So the focus of today’s entry is Chicken Tikka Masala. Mmmm. Scrumptious and oh-so-delicious. If you’ve ever eaten at an Indian restaurant before, its likely you may have tried this very popular dish. I first ate Chicken Tikka Masala at a local place in the San Francisco Bay Area. Creamy, flavorful, and amazing beyond belief. After my last success with Indian Pizza (thank you Aarti Sequeira!) I’ve been itching to try my hands at making another Eastern dish…and of course, Tikka Masala was the first thing that popped into my head!

To my understanding, the key to a good Tikka Masala are the spices. Garam Masala is essential, as is cumin. After hunting high and low at Trader Joe’s and Safeway’s, I hit the lottery at Lucky’s. Check it out: it’s a handy dandy little package with all the spices you need, pre-measured for Tikka Masala. There’s also a recipe card on the back! I didn’t use everything in the package because I prefer fresh over preserved, but definitely check it out if you’re a busy person on the go.

The recipe I posted today is actually not the one on the back of this package, but one that I came up with based on reading various adaptations of Tikka Masala recipes. Feel free to try it out and experiment with it.

Chicken Tikka Masala

• Yield: 4 Servings
• Time: 30 minutes prep, 30 minutes cook

Ingredients

• 4 low-fat boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 and 1/2 chopped tomatos
• 1 inch garlic, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 and 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 4 slices frozen Naan Bread
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

1. Prepare the chicken. I like to give the meat a quick rinse in water before I get them cooking. Place on a plate and season those bad boys on both sides with cumin. You can also add some kosher salt.

2. Marinate the chicken thighs in yogurt thoroughly. Place them on a foil covered baking sheet. Boil the chicken in the oven for about 15 minutes, with about 7 minutes on one side and flipping for 7 minutes on the other. Transfer to your cutting board and slice into 1-2 inch squares.

4. Now melt your butter in a pan. Make sure you slide the butter around so it coats the bottom of your pan.

5. Throw in the onion, and toss it around with the butter until coated thoroughly.

6. Add your garlic and ginger.

5. Now for the spice! First up, garam masala. Toss it in and make sure it coats everything. Then, add your paprika.

6. Add your tomatoes to the mix. I know some recipes call for canned diced tomatoes, which is fine but I had plenty of tomatoes and didn’t want to see them go to waste. Plus, they’re fresh! Just look at all those colors.

7. Allow everything to cook and simmer for a few minutes before adding in your cream.

8. Then, in goes your chicken…coat it well…

10. Finally, top it all off with the chopped cilantro! You can add some crushed red pepper for more heat. Serve with some rice or naan, and enjoy!

I had so much fun making this. I imagine I might adjust the recipe a little more over time (my broth was a little thin for my liking), but for this first attempt at Chicken Tikka Masala, I have to say I’m proud of it. Also, for the naan, I baked mine in the oven at 450 degrees for about 7 minutes. They came out perfect.

Thanks for reading!

One of my favorite things to eat from my mother’s wide repertoire of dishes is her pasta sauce. It’s rich, whole, healthy and delicious; the perfect combination for anyone who wants to fill up and also maintain their figure. The sauce tastes great on top of spaghetti or white rice. So today, I am so pleased to be able to share the recipe for this dish that’s so dear to me!

Hearty Turkey Tomato Pasta Sauce

• Yield: 8-10 servings
• Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 20 oz (1.25lb) pkg ground turkey
• 1 slice of ginger
• 1.5 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped finely
• 1 pkg frozen peas
• 1 32 oz. Classico tomato sauce

1. Heat your cooking oil and ginger over a medium saucepan until warm.

2. Add your chopped onion to the oil and ginger and stir until everything is well coated.

3. Toss in your ground turkey. Don’t forget to defrost it beforehand!

7. Throw in the peas!

8. And now the fun part…pour in that tomato sauce! Stir well until mixture is well coated and turkey is cooked through.

9. Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese (optional) and ENJOY on top of pasta or rice.

So…with that silly elephant in the room out of the way…I’m so happy to say that I made Indian Pizza and it was DELICIOUS! Bless the sweet and sour tanginess of the mango ginger chutney…mixed with the bite of the garlic and the sting of the onion…it all made my taste buds very, very happy. Much credit goes to Aarti Sequeira, Season 6 winner of The Next Food Network Star for the inspiration! I was rooting for you the whole time girl, and I’m so glad you won.

I’ve always been a big fan of Indian food (as seen in my review of Bombay Oven) but I’ve always been scared to try and make it myself. The flavors just seem so complex and the ingredients so foreign. Fortunately, Aarti’s approach made it all seem a bit less intimidating. So, when I came down with a case of the late night munchies yesterday…I decided to get cooking!

The prep work — mincing the garlic, chopping the onions — turned out to be quite the learning process but a huge stress reliever…I mean, banging the side of your knife against the poor garlic to split it all open and continuing the process with each clove CAN be therapeutic if you’re having a bad day. And slicing open that onion! I cried a waterfall but learned a few shortcuts for getting the job done quickly thanks to this video. And finally, seriously, TRY this recipe. The end product is absolutely freakin-tastically DELICIOUS!

Indian Pizza

• Yield: 4-8 Servings
• Time: 30 minutes prep, 30 minutes cook

Ingredients

• 4 slices frozen Naan Bread
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s Mango Ginger chutney
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup Classico Organic Tomato Sauce
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Paneer cheese (Feta may be used as replacement)
• Salt and pepper for optional seasoning

1. Combine your chutney, tomato sauce, garlic and water in a saucepan and heat for about 5 minutes. PREHEAT your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine your chopped onions, olive oil and cheese in a bowl and toss together well.

3. Spread your naans on a baking sheet and divide your chutney-tomato mix evenly amongst them. Do the same with your tossed cheese-onion mix. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges of the naan are slightly brown. Serve!

Recipe adapted from Aarti Paarti. I hope I did you proud, Aarti!

One of my greatest difficulties with baking is figuring out all the math and chemistry that goes into it. I was never a big numbers gal, and didn’t do so well in chemistry class back in my high school days. But with this latest success, I think I will be delving a little bit more into the pastry world — which means I’ll need to reintroduce myself to those pesky subjects I hated so much! Well, I’m sure it’s not as complicated as I’m making it all out to be.

For this dish, I was inspired by Chef Chris Yeo’s recipe as seen in Food and Wine. I made some adjustments to the original recipe and removed some steps I thought were extraneous. Slowly but surely, I am daring to stray away from the original recipe and experiment! Ah, could culinary school be in my future? I’m excited yet nervous…that’s a story I’ll save for another day.

Chocolate Lava Cakes with Ice Cream

Ingredients (4 servings in 45 minutes)

• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar, with some additional for coating
• 1/3 lb of chocolate, semisweet
• 3 eggs
• 1/5 cup of flour

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Butter 4 ramekins and lightly coat with sugar.

2. Melt your butter in a saucepan with the semisweet chocolate. Mix until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

3. In a bowl, whisk your eggs with your sugar. Then, using an electric mixer, beat the mixture until it doubles in volume for about 5 minutes.

4. Return to the saucepan with the butter and chocolate mix. Sift your flour into the mixture and gently fold it in. Then fold in your egg mixture. When everything is properly folded in, the mix should look chocolatey! That’s when you know its good to go.

5. Now, spoon your batter into your ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and slip into the oven for about 8 minutes, or whenever the cakes are set around the edges and wobbly in the centers.

6. Remove the ramekins from the oven and let them stand for 3 minutes.

7. Serve on a plate with a side of your best vanilla or strawberry ice cream! Bon appetit!

I hope you enjoy making this delicious sweet treat as much as I did! As always, send me tips, advice, and suggestions!

Ingredients (4 servings in 15 minutes)

• 5 cups chicken stock or low sodium broth
• One 3 inch piece of fresh ginger (2 inches thinly sliced, 1 inch peeled and julienned)
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups packed spinach leaves with stems

1. In saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil with the sliced ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of the white pepper. Cover the saucepan and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid and return the stock to the saucepan.

2. Add the julienned ginger to the strained chicken stock, return the stock to a boil. Reduce heat to low.

3. Stir in the lightly beaten eggs, breaking them into long strands.

4. Stir in spinach leaves and remove soup from heat. Season with salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Serve immediately.

I personally think you can use less ginger than the recipe suggests — you’re already cooking the broth in 2 inches of ginger, straining it out and then adding more ginger to the mix. That much ginger can create a very tingly, hot aftertaste — not bad, but not necessarily for everyone. All in all, I had a great time making this dish and was generally satisfied with the flavor.

Any tips or suggestions, fire away! Shoot me a note.

Banana Pudding Nilla Wafers

• Yield: 4 servings
• Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups cold milk
• 2 pkg  Jell-O Banana or Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
• 30 NILLA Wafers
• 3 bananas, sliced
• Optional: 1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip Topping, thawed

1. Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes.

2. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Let stand 5 min.

3. Layer wafers on bottom and up side of serving bowl or cup. Top with layers of half each of the banana slices and pudding. Repeat all layers. Cover with optional whipped topping. Chill in fridge for 3 hours.  Serve!

This is what it was supposed to look like...

I knew eventually I’d hit a bump in the road somewhere. Who knew that baking could be so frustrating, such a learning experience? Granted, I’ve never baked anything in my life, but with my last two cooking attempts being a success, I ‘d hoped my first attempt at chocolate cake wouldn’t be a hot mess.

The Hot Mess

My mistake: Not leaving the cake in the oven long enough. It seems like such a silly error, right? But after doing the “toothpick test,” I concluded that my batter was good to get out of the oven 10 minutes early…wrong move. Also, instead of using the suggested pans, I dug out an old Bundt cake pan to use, which probably threw off the measurements and baking time. Oh, and I didn’t allow the cake to cool before smoothing the frosting on. That made for a big mushy mess.

Bottom line, I’m the type of person who likes to get things done as quickly as possible, but as I learned the hard way, after all the mixing and mashing, that patience and accuracy are key to making a quality baked dessert.

Moving past the drama, I’m sure that if followed correctly, you can master Food and Wine‘s Milk Chocolate Frosted Layer Cake.

Ingredients
1 and 1/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
6 large eggs separated
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 and 1/2 pounds milk chocolate, finely chopped
Shaved milk chocolate for optional garnish

Makes one 9 inch square, Total time approx 3 hours.

1. Start out by preheating the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 9 inch square cake pans (note I adjusted the recipe here and used a bundt cake pan).

2. Whisk flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl.

3. In a saucepan, melt the butter in the milk over low heat. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool slightly.

4. Whisk in the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.

5. In a bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar; beat at medium high speed until stiff and glossy. Fold the whites into the batter until no streaks remain.

6. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 25 minutes until the cakes are springy and and a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and allow to cool completely.

7. Meanwhile in a saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the cream on top.

8. Let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to spread.

9. Invert cake layer onto a plate. Spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with the second layer, spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Let stand 30 minutes, cut into squares and garnish with chocolate shavings.

My First Milanese Risotto

According to the NY Times, Risotto isn’t the most difficult dish in the world to make, but it can require a lot of time and patience, and there are no shortcuts to making it. You’re going to need to be ok with a lot of repetition — there’s constant stirring and adding broth to your rice every few minutes.

If you try to make risotto, its highly recommended you use Italian arborio rice, which when cooked right will achieve that creamy texture and quality trademark of a good risotto. I will be the first to admit that because I couldn’t find arborio rice on short notice, I substituted Japanese rice, and I used a pre-grated package of Parmesan cheese instead of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano. The folks who tasted my dish thought it was good, but if you want the “real” risotto experience, I highly suggest you scout out the arborio and buy the listed cheese. My version is really more for casual cooks on a budget or working professionals who don’t have time to perfect everything.

For this recipe I credit the handy dandy folks at Food and Wine.

Milanese Risotto

• Yield: 6 servings
• Time: Approx 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 and 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or low sodium broth
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 and 1/2 cups arborio rice
• Pinch of saffron threads (this was pricey…$14.99 for a small bottle at Safeway’s)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Bring the stock to simmer, cover and keep warm in a saucepan.

2. In another large saucepan heat the oil. Add the chopped onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until onion is softened. Add your rice to the mix and cook for one minute, stirring thoroughly until the onion coats the rice.

5. Crumble your saffron threads into the wine and add to the rice.

6. Keep stirring until the wine is absorbed.

Here’s where the repetition begins:

7. Add 1 cup of stock to the rice, stirring constantly until the stock is nearly absorbed. Continue adding the stock 1/2 a cup at a time, stirring until it is nearly absorbed between additions.

8. Your risotto is done when the rice is “al dente,” firm but not hard. It should be suspended in a thick, creamy sauce. Stir in your cheese, butter and parsley. Serve!

I had a lot of fun making this dish, though standing over the saucepan breathing in the smell from the alcohol kinda made me feel a bit woozy the rest of the day. If I could have changed anything I probably would have gone with a higher quality version of Chardonnay or perhaps put less wine in the mix. I also probably would have sliced the parsley a bit thinner since I found the chunks a bit too big –and thus overwhelming — while eating the risotto.

And final afterthought — I have that much more respect for professional chefs. Making risotto might not be difficult but its an incredibly time consuming process. When a chef is asked to make a risotto well and time it out with all the other dishes on the order, I imagine it must be a high pressure task.

Any tips or suggestions? I’m always open to improvement. Email Me.

It being a Monday night, there wasn’t much business when my friends and I arrived, but service was very efficient — we were greeted and seated quickly, and the server answered all of my questions — and I had quite a few — comprehensively. We were given a chilled bottle of water to share amongst ourselves, and it was just enough to last us the meal. Our surroundings were quiet, clean and pleasant.

The menu at Bombay Oven is very lengthy, but per the recommendation of our server, my table ordered the Tikki ($5), or spicy potato cakes stuffed with masala paneer from the “small plates” section, and the Shai Paneer ($11) and Chicken Tikka Masala ($12) for our main course. We also ordered two baskets of Naan ($2 each).

One of the few issues I had with this restaurant was the wait. There were only three other groups of diners in the entire business, yet for some reason it took a good 20 minutes for the Tikki to arrive. And once the food finally came, the presentation was somewhat disappointing — just two round, fried and flattened lumps sitting on a small plate. I sliced the cakes into quarters and was pleased to see the golden stuffing inside — ok, so it wasn’t a complete letdown. Even better — the dish was pretty good, with plenty of texture, spice and heat. When dipped into the provided side sauces, very tasty. Our waiter came by to see how everything was doing, and appeared very content to hear my positive feedback.

Tikki - Spicy Potato Cakes

It took another 20 minutes for the main course to arrive. But that’s as far as the negative feedback goes.

Shai Paneer

The Shai Paneer — “Exotic muglai style bechamel gravy with farmer’s cheese” — was to die for. Rich color, nice presentation, and excellent flavor. A tinge of sweetness hits your tongue right at the start; the texture and taste of the cheese was fresh and fantastic. The naan — not too much oil, soft and very light with just the right amount of crisp.

Chicken Tikka Masala

My first impression of the Chicken Tikka Masala — “Chicken tikka in tomato sauce, fenugreek and cashew paste” was also very positive. You can smell the butter in the creamy mix before it hits your mouth. You can taste the amount of effort that went into that dish — and there was plenty. That made it very good.

Overall I’d give this dining experience 4 stars. Pleasant service and amazing food that comes with a long wait.

Bombay Oven
20803 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014-2107

I’ll be honest. I don’t know “saté from sauté“. When I watch Top Chef and the contestants start presenting dishes, I don’t understand half of the terminology or words they use: “This is a deconstructed duck confit roasted with chives, scallions and peppercorn. Blended this with that, pâté, involtini, chai, gratin, infusion, infusion, infusion, tossed macedoine on the side. A la minut. I’ve got some marscapone sitting in the back too if you’re interested.”

You get what I’m trying to say. So what I’m hoping to achieve over the next few months is a better understanding of the culinary world in its entirety by starting simple — by stepping foot in the kitchen for longer than ten minutes. The most complicated thing I’ve ever made is probably a sandwich. Oh, there was that time when I mixed leftover butternut squash soup with tomato soup. Yeah. Never again.

Over the past few years, Food and Wine has sent me a few fancy hardcover cookbooks chock full of interesting recipes. I cracked open Book 2010, found a few I thought would be good for a novice cook to try, and headed over to the new Whole Foods down the block. By the way, that place is amazing and I’ll be going again very frequently.

My Organic hoard from Whole Foods

So after a few hours prepping, stirring, shaking, pouring, mixing and blending, I now can officially say I made something out of scratch! Even better, its listed as a “Healthy” dish in my cookbook.

Here’s my first stab at Creamy Carrot Soup with Scallions and Poppy Seeds. Made with Love and organic ingredients.

The finished product

Not too shabby, right? My favorite part was the color. Once I poured the cream in, it looked much more “official”. I do want to work on the overall texture (which could be smoother) and see about playing around with the flavor just a bit, since unsalted it tasted really like sweet carrots and little else. I’d give myself a big pat on the back for this first attempt.

Creamy Carrot Soup with Scallions and Poppy Seeds.

• Yield: 12 servings
• Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 quart water
• 2 pounds carrots
• 6 large scallions
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and ground pepper

1. Slice carrots 1/3 inch thick. Take scallions and slice crosswise. Chop onion coarsely.

2. Melt butter in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot.

3. Add onion, cover and cook over low heat until softened (5 minutes). Add broth and water with carrots and bring to boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until carrots are tender (30 minutes).

4. While carrots cook, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan. Add scallions and poppy seeds and cook over moderately high heat until scallions are soft.

5. In batches, puree the carrot soup in a blender until completely smooth and transfer to clean saucepan. Stir in cream and milk over moderate heat. Season soup with salt and pepper. Garnish with scallions and poppy seeds. Serve!

The house smelled so good that even my dog wanted some of the soup. Adorable.

I’d like to credit Food and Wine for this tasty recipe.