Tikka Masala

I love Indian food, but it is often something I struggle to make. I’ve searched for years for a truly great tikka masala recipe. And finally, I’ve found it, and I’m going to share it with you! 

I do have my own tweaks to the recipe (see below) but if you want the pure unadulterated original here is it: https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-tikka-masala. Be sure to check out other recipes from Nagi (so many delicious options)!

Recipe Key Points

- I used paneer instead of chicken. It is an Indian cheese with a mild flavor. I was lucky enough to live near a Costco that carried it but you can also find it at an Asian or Indian grocery store or you can make your own at home (time consuming but not hard… you’ll have to look that up yourself). 

- Do NOT burn your garlic and onions, it will make the dish taste bitter.

- If you’ve never had cardamom powder you are missing one of life’s greatest joys especially when added to shortbread cookies (I’ll post that recipe soon.)

- I usually substitute sour cream for the plain yogurt (only because I don’t usually have plain yogurt on hand, go ahead and hate me but I’m just not a fan).

- I usually leave the water out of the curry sauce. I like mine thick, but the benefit is that you add some of the water, see if it is the right consistency for you and if not add more to thin it. You can always add more water in but you can’t take it out!