my only prior experience making indian curry was a microwavable packet of spinach paneer ready in 2 minutes. not very authentic but it served its purpose. i really want to make indian curry from scratch, but i hear it's time-consuming (spices, long simmering times) and it being 6:30pm already and stomach growling, i opted for a tikka masala paste: "sukhi's one step cooking tikka masala curry paste."
"ready in minutes, just add water & cream," it boasts. so why not. i'll give it a try. i decided against chicken thigh meat and picked up 1.5 lbs lamb shoulder blade chops. i also grabbed a small bag of frozen peas.
back at home, i deboned the chops and sliced the lamb into 1" chunks and seasoned with salt. i browned the meat in 2 batches in a saucepan with evoo.
i then added, according to packet instructions, about 3/4 cup water, the paste, and the browned meat. i also added one chopped onion and a handful of frozen peas to the mixture. on went the lid and simmered did the pot for about 30 minutes.
i then added a 1/2 cup cream and let it combine for a couple minutes. plating with naan and asian rice (no time to make basmati), this is how it turned out visually...
it actually tasted pretty good, but was a bit thinner than i've had in restaurants, probably due to me adding a bit more liquid than was requested in the directions. the lamb was quite delicious, but i think another 1/2 hr of simmering would have let the meat become really tender. it was a little tough. i wonder how long restaurants stew their lamb for.
spice was mildly spicy, but tasty enough. oh, and it was great with the naan and rice. there goes carb moderation. i think that's why i tend to avoid cooking stuff like this lately. you really need a good starch like rice or bread to soak up all the tasty goodness... and a lot of it.
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I love Sukhi’s! You have to be careful buying it from the Farmer’s Market, though, because Sukhi’s impassioned family sells it there and somehow you end up walking away having bought all manner of chutneys, breads, pastes and sauces. All good stuff, but it definitely adds up!
I add water, cream and a bit of Fage yogurt (or other Greek or Russian yogurt.) It thickens it nicely and adds some tang. I also marinate my chicken in the yogurt and paste for a few hours before cooking and that tenderizes it a bit. I sometimes grill or bake it with the paste and then make my own tikka masala sauce from it for the meat (from Madhur Jaffray’s book) and that makes me feel a bit more accomplished. But, really, Sukhi’s is the best Tikka Masala I’ve found- though I would like to try Whole Food’s refrigerator case sauce. I look forward to seeing your further experiementations with the Sukh's!
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