Tikka.

A belated post this week due to a regional swim meet our team was hosting and I was the co-meet director at. Earlier in the week we enjoyed a recipe given to me by my niece, Ashley who posted a reply from Magic Spice post. It was perfect timing as I've had no time and a crock pot recipe was a perfect solution.  Tikka is a type of Indian food, referring to a piece of meat, using curry and other spices. It has also been called out as a very famous dish in British restaurants. The only ingredient common in most recipes is the chicken


Though I was missing Hannah which is typical this summer based on summer life guarding mixed with being 16. She is our better explorer of different flavors.  Elie and Katy were fine with this meal, though I did serve it without much sauce for them. It was tasty. Kind of feeling Italian until the unique spices took over the flavor. 


We are not used to Indian spices or flavors so for us, it was a stretch to our normal. I will say though, it was very flavorful and worth trying. Who knows, the more we experience the ethnic cultures of the world, our palate's may open wider to what the world has to offer.


Chicken Tikka Masala 
- we often double the sauce portion of the recipe (everything but the chicken)

Ingredients
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice blend)
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (we use breast meat) (about 8)
1 cup basmati or some other long-grain white rice
1/2 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
Directions
1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total recipe time).
2. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
3. Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice.