Last night I went to a cooking class by the chef of Palace of Asia, a fancy IR in New Jersey.? It has a good reputation, but I've never eaten there.? Unfortunately the class was at a grocery store, so I couldn?t snoop around the restaurant kitchen.
The chef made 4 items:
Tandoori Chicken - Chef showed us how to make the marinade, but then cooked marinated chicken that had been brought from the restaurant.? Since there was no tandoor in the grocery, he baked the chicken at 350 degrees F. and it came out pale and pretty much tasteless.? I asked if perhaps they should use 350 degrees Celsius rather than Fahrenheit, but another student said, ?No, that would be about a million degrees Fahrenheit!??
Paratha - 1 cup melted butter to 4 cups flour, plus water, salt, baking powder.? More butter (lots) drizzled on both sides as they cooked.? I?m scheduling my angioplasty next week!
Vegetable Pulav - the usual Basmati, spices, veg, nothing to write home about.
Chicken Tikka Masala -? This was pretty good, but it?s not something I have much experience eating.? The recipe may sound exact, but the chef often just poured in what he wanted.
At one point he reached back to the counter and grabbed a small container of sauce and poured it in.? It was an ingredient that wasn?t listed on the recipe.? Aha!? I asked him what it was, and he said it was just the same ingredients that were already in the frying pan (onion, ginger, garlic) that he had cooked earlier and pureed.? I could see from the color and texure that it was Curry Sauce Base.? After class I cornered him and asked again what was in it.? Again he said onions, ginger, garlic.? Any green pepper?? He said no.? Any carrot?? He said no.? Do you use it in other curries.? He said yes.? When he started talking to someone else, I grabbed a spoon and had a taste of what was left in the container.? Yes, definitely Curry Sauce Base, similiar to Dhillon?s, but with more chilli and without that long-cooked flavor.? Also, there was no oil floating on top!
? No surprise that it didn?t have ?the taste.?? The final CTM didn?t have ?the taste,? either.? Nevertheless, I?m giving the recipe in case there?s?a clue that can?help someone else.
Chicken Tikka Masala - Palace of India
1 lb. chicken breast
1 Tbl. vegetable oil (more)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground cumin (more)
1/4 tsp. ground coriander (more)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup onion cubes, about 3/4?
1/2 cup green pepper cubes, about 3/4?
(About 1/2 cup Curry Base Sauce)
2 Tbl. tomato puree
1 cup heavy cream
Tomato wedges
Chopped fresh coriander
Few drops red food color, if desired
Marinate chicken in tandoori marinade for a minimum of 3 hours.? Roast until almost done.
Heat oil in pan.? Add chopped onion and saute until golden brown.? Add ginger and garlic and saute until brown.? (He said this is the most important part!)? Add spices, then cubed onion & green pepper, and Curry Base Sauce.? Cook about 5 minutes, but do not overcook vegetables.? Add tomato puree and heavy cream and chicken (& red color, if using), and cook until sauce becomes thick.? Stir in tomato wedges and garnish with chopped coriander.
Topic: Posh Restaurant Chicken Tikka Masala ( 20,909 )
