Chicken Tikka Masala & Yellow Squash Curry

Two recipes, back to back! They're great on their own, in fact the chicken tikka masala is especially fantastic bundled up with rice in a whole wheat wrap, but I prefer to make them together because the colors contrast brilliantly when served side by side! 

Both dishes are quite spicy, there aren't many options for your burning mouth, tongue and throat to find temporary reprieve other than at the bottom of an ice-cold beverage... so, cheers! 

Serves 4

marinated chicken

Chicken Tikka Masala

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Chicken marinade:
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cup basmati rice (2 1/2 cups water) 
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 inch section fresh ginger
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 2 heaping tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 (6oz or 170gr) small can tomato paste
• skim milk (enough to fill the emptied can of tomato paste twice)
• fresh cilantro, garnish

minced garlic, ginger & jalapeno

Trim any fat off chicken breast and cut into small chunks. Add marinade ingredients, mix and set aside.

Cook rice per package instructions. 

Mince garlic, ginger and jalapeno together.  

Dice onion and chop green pepper. 

Heat small amount of olive oil in frying pan with lid over med-high. Add garlic, ginger and jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, til fragrant and edges of garlic turn golden brown. Add diced onion, garam masala, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne, and continue stirring for a few minutes. 

Sweep the garlic-onion-spices mix to one side of the frying pan. To the empty side of the frying pan, add a small amount of olive oil, then the marinated chicken. Stir just til chicken is no longer pink. 

Add tomato paste and enough skim milk to fill the emptied can of tomato paste twice to the same frying pan. Add green pepper Stir well to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20min. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom. Add more skim milk to achieve desired consistency. 

Serve over rice with fresh chopped cilantro. Alternatively, try wrapping the rice, tikka masala and cilantro in a whole wheat tortilla. 

Chicken Tikka Masala

Yellow Squash Curry

minced ginger & garlic,
sliced serrano

• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 green serrano pepper
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 inch section fresh ginger
• 1 tomato
• 2 yellow squash
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• fresh cilantro, garnish

*** Rice cooked with chicken tikka masala recipe will be enough to serve with yellow squash curry as well.

Dice onion. Slice serrano pepper. Mince garlic and ginger together. 

Dice tomato and chop yellow squash into bite size pieces (slice roughly into 1cm coins, then quarter). 

In a frying pan with a lid, add olive oil over med-high. Add mustard seeds and heat til seeds start to sputter (= dance and pop). 

Add diced onion and sliced serrano peppers, and let cook for 1min, stirring occasionally. 

Reduce heat to medium, add minced ginger and garlic, and let cook for another 2min. 

Add diced tomato, and let cook for 3min, stirring occasionally. 

Add yellow squash and all spices and seasoning, stirring well to combine. Add a small splash of water if needed, reduce to low, cover, and let simmer for 10min. 

Add skim milk, cover again and let simmer for 5-10min until curry reaches desired consistency. 

Serve over rice with fresh chopped coriander. 

Yellow Squash Curry