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United Kingdom – chicken tikka masala in the city

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When we decided to launch our around the world adventure in the UK I was excited. (If you haven’t read my official launch post check here) I have actually been to the UK before. Exploring the United Kingdown through food and crafts has been fun and this chicken tikka masala recipe has become a favourite easy chicken recipe in our house.

My sister and her husband spent 7 years going to school, working and living in England. My husband and I had an opportunity to spend a couple of weeks with them and it was awesome. We traveled from the southern tip of England all the way up to Glasgow, Scotland. I was so thrilled to pull out my old photo albums (yep, a physical photo album) and share many funny stories with my daughters. A great introduction to the UK.

We stopped off at the library and picked up “This is London” by Miroslav Sasek. This book is beautifully illustrated and simply takes you through the city of London. A great conversation starter. After reading the book we were inspired to recreate London with this incredible block set that my sister purchased for my girls many years ago. Here is the cityscape my girls created.

This is London
 Tower Bridge
Big Ben
When we discussed what food to make my girls remembered our early morning tea party on the day of William and Kate’s wedding. We discussed cucumber sandwiches, scones and fish and chips. I remember that takeaway curries in the UK were a.m.a.z.i.n.g! We have never made a curry from scratch before, so it was time to give it a try. After doing a little research we discovered one of the most popular curry dishes in the UK is chicken tikka masala (one in seven curries sold in the UK). We gathered up our ingredients and here is what we made. 
 

Chicken Tikka Masala

 
1 clove of garlic, peeled
15g of fresh ginger
1tbsp vegetable oil
a pinch of paprika
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp tomato paste
3 sprigs of fresh coriander leaves – chopped
400g chicken breast – chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of ground coriander
pinch of turmeric
400g canned plum tomatoes
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
 
Marinade for chicken…
1. Blitz the garlic, ginger and vegetable oil in a food processor HOT TIP: the original recipe called for 1/2 a fresh red chile, deseeded – I opted to remove the chili to make it less spicy for the kids.
2. Add the paprika, garam masala and tomato paste – blitz to form a paste.
3. Place chicken pieces in a large resealable bag and add the paste. Seal the bag and rub the paste to coat the chicken pieces.
4. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day…
1. Over medium heat, in a large saucepan, add a splash of vegetable oil.

2. Fry the onion, peppers, and spices gently to soften, for about 10 minutes.

3. Add the yogurt and canned tomatoes.
4. Add the chicken pieces and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.
5. Just before serving stir in the cream and optional cilantro leaves.

6. Serve over fluffy boiled rice, we used basmati rice.

7. For the kids we deconstructed the dish.

 
I love cooking with my kids. It is not only a great chance to spend time with them, but they learn a new skill every time we cook. Having my girls read the recipe and measure out the ingredients provides them with a way to apply what they are learning in school to the “real” world. My eldest daughter’s reaction to the chicken “Yummy Mommy!” Awesome!
 
 

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Comments

  2. Cerys @ Rainy Day Mum says

    I love your block set – I wonder where they got it. We’re planning to take the kids down to London this year for the first time and I would love to get it them especially when it has the Gerkin in it. I also LOVE chicken Tikka Marsala it’s the one curry that I order every single time and Jamie’s version is one of the better ones that I have made at home.

    • KitchenCounterChronicles says

      I’ll have to find out about those blocks and let folks know on Facebook, or here. I love this recipe so easy and yummy! Thanks. Cheers.

  3. KitchenCounterChronicles says

    I know it is a great set. There are 4 sets, London, Paris, Suburbia and Village. I’ll have to check and see where she got them…there doesn’t seem to be a name on them. Yep, I usually buy the pre-made sauce, but not anymore. Thanks for stopping by!

  4. Kim @ The Educators Spin On It says

    We love Tikka Masala and so many other dishes from India. On our trip to the UK we loved how easy it was to find good Indian dishes, something we don’t have in our hometown. I love how you incorperated playing with sites from London. We’re making building to add to our own block set for playtime this week from pictures we took there.

  5. maryanne @ mama smiles says

    Yum! I remember enjoying excellent curries in the UK, when we lived there!

    Thanks for sharing with Learning Laboratory at Mama Smiles =)

  6. Candace says

    I have two recipes I love for Butter Chicken and Pub Style Chicken Curry. I may need to add this one to the roster. Sounds delish!