Madras Lentils

Costco sells these delightful little packets of Tasty Bites Madras Lentils.  They are delicious, but a bit pricey.  I decided that I'd learn to make them myself so I  can have larger quantities to share with others and do it more cost effectively (though it is hard to beat those little packets for a quick meal) 

Madras Lentils

Ingredients:

I Tablespoon coconut oil 

1 onion, finely diced

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small cinnamon stick 

2 Tablespoons curry powder 

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric 

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

1/4 teaspoon allspice 

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 Tablespoon Garam Masala 

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

3 cups water 

1 cup dry lentils
2 cups red (kidney) beans, cooked 
1 bay leaf 

1 1/2 cups (or one can) coconut milk* 

Directions

In a large stockpot heat the coconut oil, add onion and saute until it begins to turn dark and caramelize.  
Add  garlic and saute about five more minutes
Add ginger and saute about three more minutes
Add cinnamon stick and saute one more minute
Mix all other seasonings together in a small bowl, add all together to onion mixture
stirring to coat well.  
Saute about ten minutes stirring constantly 
Add tomato paste and stir to combine
Add water, lentils, beans and bay leaf 
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes until lentils are tender
You may need to add more water as it cooks and the lentils absorb water
Add coconut milk and simmer about 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally until heated through 
If it is too thin cook longer to reduce, stirring frequently
Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick 
Serve alone, over rice and/or with naan

Tips and Hints

• *Cream or Half and Half may be substituted for the coconut milk, and is more traditional, but less healthy.  
• The recipe originally called for black lentils, I used red lentils and loved it.
• This will work well as a side dish, but paired with rice can be a main dish.
• The original Tasty Bites aren't spicy, but if you like spice in the food add cayenne pepper when you add the water and lentils. You can play with the cayenne to achieve the spicy level you like, I actually prefer this particular dish a bit milder. Use as much as your personal taste enjoys.  I'd suggest 1 Tablespoon for a good kick. 

Chicken Tika Masala

A while back our oldest son and his wife talked my husband and me into going to a fantastic local Indian restaurant.  They raved about the Chicken Tika Masala and after tasting it I could totally see why. It is delicious!   Naturally I wanted to go again, frequently!, but my husband is... shall we say, thrifty and resists paying a lot of money at restaurants on a regular basis.  So I decided I needed to learn to make this on my own.  A few different recipes, some suggestions from other cooks and some tweaking and I have achieved Chicken Tika Masala perfection! 

Now I just need to learn to make my own naan. 

Chicken Tika Masala 

Ingredients: 

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt (I prefer Greek)

juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper 

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 Tablespoon Garam Masala

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

Sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons smokey paprika

1 Tablespoon Garam Masala

1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 cups heavy cream

Directions

In a large bowl combine the marinade ingredients, blend well, until the powders and yogurt are smooth.  Add the chicken pieces, mix well so that chicken is thoroughly coated.  Cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour.  I like to go overnight.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil on low until done.  Time will vary depending on the size chunks you have.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the onion and the salt, heat over medium heat until the onion starts to caramelize. Add the garlic and jalapeno, heat an additional minute or two until the pepper is slightly cooked.  Add the spices (you'll want them pre-measured so you can add them all at once) and stir to coat the veggies. 

Stir in the tomato sauce to deglaze the pan slightly, then add the cream.

Simmer on low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce starts to thicken, about 20 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken and heat an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve with your favorite rice.

Tips and Hints

• Garam Masala is an Indian seasoning blend.  I picked up a bag big enough to last a lifetime for just a few dollars at a local "Bollywood" market.
• If you like your food more mild, omit the cayenne pepper from the marinade and the crushed red pepper from the sauce.  The heat of the jalapeno can also be controlled by the seeds, the more seeds the more heat. 
• You can cut fat and calories by subbing some of the heavy cream for half-and-half.  I did a 50/50 split and it still tasted fantastic.  You could probably cut back even more by using milk in place of the half-and-half, but I haven't tried that yet. 
• A more traditional approach would be to skewer and grill the chicken then remove from the skewers before adding to the sauce, but I like the simple and year round broiling option.