Topic: CA's Chicken Tikka Masala (Illustrated!)

[artistpaul]

I tried CA's CTM recipe with all his specified Optional ingredients but using Safron's base - ABSOLUTELY STONKING GOOD!!!!!  Couldnt have been better. Deep complex and stunning spot on BIR flavours.

[chinois]

This is the first time i've come across this recipe but it looks and sounds very encouraging. The evaporated milk and ketchup lead me to believe you know what you're doing. I mean this honestly, i use evaporated milk in my bases and know ketchup is used commonly. I've tasted it when they've used too much and in india 3 of the 3 chefs i asked said they used it (not specifically for CTM).
It works really well at bringing curries together and getting that deep savouriness. Fried onion paste works well for that too (thanks panpot) but this looks like the real deal for restaurant CTM.
The user who said the ingredients didnt look like the sweetness he was after is probably thinking about ketchup without knowing it. Ketchup doesnt have bad connotations for everyone, and people who wouldnt cook with it often happily eat it elsewhere.
Will have a go when i get my next base done!

[joshallen2k]

I've made this a few times. With 2 tbsp of condensed milk and 6 tbsp of sugar, this is one sweet CTM. I do believe that somewhere in the mix of the required and optional ingredients, the perfect CTM I am looking for exists. I like my CTM sweet, but I think the condensed milk might be a bit too much.

I think I will have another go at this recipe. I'd be curious why CA lists so many ingredients as optional. What do you think they add? Change?

[Cory Ander]

I tried CA's CTM recipe with all his specified Optional ingredients but using Safron's base - ABSOLUTELY STONKING GOOD!!!!!  Couldnt have been better. Deep complex and stunning spot on BIR flavours.

Hi AP, thanks for the feedback and glad you liked it 

Welcome to cr0 too! 

[Cory Ander]

I've made this a few times. With 2 tbsp of condensed milk and 6 tbsp of sugar, this is one sweet CTM. I do believe that somewhere in the mix of the required and optional ingredients, the perfect CTM I am looking for exists. I like my CTM sweet, but I think the condensed milk might be a bit too much.

I think I will have another go at this recipe. I'd be curious why CA lists so many ingredients as optional. What do you think they add? Change?

Hi Josh,

I use all the ingredients I specify to produce the result I'm familiar with and like (i.e. colour, sweetness..all the CTM's I've ever had are ALWAYS very sweet....., creaminess, coconutiness, savouriness).

However, I recognise that some ingredients are not necessarily essential and therefore list them as optional.  To me, they add the above attributes that I'm personally looking for and am trying to replicate.

By the sounds of it, you might want to try cutting back on (or omitting) some of the sweeter optional ingredients (i.e. evaporated milk, condensed milk, sugar)....or maybe just use the "essential ingredients"?

Regards,

[Secret Santa]

all the CTM's I've ever had are ALWAYS very sweet

Which is exactly why it beggars belief that you and others on the forum insist on using lemon juice in a CTM. It's crazy!

[Willyeckerslike]

Hi,

What can I say, I cannot cook curries
until I tried this, I was stunned how good it was
the chicken tikka is superb(I used Blades recipe), much better than my favourite restaurant!
I used a base from a book I have, The Curry Secret by Kris Dhillon (the curries I tried were ok with this, but not a patch on these flavours) that had been in my freezer for months.
thankyou for posting this, I will use it time and time again.

dink dank doo

now what to try next?

[Robbo1979]

Hi, I'm looking forward to trying this.  Just gotta decide on a base (SnS's may be too spicy for this one).

One question... can the ingredients be halved to serve two people or is it essential I stick to the quantities used in this recipe?

Thanks! 

[Cory Ander]

Just gotta decide on a base (SnS's may be too spicy for this one)

I'm sure it will be fine, but you might want to also consider Bruce Edward's base(here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2815.0) or the Ashoka base (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3199.0)

Bruce Edward's base seems pretty neutral to me and the Ashoka base seems to be particularly suited to milder, creamier dishes (like CTM) since it is quite "creamy" (from the margarine and creamed coconut) and contains heaps of creamed coconut already (a whole block).

I have also used Darth's base (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1808.0) and Terry's (Ifindforu's) base (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=923.0) successfully for this CTM.

They are all really much of a muchness but, if I had to pick one, I'd probably pick Bruce's base.

Hope this helps

can the ingredients be halved to serve two people or is it essential I stick to the quantities used in this recipe?

Yes, halving the ingredients will not be a problem.

Hope this helps

[Robbo1979]

Just gotta decide on a base (SnS's may be too spicy for this one)

I'm sure it will be fine, but you might want to also consider Bruce Edward's base(here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2815.0) or the Ashoka base (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3199.0)

Bruce Edward's base seems pretty neutral to me and the Ashoka base seems to be particularly suited to milder, creamier dishes (like CTM) since it is quite "creamy" (from the margarine and creamed coconut) and contains heaps of creamed coconut already (a whole block).

I have also used Darth's base (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1808.0) and Terry's (Ifindforu's) base (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=923.0) successfully for this CTM.

They are all really much of a muchness but, if I had to pick one, I'd probably pick Bruce's base.

Hope this helps

can the ingredients be halved to serve two people or is it essential I stick to the quantities used in this recipe?

Yes, halving the ingredients will not be a problem.

Hope this helps

Thanks for taking the time to reply to me... gonna give this a try on Saturday!  I shall return with feedback!