Jacket Potato with Chicken Tikka Masala

Thank you all for sharing my joy by leaving such warm and heartfelt comments on my previous post . I really enjoyed reading all of them . But as much as I would like to keep that post on I do have some fantastic posts with delicious food waiting in the wings to make an appearance. So moving on, here is one lip-smacking dish which I tried for the first time yesterday and was thrilled with the way it turned out.

Now when I say Chicken Tikka Masala ,what is it that first comes to your mind? Most people would instantly think it is the same as the Chicken Tikka that we have on restaurant menus in India. Well that's not the case. This Chicken Tikka Masala is something that is totally english. Yes ,you heard right. It's a complete english creation. In a survey conducted in the UK about the TOP 10 FAVOURITE FOODS this dish stands at no 3. People here just love it. And one good way to eat it is as a topping on a hot baked jacket potato.

And that's what I am sharing with you today. So here goes:

First you need to marinate the chicken for atleast an hour . Best would be to marinate the night before.

For the marinade you need:

1 cup yogurt, 2 tspns garlic paste, 2 tspn ginger paste, 1/2 tspn turmeric powder

Mix all the above and coat the chicken pieces thoroughly with this marinade. Leave for atleast 1 hr.

For the baked potatoes :

You can take 4 large potatoes. Here I could get potatoes that are specially meant for baking,but you can use any large potatoes.

Mark out cross slits on both sides of each potato with a sharp knife and oil them well all over.

Preheat the oven at 250 deg C and place the potatoes under the grill. It takes about 20 mins each side to bake a potato to a crispy finish.

Ok now for the Tikka Masala you need:

200 gms boneless chicken cubes,

1 can chopped tomatoes (400gms) or approx 5 medium tomatoes finely chopped,

3 cloves garlic crushed,

1 tspn cumin powder,

2 tspn coriander powder,

1/2 tspn garam masala,

1 tspn Kitchen king masala (omit this one if its not easily available),

1/2 cup single cream,

1 tspn chilli powder,

1.5 tspn sugar,

2 tblspn oil,

salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Thread the chicken pieces on skewers and griil them at 225 deg C until tender .

2. In a pan heat the oil and fry the garlic first. To this add the chopped tomatoes and all the spice powders, salt ,sugar and cream.

3. Boil the sauce until the tomatoes are well cooked and well blended with the cream. This takes about 20 to 25 mins.

4. To this sauce add the grilled chicken and boil further for 5 mins.

Your chicken tikka masala is ready.

Now to assemble the dish:

Place one hot baked potato on a plate. Slit it open slightly and spoon the tikka masala over the potato. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with fresh crisp salad