This is Lorraine Pascale's take on the tasty chicken tikka masala. I saw her make this on her show the other night, and it looked easy. All her meals are so easy to do, and always turn out lovely so I really expected this one to. I wasn't as keen on this as I thought I would be, but everyone else ate it. Even my 4 year old ate it, with extra cream added. I am looking forward to trying out more recipes from her book even though I am very disappointed by this one!
Edit - a commenter has suggested frying off the spices before adding any wet ingredients, this may improve the flavour.
4 chicken breasts
1 bunch spring onions
2 cm ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
350 ml single cream
200g tomato puree
4 tblsp garam masala
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp english mustard powder
Fresh coriander
Fry the chicken in some oil until all browned. Add the spring onions & stir. Then add the garlic, ginger, cream, puree, spices & mustard powder. It looks messy to start with, but stir until its all combined and then allow to bubble away & thicken. Season to your taste, then top with fresh coriander. Serve with rice cooked in turmeric stock.
Hi Jen, loving your blog! Why weren't you keen on this recipe? I was planning to do it myself this weekend
ReplyDeleteHi! The flavours just weren't right for me, I have made much much better ! This one for example, was lovely & just as easy to make http://jensfoodandphotos.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/creamy-masala-chicken.html
DeleteI have just made this and my husband really enjoyed it.He said it was a bit hot though.I thoght it tasted a bit strange,but thanks for the blog,I searched everywhere on line for the recipe and yours was the only one I could find .I loved the picture also.
DeleteJamie's, from MOF is really good.
ReplyDeleteIt's been ages since I have cracked open that book! Away to dust it of now ...
DeleteI think 200g tomato puree is wrong that would make it too bitter????
ReplyDeleteThat's what the recipe called for ... I did use a bit less.
DeleteI felt that 4 tablespoons of garamasala was a lot, so only used 4 teaspoons.
Deleteit tasted powdery
ReplyDeleteYep, that's what I found, I didn't enjoy the "grittiness" of it.
Deleteoh no - i'm in the middle of cooking it for dinner right now!!! I had high hopes! came on line to check I had the right ingredients and fell apon this blog!
ReplyDeleteYou may still like it :)
DeleteI used a tin of coconut milk instead of cream and cooked it for 45 mins to make sure the powdered spices cooked out properly - turned out nice. I think the whole idea was for a 'quick curry' though. Good family recipe - although not one I'd use for a dinner party/adult curry night.
ReplyDelete....in fact, if you added the ground spices with the chicken at the start and cooked them for 5 mins - this should solve the 'grittiness'
DeleteThank you, that should hopefully be helpful to anyone trying out the recipe :)
DeleteDang, why did the 'cook the spices off at the beginning' comment have to be at the bottom! I'll have to wait and see if its gritty. Cheers for the blog though - couldn't find the recipe elsewhere...
ReplyDeleteI think I may edit the post and add the suggestion near the top ... :) hope your dinner is tasty x
Deletehi jen, wow great blog, im cooking lorraines curry tonight with half the puree half garam masala normal onion instead of spring and of course cook off the spices first, will let you all know how i get on
DeleteAh ha! I always remember someone telling me to read through the whole recipe before starting to cook it! A bit like being back at school and making sure you read through the whole of the exam question thoroughly before you put pen to paper! S'ppose it's always good to read through a recipe first, but did try this and found it ok, but then ended up adjusting ingredients the next time round. Delia Smith's Spiced Chicken recipe is a good one too........give it a go!
DeletePleased I stumbled across this blog before trying the recipe, think I'll still try it but with the alterations suggested. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLet us know how it turns out! :)
Deleteim about to try it tonight, i too will use the alerations as gritty spice dont make for a nice curry. hope it works out nice with the "cooked off spices first"
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know how it turns out!
Deletetaste wasnt bad but too pastey and thick think if i try again will use coconut milk see if makes better texture thanx
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea, I love coconut milk!
DeleteI just googled this recipe as I was in the middle of making it, it tasted bland so googled it to see if I had done it right and come across this blog..I added corriander into the pan aswell as some chicken squeezy stock and it tastes better already :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, I think this recipe definitely needs tweaked to make it tasty!
DeleteI have just made it with yoghurt instead of cream, about a quarter of the tomato puree and put the spices in first - it was very, very delicious!
ReplyDeleteGlad it worked for you! Thanks for sharing the changes you made :)
DeleteIs great if you use coconut milk instead.... makes it sweeter
ReplyDeleteI have just made this and it was not great. Too much tom puree and a very powdery taste. I have made curry from scratch before now and although it takes longer, it has always been lovely. Won't be making it again as wasn't good enough to warrant bothering to try and make it better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog, I took heed of the advice re frying off the spices and adding a chicken stock cube. I also added chick peas, leeks, peppers, and a tin of tomatoes instead of paste. It was really lovely. Xxx
ReplyDeleteGreat recippe. Just made it. Coat the chicken in the spices first before cooking and add half of the suggested tomayo puree. Lovely!! Taste as u go and you cant go wrong. Xxxx
ReplyDeleteI just Made it and I recommend letting it simmer for a while until you like it. But also make sure you stir because it can curdle from the cream. But delicious!
ReplyDeleteI made this curry with a few tweaks and my husband said it was the best curry he had ever tasted, however he does like them mild. I replaced the tomato purée with a small carton of passata, and added a small tub of single cream. I did fry the spices first, for ..10 mins with the onions and chicken. Then simmered the lot for half an hour.
ReplyDeleteGood to see some people having success with it!
DeleteI found this thread AFTER I had cooked Lorraine Pascale's Tikka Masala. I followed the recipe to the letter and it was frankly dreadful - too thick, overpowering, powdery, way too aniseedy in taste. Great advice above, which I really appreciate but TV Chefs should really be checking their own food out before they broadcast a recipe, rather than leaving it to the on-set home economists
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly how I found it :(
DeleteLovely place you have got Jen. I still don't understand how celebrity chefs give the name Chicken tikka to normal chicken curry while Tikka is marinated grilled chicken and chicken tikka masala is marinated grilled chicken is cooked in spicy gravy (masala).
ReplyDeletePlease visit my place for original Chicken tikka masala recipe and trust me it tastes better than restaurant.
Thanks, will take a look :)
DeleteI am so glad I found this as I wanted to make this but also thought Lorraine put too much garam masala and tomato puree in. I will make it but tweek it a little, see how it goes. Also. I prefer to either use leftover roast chicken or chicken thighs instead of breast, so much more flavour and a far better texture!
ReplyDeleteMy husband made it last night, followed the recipe and disappointingly needed serious tweeking before being edible.
ReplyDeleteI have just made this curry now, it was very bitter and much too thick and pasty. The 4 tbls garam masala was a bit hot, I think I'll put just half in next time.
ReplyDeleteI had the same thoughts about the amounts and timing of adding the spices when I watched this on TV. I made it last night with the following changes: only 1 tbsp garam masala, 2 tbsp of tomato puree, 2 tsp paprika and also 2 tsp sugar and 1 fresh red chilli. I fried the spices first, then added tomato puree to the mixture and then the chicken.With hindsight, it could have been thinned down with a little passata maybe. However, it was delicious!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteTotally overpowering - far too much Garam Masala & tasted powdery, whole lot ended up in the bin - Yuk !
Eww! Made this tonight and was sooo disapointed. Too gritty and way too much garam masala. Looked fab on the show =[
ReplyDeleteSaw it on the show and thought it looked great, but it was horrible, really disgusting. Even my 15 year old couldn't eat it and he eats everything!
ReplyDeleteAlways best to fry off your oninions,garlic and ginger first, then combine your spices to the mix, then add your chicken, fry and cook off, add your cream and puree', simmer, garnish with corriander. ( or add some dried methi leaf or dried corriander while cooking.
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to tell Lorraine this ;)
DeleteYes, you are right. Garlic, ginger and onion must be fried and all masala fried after that. Instead of using cream use plain yogurt in this recipe (butter chicken includes both yogurt and cream). Dried fenugreek which is called kasuri methi in Indian, add aroma flavour to the recipe.
DeleteWhen I saw her putting 4 tablespoon garam masala (I watch her show on other Saturday), I told my partner what the heck she is doing. 1 teaspoon is more than enough for this recipe.
I was born in India and cooking Indian curries and recipes from 20 years now. Main thing is about curry is spices should be cooked properly with oil. It not only gives bright colour to curry but best taste too. The longer spices are cooked without burning is best in taste.
Saw this recipe on her show and it looked fantastic. Made it last night and it was inedible. She definitely got her measurements wrong with the garam masala, it smelt and looked nothing like a tikka masala and tasted powdery and horrible! Tried to salvage it with an extra can of coconut milk and some chicken stock. I was really looking forward to this but it was a complete disaster of a meal, if I were to attempt it again I'd put one spoonful of garam masala. I think she's had complaints about it as the recipe doesn't feature on her bbc food page yet all the other recipes from that show are on there (including the chocolate peanut butter squares which I've tried and they're amazing!)
ReplyDeleteHello all,
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight after watching on SKY+. It tasted awful and very gritty! As others have said, TOO MUCH GARAM MASALA is the culprit. I think 1 teaspoon is more likely compared to 4 tablespoons! Can't somebody let her know!
4 tblsp garam masala
ReplyDelete1 tbsp paprika
I made this tonight and it was far too hot it was gritty but i added some milk and cooked it a little longer, i put loads of tom puree in as it was very brown, also i think she must have the tablespoon measurement wrong for the top two ingredients, i did put a lot less Garam masala in as (8 dessert spoonfuls) 4 Tablespoons sounded too much. it was very tasty but far far too hot!
Surely 4 tablespoons of Garamond masala is far too much? Is this a misprint, should be 4 teaspoons!! sommeone please tell me!! I cooked it and it was far too thick, what a shame. Neil
ReplyDeleteI don't think its a misprint, I think Lorraine's tastes are quite different to many of ours! Either that or the recipe was not tested very well before printing.
DeleteI made this for lunch yesterday for my guests and we had to throw it in the bin and go to the pub! It was ok until the Garam masala. Are there different types? On tv lorraine's is quite pale but mine was rich and dark. We weren't being fussy either it was inedible in taste and texture. Yuk! Have deleted the sky+ series as I've lost faith....
ReplyDeleteHi Jen,
ReplyDeleteLooked for this recipe on the internet and found it strange that it was not posted anywhere but on here! Now i am glad i found this page before o found the actual recipe as all the hints tips and comments have been really helpful! I am making it tonight and will not be adding too much garam masala i will be frying the spices off with the chicken before adding the liquids and may chuck in some chicken stock.....we'll see how it goes! :-)
Hi Jen
ReplyDeleteHave just stumbled accross your blog whilst looking for this recipe. Really glad I found it, as having read the above comments I'm not going to bother cooking it! Will try the other one you recommend though - (http://jensfoodandphotos.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/creamy-masala-chicken.html)
Thanks for saving me the time and frustration! Loads of your other suggestions look great too.
Just as a suggestion, I think people would find it helpful if you put a note of caution at the top of page for your readers to read the comments written about this recipe...
Thanks again..
Readymade Chicken Masala makes it easier to cook Chicken tikka masala as to add that extra taste ;)
ReplyDeleteOkay bachelor who is a cooking-numpty-head here.
ReplyDeleteI can follow a recipe but I DO NOT understand the effects of ingredients and variations thereof etc. Given the 'interactivness' of this web-page I thought perhaps this might be a good place ask questions.
I love C.T.M but 'normally' these are takeouts from two places, Bonani in Cheadle, Manchester or Kinara in Whiteabbey, Co Antirm. N. Ireland.
CTM from both these places is much 'redder' in colour with a lot thicker looking sauce. The pale orange? colour of the above photo reminds me of supermarket bought CTM/"chicken-ding" which, though palatable, is not look-forwardable too.
I assume the redness I associate with good CTM is not the result of dye and therefore that its cause will also influence the taste, any suggestions as to what would generate the redness?
Ditto the thickness of the sauce?
Sooo tempting. Yummy. Delicious. Looks really awesome...
ReplyDeleteMade this last night and it was pretty awesome! Even managed to get the mustard powder past my dad and he is a renowned hater! Didn't use quite as much cream as suggested, and a little more tomato puree. Do you think it would also work with coconut milk?
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with most previous comments.
ReplyDeleteRevolting and just thrown it in the bin and having cheese on toast instead.
Sorry but this recipe is not very good. I love a curry, and have made loads - hundreds - and like the thought of a good and easy Chicken Tikka Masala. I was not sure about the amount of Garam Masala and I was right. Three tablespoons! I used an easily sourced brand of Garam Masala - Natco - and have ended up with a nasty dark brown chicken with Garam Masala creamy claggy unpalatable mess. It's borderline inedible. I'm not sure there should be any Garam Masala in your average CTM, maybe a spoonful at most. I don't normally post comments and make loads of dishes following recipes. But I feel that those of us living on a budget should say when we've wasted 4 chicken breasts and cream and other expensive ingredients.
Something is wrong with this one.
What is meant by frying the spices off first? Garam Masala is normally a powder?
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