A trip to India

In honor of my friend SS (Curries and Cakes) I decided to try my hand at Indian cooking.

On the menu:

Chicken Tikka
accompanied by Saag and Basmati Rice
Kheer

Chicken Tikka


Ingredients:
Serves 4 people

4 chicken breasts
1 portion greek yoghurt
1 onion
15 g ginger
2 T tikka masala mix (cumin, fenugreek, coriander, curcuma, ginger, paprika)
fresh coriander
salt
4 cloves or garlic
3 red peppers
2 T ghee (clarified butter) or oil
2 T sugar
2 cans peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup cream

Preparation:

Cut the chicken breasts into cubes and marinate in the yogurt, oil, and spices mix for 1-2 hours.

For the sauce, sauté a diced onion and the peppers (cut into very thin strips) in the ghee or oil. Once they are golden brown, about 10 minutes, add the peeled canned tomatoes and add salt and sugar. Cook for 10-15 minutes, and blend with a standing blender.

To cook the chicken, heat the oil or ghee and add the marinated, cubed chicken. Once they are nice and golden, add the rest of the marinade. Heat on low heat for 5 minutes and then add the tomato sauce and the cream and continue cooking on low heat.

Just before serving, add fresh coriander. Serve with Basmati rice

Saag (Spiced Spinach)


Ingredients:

1/2 kilo spinach
1 onion
cumin
curcuma
ginger
coriander
salt
oil

Preparation:

Dice onions. Sauté in oil until translucent. Add spices and spinach. Cover and cook with 1/2 cup water. After about 10 minutes, uncover and blend together. Serve hot.


Kheer (Spiced Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla pod
1 t cardamom
roasted cashews, almonds, or pistachios
1 liter milk
1 T oil

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add rice. stir for 1 minute and add milk, sugar, and vanilla. Lower heat and cook for 35 minutes, until rice is cooked.
While the rice is cooking, either fry the nuts in a tablespoon of oil, or roast them in the oven.
Once the rice is cooked, add cardamom and mix. Then, spoon into individual ramekins and let cool and thicken. Right before serving, add 1 tablespoon of crushed roasted nuts and some golden sugar.

Eat while watching an obscenely long Bollywood film. (Preferably one where there is plenty of dancing and singing and the couple ends up living happily ever after...)