A Dickens-Style Christmas

Today I was in the kitchen most of the day. The majority of that time was spent baking cookies, but do you really want to hear all about stupid Christmas cookies? No. You don't. Actually, I hope you don't, because I am so sick of cookies I could puke. Unfortunately they make good gifts, and I keep thinking of other people to give a beautiful little Wilton baking box to. Although I do have to note that I had a few new cookie recipes mixed in with the stand-bys. One was the cover recipe from Bon Appetit's great cookie tome issue, Peppermint Meringues. Who knew there was a way to marry full flavor, delightful texture, a guilt-free calorie count and a whimsical Whoville-like exterior. They look beautiful wrapped together in a box, and taste light and minty-fresh. You can use any extract in the cabinet, so I'm looking forward to coconut and orange meringues this spring and summer.

I also made a savory baked good (which I won't name because the recipient reads this, and it's supposed to be a surprise). I was flipping through the cookbook as I kneaded and baked it, looking for some dinner inspiration. Matt and I are both feeling a little rut-like it seems. Mexican once a week? Check. A piece of chicken and side dish? Of course. Pizza or burger? At least one of the above, usually. Last night I found a great recipe for beef stroganoff that I amazingly had all ingredients for, which was a very refreshing new set of flavors. I was liking the change-up, and when I saw a recipe for sriracha-based Tikka Masala, I saw a whole other rarely-used country to jump into.

While the flavors of tikka masala are thought of as Indian on our American palate, it's actually a very British dish. Kind of like how pizza is American Italian, or chalupas are... Taco Bell. The Brits love their thick sauces, so they found a way to combine the great new spices found when venturing into India with heavy cream. Watch enough Gordon Ramsay (and why wouldn't you? HOT!) and you'll see him add this to many a menu.

You can find tikka masala at many Indian restaurants here as well, and it's sort of a "gateway dish" into the amazing world of Indian-style flavor. Remember your first California roll when you dared to try this crazy sushi stuff? In the same way, I remember my first tikka masala at my all-time favorite Indian restaurant, Chennai Masala in Hillsboro. Hillsboro has an unfair number of these restaurants, all buffet-style for lunch, allowing you to try an entire array of dishes you've likely never heard of before. Here in Hubbard? Um, nyet. I think the closest outlet I have to this cuisine is maybe Lake Oswego, and not like Bridgeport Village easy-to-get-to Lake Oswego. Freaking downtown, BMW-crammed on the lake Lake Oswego. Screw that. As a result, the only times I have Indian anymore are when I have some rare appointment that takes me through Tanasbourne. Like residency! Oh my goodness that's coming up in like three weeks. Wow, I know what I'm going to be eating!

Sorry. Anyway, I just happened to have most all of the ingredients for this dish as well, including a full bottle of sriracha. Normally I shy away from making distinctly Indian-tasting food, since Matt tends not to like it, but today I just didn't care. I wanted to make my first tikka masala, and if he didn't like it, there were Costco chicken bakes in the freezer. This recipe, and all others I've ever seen, call for the chicken to be marinated in yogurt and spices. The only yogurt I had was an expired cup of Tillamook papaya guava yogurt, so I decided to use the last of my sour cream instead. The sauce also calls for heavy cream, but I used the last of that making caramel for damn cookies earlier. So, 1% milk would have to suffice. And I'm happy to say it did simmer up rich and creamy, and probably with a significant cut in fat and calories from the original recipe.

This recipe was way easier than I thought. You have to plan ahead since the chicken needs to marinade for a significant amount of time, but once the chicken's ready to go you're just cooking up a simple sauce. This was a good thing, because after fussing over dozens of cookies and meringues and bars and breads all day, I was running on fumes by dinnertime. But the even better surprise with this was the fact that it did taste very close to what I love loading my plate up with at my far-away favorite restaurant. The spices were spot-on (the woodsy-sweetness from the cinnamon, distinct cardamom, aromatic cumin), the creaminess was naan-loving wonderful, and I couldn't believe I'd pulled it off my own stove. I think I'm like 1/4 British, so maybe I've got a slight advantage with getting it to work out (versus, say, my ongoing battles to make Thai food that isn't garbage).

And look, it's red and green! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Sriracha Chicken Tikka Masala
(From The Sriracha Cookbook)




3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups plain yogurt (I used sour cream; it seemed to work out nicely)
1/4 cup sriracha
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp allspice or cinnamon
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt

For the sauce:
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp garam masala (yes, I did have this in my pantry. What can I say? I'm a Penzey's addict. Readily available at any Whole Foods/New Seasons/Metropolitan Market/Penzey's/Market Spice)
1  15-oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup sriracha
2 cups heavy cream (I used the milk I had in the fridge. I'm sure heavy cream would've been awesomely rich and wonderful, but I don't feel the dish suffered from the switch. Definitely better for my butt, that's for sure)
Salt and pepper

Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large resealable bag and set aside

To make the marinade, in a medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, sriracha, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, allspice/cinnamon, black pepper and salt. Pour over the chicken, seal the bag, and turn the bag several times to evenly coat each piece. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, although overnight is best (mine went for 10 hrs).

Preheat the broiler to medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain the excess marinade from the chicken and discard. Thread the chicken pieces onto metal skewers. Set each finished skewer on the prepared baking sheet. When all the skewers are prepared, place the baking sheet under the broiler or place them on the grill. Cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the cumin, coriander, garam masala, and paprika, and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and sriracha. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly to avoid curdling. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken from the skewers and add to the sauce. Simmer for an additional 3 minutes.

Serve over basmati rice garnished with cilantro or parsley. Naan or pita bread is also a welcome way to sop up the irresistible sauce.

Cheers!