz can tomato paste

2 Tbsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chili powder (more if you'd like)

1 cup yogurt

1 can unsweet coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

chopped green onion and cilantro, optional

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven (or stockpot) and cook onion until soft, around 5 min. Add garlic, ginger, and lemongrass (how to prep lemongrass) and saute for another 10 min. Deglaze pan with lemon juice. Add tomato paste and spices and cook for another 3 min.
2. Add yogurt, coconut milk, chicken broth, cilantro, and chicken. Cook for another 30-45 minutes until the chicken is done. Garnish with green onion and cilantro.

Serving Options
Basmati rice with a mix of vegetables

Baked puppodums crisps, sprinkled with curry salt

Tumeric-Roasted Cauliflower (not in the picture)