Test Kitchen - Quick Chicken Tikka Masala

So many potential things to do when one's Test Kitchen ingredient is Greek yoghurt but what about using it as a replacement for a recipe? It gives a nice sour note to the dish and generally is healthier. Therefore, after some researching, I came across a neat recipe for making chicken tikka masala quickly but still deliciously. Check it out below - I tweaked it a little bit from the original recipe found here.

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 3-4 servings)

• 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and 1/2 grated, 1/2 sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, zest (1/2 lemon's juice)
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tbsp + 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 chicken breasts, skinless & boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tsps chili powder
• 2 tsps curry powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsps flour
• 2 tsps tomato paste

Step 2: Prepping the ingredients
In a large bowl, peel the ginger and grate 1/2 the full amount. Mince garlic into same bowl. Clean and roughly chop cilantro - add to the bowl. Add lemon zest and just 1/2 the juice. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp of Greek yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and add to the bowl. Marinate while starting other ingredients. Separately, chop red onion and slice remaining ginger.


Step 3: Cooking
In a large skillet on low-high heat, add red onion and remaining ginger. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until onions have caramelized. Add spices for about 2-3 minutes before removing from heat into a bowl. In same skillet, add chicken at medium-high heat and cook until browned. Re-add onion mix.


Step 4: Finishing
Add flour and mix thoroughly before adding yogurt (helps against curdling). Stir in tomato paste. Cook for about 5 minutes. Enjoy with basmati rice.


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: fennel seed
"The bulb, foliage, and seeds of the fennel plant are widely used in many of the culinary traditions of the world. The small flowers of wild fennel (mistakenly known in America as fennel "pollen") are the most potent form of fennel, but also the most expensive. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavoured spice, brown or green in colour when fresh, slowly turning a dull grey as the seed ages. For cooking, green seeds are optimal. The leaves are delicately flavoured and similar in shape to those of dill. The bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. Fennel seeds are sometimes confused with those of anise, which are similar in taste and appearance, though smaller. Fennel is also used as a flavouring in some natural toothpastes." [Wikipedia]

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Photography by Duc Duong.