FOOD FOR THOUGHT — Evolution of a recipe

Published 7:30 am Wednesday, July 24, 2019

I really enjoy trying new recipes, as my friends know. They often serve as initial taste testers. I don’t, however, stray too far from recipes with familiar-sounding ingredients, until last week. Having four bone-in chicken thighs that needed to be cooked, and remembering an Indian recipe I had written on an index card years ago, I went in search of the accordion binder that held favorite recipes from the past. Not finding the binder, I used a more updated method of recipe retrieval, I Googled it. The trusty internet provided me with a multitude of recipes for Tandoori Chicken, along with videos of its preparation.

Tandoori chicken is a North Indian dish in which chicken is roasted in a clay oven known as a tandoor. The chicken is marinated a few hours in a mix of spices and yogurt, threaded onto skewers and cooked in the tandoor, or a conventional oven. Realizing I had much more marinade than chicken, I ran to the store and purchased more chicken breasts. After marinating the chicken for a day, I baked and then broiled the pieces as directed. While broiling at a low temperature, the skin of the chicken pieces, though not burned, turned a dark brown to blackish color. Having all this tasty, but unappealing-looking chicken, I consulted our daughter Leah, who also is adventurous when it comes to cooking and sampling different ethnic dishes. She suggested I turn it into Chicken Tikka Masala, and thus began the evolution of my recipe, along with a journey into Indian food and spices.

In researching the origin of Indian cooking, I learned that the spices used date back to early human history, as long as 7,000 years ago. Over the centuries, the spice trade played a role in shaping world history and impacted historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. In search of spices, nations sailed across oceans looking for new spice routes to the Orient, merchants became rich, empires were established, and Europeans reached new continents. In 1492 Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain funded the voyage of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in search of the spices of India. As history tells us, and celebrated each year on October 14th, Columbus accidently discovered the New World, the Americas. With this discovery, somewhere in the Bahamas, European exploration and colonization began.

Commerce today certainly moves much faster than the months it took to navigate the oceans in search of spices. Our modern supermarkets abound in spices and seasonings from around the world. India produces approximately 75 of the 109 spices listed in the ISO, a non-governmental organization which develops International Standards for spices. Some of the more common spices from India used everyday cooking include black pepper, cardamom, coriander, ginger, turmeric, chili, cumin, cinnamon, saffron, vanilla, garlic, dill, mustard and cloves. Garam Masala, believed to be derived from the Northern India area, is a combination of several spices, such as coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. This combination of spices adds a warmth and sweetness with floral notes to a food.

Many Indian spices are known to be medicinal in nature and aids in disorders of the gastrointestinal system by promoting digestion. Cloves, when applied topically, have been thought to provide pain relief. However, as with all natural products which are used for medicinal purposes, a doctor should be consulted prior to their use.

The following recipe is from my “evolved” Indian creation.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

2 pounds chicken pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste

1 cup Greek yogurt

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 Tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Season chicken to taste, being careful not to over-salt chicken. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lime juice, garam masala and turmeric. Pour marinade over chicken to fully coat and refrigerate at least 1 to 2 hours, or longer. Grill on barbeque pit till juices run clear, or bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes on one side, then 20 minutes on the other side, or to a temperature of 165 degrees. Melt butter in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin and paprika. Stir in tomato sauce and cream and simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with chopped cilantro.

CATHERINE WATTIGNY embraces the “joie de vivre” as a wife, mother and grandmother, inspired by her prior nursing experience with a new focus on good mental health for all.