CTM - Chicken Tikka Masala

[Nessa]

Hi All

I have now completed my first ctm using the Ifindfora curry base and Curry Kings above recipe, i marinated the chicken for 48 hours and cooked it in a fan oven on about 220^0c for about 15 mins it was starting to blacken on the edges so took it out.I then added it to the Masala sauce, but as you can see from the picture the slight black edges makes the look not so appealing. Any way being my first attempt i cannot complain it still tasted very nice but i now need to do a pilau rice to accompany it.
Your comments would be appreciated.

Dai

Dai I like a bit of blackening around the edges, it gives lots of flavour and you can tell it's not been boiled, so your dish looks very appealing to me!

[Chilli Prawn]

Try using a blow torch to get the blackening, see hints & tips.

Happy Cooking
C P

[Dai Dhansak]

Hi Nessa

I suppose it does not look that bad after all, it looks cooked at least, when you have chicken from a BIR it is so tender and succulent not with burnt edges, should this be the same when you make a ctm as the burnt effect is a little lost when the chicken is covered in sauce.

Chilli Prawn - I am on my way to hints & tips.

Cheers.

[Chilli Prawn]

Hi Nessa

I suppose it does not look that bad after all, it looks cooked at least, when you have chicken from a BIR it is so tender and succulent not with burnt edges, should this be the same when you make a ctm as the burnt effect is a little lost when the chicken is covered in sauce.

Chilli Prawn - I am on my way to hints & tips.

Cheers.

Yes the burnt bits do have a very distinct effect whn in a CTM; they give the flavour depth and reduce the need for seasoning.

Happy Cooking
C P

[tobb]

o.k. everyone, im new to this site, may 2nd 07. my quest is to find the real ctm recipe. it seems crazy that ctm is cooked millions of times a day in GB and very few people know how it is done. lets get this thing put to bed once and for all. please help. thanks:

[Curry King]

my quest is to find the real ctm recipe. it seems crazy that ctm is cooked millions of times a day in GB and very few people know how it is done. lets get this thing put to bed once and for all. please help. thanks:

The problem is that there is no such thing as a "real" CTM, whose to say which one is the "one".  Some restaurants use tom soup some don't it varies depending on where you go, best thing is to try a recipe and then tweak it to how you like it.

cK

[Spencerman]

Ingredients:

1 tsp garlic & ginger puree
3 Large ladles of curry gravy (Will clarify how much exactly)
1 portion pre-cooked chicken tikka (3 or 4 chicken breasts)

Ok, I have four questions having read this thread.  The first is, is that 1 tsp or garlic puree and 1 tsp of ginger puree, or is that 1 tsp total of garlic and ginger puree mixed together?  The second refers to the ladle size again.  Would I be correcty in guessing that 3 large ladles is about 500ml?  The third question is relating to the pre-cooked chicken tikka.  Which recipe for cooking this is probably the best one?  And lastly, I assume that I can use Darphs curry base to make this, as I have made loads of that and living on his rather too tasty madras for the last few weeks!?  Sorry to ask loads of questions, but I am new to all this curry cooking, and a mate of mine loved the madras so much that he challenged me to make a ctm (yes you read that right, he challenged me!), and also I am only using normal cooking utilities, how I would love one of those clay oven thingys, but they are too dear to justify spending out on one, much as I would like.

[Curry King]

Hi,

One tsp of garlic and ginger puree combined.

For the sauce I always add enough until it look s right which isn't very helpful but I would say 6 tablespoons of sauce to a ladle so 18Tbls approx.

The tikka recipe can be anyone but I personally use the Bruce Edwards, Cory Anders has also been getting favorable reviews so might be worth giving that one a go.  As for the base I don't think it should matter but I can't speak for Darths as I don't use it.

cK

[Spencerman]

Ok, I am still stuck on this dish, on maybe what would seem to be a rather silly thing.  I didnt realise that the chicken tikka would take so long to marinade, so that means that I cannot cook it this weekend, but I am aiming for next week.  I was just a little confused about the cream.  Do I use full fat cream, or half fat, or what sort?  There are so many different ones in the shops that I am unsure which one would work best?

[Cory Ander]

Hi SM,

Depending on the consistency I want, I use either double cream (48% fat - this is what I normally use because I can control the consistency better 'cause it's thicker) or single cream (18% - less control over consistency 'cause it's runnier).  BIRs probably most often use Ultra Heat Treated "UHT" (to preserve it) cream.

Mind you, I'm not overly health conscious!  :

I'm sure a "fat-free" cream would work just as (well, nearly as) well....just less...um....creamy!  Though I really can't see how you can take all the fat out of milk and cream and still call it milk and cream (water, more like!)!    ;D

PS:  If necessary, you can get away with a much shorter marination time SM (a couple of hours will do), or even don't mariante it at all!  The depth of flavour and colour will obviously be less.  Sometimes, when I'm in a hurry, I just fry the chicken in some tikka paste before adding it to the CTM sauce.