In this collective Indian feast I will be sharing recipes for Chicken Tikka Masala, Lentil Dahl, and homemade Naan bread.

Lately I have been in the mood for really spicy food! I couldn’t help but recall the beginning of my summer in New York when I was living with my friend Ali and his mom, Ruby. Ruby was born and raised in Pakistan so with that comes the unbelievable talent in the Pakistani kitchen. I remember her introducing me to spices like masala, cardamom, coriander, turmeric, and ginger (just to name a select few). All spices common to middle-eastern based foods. She would also make this spicy lentil paste that was to be eaten with a bread called naan. With last summer slipping further away and with the approach of a new one just around the corner I was inspired to recreate some Indian dishes with spices similar to those, which she used.

I hope you enjoy cooking this Indian feast as much as I have.

Indian Feast

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Prepare

1. In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
2. Heat canola oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken and onion to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chili powder and turmeric until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken stock; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute.
6. Serve immediately with rice, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

Lentil Dahl

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry brown lentils

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 1/2 cups water

• 6 garlic cloves

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric

• 1/4 tsp ginger powder

• 2 tbsp clarified butter

• 1/4 yellow onion, sliced

• 1/8 cup milk

• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

Prepare

1. First, in a pan on medium-high heat, saute the onions for 6 minutes with tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

2. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of water then add, salt, corriander, ginger, cayenne, turmeric and milk.

3. Bring to a boil over high heat for 4 minutes then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. If you have a pressure cooker you could cook it a bit faster. In a slow cooker, you could cook it slow and low for 4 hours.

4. Remove from heat, and serve with a sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

Naan

Ingredients

• 1 small package of active dry yeast (1/4 oz.)

• 1 cup warm water

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 3 tbsps milk

• 1 egg, beaten

• 2 tsp salt

• 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

• 1/4 minced garlic

• 2 tsp minced garlic (optional)

• olive oil spray

Prepare

1. First, dissolve 1 packet of active dry yeast in 1 cup of warm water in a large mixing bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. (It will look frothy)

2. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and flour, and butter to make a soft dough.

3. Knead for 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface.

4. Spray the same bowl with olive oil spray and place dough back in, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let sit for 1 hour. (It will double in size)

5. Punch down dough and knead in garlic (onions or herb of choice may be substituted if desired).

6. Pinch of small handfuls of dough (size of a golfball), roll into balls and place on a large baking tray.

7. Cover balls with a damp kitchen towel for 30 minutes. (the dough will double in size again)

8. While the dough rises, preheat Foreman Grill.

9. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle.

10. Next, lightly oil the grill with olive oil spray. I like to use stove top safe griddle with the griddle marks on it or sometimes my Foreman grill.

11. Place the dough on the grill and cook for 2 1/2 minutes per side. (they should look lightly browned).

12. Lastly, continue the process until the desired amount of naan is prepared. You may freeze any leftover uncooked naan dough for up to a month.