Chicken Tikka Masala

Last week before heading to the beach, Charlie finally agreed to an Indian food night. I always want to get Indian, but he says it's at inopportune times... like the brunch buffet at the local Indian restaurant Mint. That place is so good. But making it is easy and a lot cheaper. My favorite spice packet is this one. I follow the instructions almost exactly, except I used the dried powdered ginger I already had rather than buying fresh and don't use as much water as it calls for. I also doctor it up a little bit by adding about half a can of coconut milk after the tomato sauce goes in. It would be tasty just like that, but I like a few vegetables too. And since Tikka Masala is already a tomato-based dish, I threw in a can of diced tomatoes... and a few chickpeas. I love this stuff. Can't get enough. Of course you need some rice to serve it over. They even sell brown basmati rice now! It's in one of those bags you can just microwave for 90 seconds. I've tried out several Tikka Masala spice blends, but this one definitely turns out the best. Oh, but make it spicier, add a lot of red pepper.

Saute your diced onion with the spice packet for 2 minutes. It makes the house smell excellent.

It turns into a soupy mixture. I like to let it reduce until it gets kinda thick.

I got excited and put so much in the bowl that I covered up all the rice. I do this at the restaurant too. I just love it.

So you can see the brown rice! Amazing. Love Chicken Tikka Masala.