Treat Yourself to a Trip To India!

My BFF Jen sent me some recipes for some Indian Food. Now, typically Indian Food is not my favorite, mostly because Indian Restaurants are very hit or miss. I know in Utah there is the Bombay House which is yum, but here in Ohio, we haven't had as much luck. Anyway... good Indian food is not to be discredited, and so I was curious about these recipes. Well let me tell you...Its a day later and I am still thinking about how tasty it was. Now let me include a little disclaimer. I made the mistake of making these recipes on a weekday. That much I wouldn't recommend if you are working full time, because they took about 2 hours from start to finish to make the bread, peas, rice and chicken. Not to mention I had a sink full of dishes. (Good thing for me I have a very nice husband who helps with the dishes. ) Next time I make these recipes, I will do it on a Saturday or Sunday. But I'm telling you, these are really restaurant quality yummy, I'm not kidding. Oh and also, they are probably not as healthy as our usual everyday fair, so I'd only make these for a splurge! :) Also, as usual, I try to use less oil and salt then the recipe calls for, and it turned out fine. I am posting the recipe as is, not as I modified it, unless otherwise noted.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground corriander
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 t salt
2 lbs boneless chicken breast
1 cup plain yogurt (I used lowfat, the recipe calls for whole milk)
2 T veg oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T grated fresh ginger

Sauce
3 T veg oil
1 Med onion , diced fine
2 Med garlic, minced
2 t fresh ginger
1 serrano chili, seeded, ribs removed, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 T garam masala
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 t sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cilantro

for chicken, combine cumin, corriander, cayenne and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture. Place chicken on plate and refrigerate 30-60 min.
In large bowl combine yogurt, oil, garlic, ginger. Set aside.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, heat oil in dutch oven over med. high heat. Add onion and cook until light golden, 8-10 min. Add garlic, ginger, chili, tomato paste, and garam masala. Cook 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and 1/2 t salt. bring to boil. Reduce heat to med low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to a simmer. Remove from heat, and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, heat oven to Broil. Dip Chicken into yogurt mixture. Coat well. Broil for about 10-18 minutes, flipping chicken half way through. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1 " squares and stir into warm sauce. (Do not simmer chicken in sauce) Stir in Cilantro.

Naan

2 1/2 cups bread flour ( I used all purpose flour because I was out of bread flour)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour, sifted to remove course flakes
1 package rapid rise yeast
2 t sugar
table salt
1 cup water, room temp
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 T olive oil
4 T melted butter ( I omitted this to make a healthier option and it still tasted great)

1. Combine flours, yeast, sugar, and 1 1/2 t salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk water, yogurt, and olive oil. Using wooden spoon stir water mixture into flour mixture until dough forms . Turn dough onto floured surface, knead for 12-15 min. adding extra flour 1 T at a time as needed. ( I added quite a bit probably 1/2 cup) Shape dough into ball and place in a oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a place free of drafts about 1 hour or until doubled in size
2. Turn onto clean work surface. Cut into 8 equal portions. roll each into a ball, let rest 10 min.
3. Working one ball at a time, roll out on floured surface into 6" circle.
4. Heat 12 " skillet over med high heat about 5 minutes. working with one piece of dough gently stretch about 1 inch larger and lay in skillet. Cook until small bubbles form about 3o sec. then flip. Cook 2 min, then flip again, cook 2 min.
5. Transfer to wire rack, brush with melted butter.

Curried Peas

2 T olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 Med garlic, minced
1 t cumin
1/2 t curry
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 t brown sugar
1 lb frozen peas, not thawed
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup plain yougurt
cilantro

heat oil in med skillet over med high heat. Add onion, 1/2 t salt and cook until softened, about 5 min. Add garlic, cumin, curry cook about 1 min until fragrant. Add broth and brown sugar and bring to a boil.
Stir in peas and almonds, and cook, uncovered until peas are tender about 5 min. Off heat, stir in yogurt and cilantro

This recipe is from Cooks Illustrated May 2009 .