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-   -   Tikka Masala (http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/community/showthread.php?t=529627)

marbles 07-12-2021 11:00 AM

Tikka Masala
 
We really love Tikka Masala but I'm a beginner to cooking Indian food. I use jarred sauce but it's never spicy like we like it. I am trying to add spice to it but I can't ever get it quite right. It's good, and I can get it mildly spicy, but I found that adding too much of the same cayenne means I then have to balance with other spices. What spices and chilies do you use to add more flavor and heat?

rdsmommy 07-12-2021 12:17 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
I’ve never made this but maybe red pepper flakes or dried guajillo or ancho peppers. Those both have some flavor and not just heat.

twoplustwo 07-12-2021 01:41 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
:cup I have the same problem with my curry. I can only get it mildly spicy and anything more and its not the right blend.

Laurlor 07-12-2021 04:05 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
I don't think of Tikka Masala as being too spicy but I think I'd try any red chili like cayenne.

I'm a total recipe person so what I'd do is google a bunch of recipes and see how the spices you're using matches up with a well-reviewed recipe, like this one.

I love Indian food! Good luck!

Soliloquy 07-12-2021 06:23 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
I haven't made this one but I love the recipes from Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats.

https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-tikka-masala/

Singingmom 07-12-2021 06:30 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
https://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/blog/fctm

I haven’t made it, but if the Lazy Genius loves it I would give it a try. :)

arelyn 07-12-2021 08:19 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Do you have an Indian grocery store nearby? They will sell bags of bright red chili powder. This is totally different from what Americans call chili powder. This is what is used to add heat. A little bit goes a LOOOOOONG way so start slow to find out how much will give you the kick you want. You can also simmer it with a whole green chili sliced in half (not jalepeno). This is more unpredictable though. Sometimes it does very little, sometimes it renders your food inedible.

marbles 07-12-2021 08:49 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Perfect I'll try that! I add cayenne and red pepper flakes and once a dried pepper someone gave me but I have to add like tablespoons of the cayenne and then it just tastes like cayenne. And there's just not anything else. But I have not been to an Indian grocery store. TBH I'm a little intimidated to go and not really know what I'm looking for


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AlishaRose 07-13-2021 09:14 AM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Can you buy birds eye chillies? I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with anything not being spicy enough after I use those!

arelyn 07-13-2021 09:45 AM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by marbles (Post 6254067)
Perfect I'll try that! I add cayenne and red pepper flakes and once a dried pepper someone gave me but I have to add like tablespoons of the cayenne and then it just tastes like cayenne. And there's just not anything else. But I have not been to an Indian grocery store. TBH I'm a little intimidated to go and not really know what I'm looking for


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Just walk through the aisles slowly until you see the bags of spices. They are usually clear plastic with the name and a picture of Lakshmi on them. They are almost always labeled with English letters. Chili is actually from Hindi so no need worry about translation. If you ask about it though they might not beleive you and give you something else cause everyone knows Amriki loge can't do spicy food.

While you are there look for the junk food and grab a bright orange bag labeled Kurkure. Not one bit healthy but delicious and spicy. Best served alongside sweet milky tea.

And no shame on the jarred masala paste. My husband uses it for Tikka Masala and Chicken Makhani and many of them are authentic (some not so much).

marbles 07-13-2021 10:07 AM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by AlishaRose (Post 6254089)
Can you buy birds eye chillies? I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with anything not being spicy enough after I use those!


I haven't seen them before but I'll look and give it a try


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ViolaMum 07-13-2021 01:47 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
When I first wanted to learn to cook Indian food I was ever so fortunate to have a student whose parents were Indian and his mom was a fabulous cook. She would send me things to try during his lessons and then took me into her kitchen and showed me how she made some of her staples - basic curries and samosas. She used serrano chilis for heat - they're smaller and hotter than jalapenos, have a similar shape and just as readily available in US supermarkets. Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets are another option. (Habaneros are the ones that look like mini wrinkled bell peppers.) Generally speaking, the smaller the spicier.

The dairy in the recipe dulls the heat, which makes it tricky. :think You could try a spicier Garam Masala as well as hot paprika instead of sweet. (I tend to use smoked paprika, but my family is only a moderate spice crowd.)

A bit of Trivia - legend has it that Chicken Tikka Masala was actually created in the UK. (Glasgow, I think?)

marbles 07-13-2021 01:54 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by ViolaMum (Post 6254107)
When I first wanted to learn to cook Indian food I was ever so fortunate to have a student whose parents were Indian and his mom was a fabulous cook. She would send me things to try during his lessons and then took me into her kitchen and showed me how she made some of her staples - basic curries and samosas. She used serrano chilis for heat - they're smaller and hotter than jalapenos, have a similar shape and just as readily available in US supermarkets. Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets are another option. (Habaneros are the ones that look like mini wrinkled bell peppers.) Generally speaking, the smaller the spicier.

The dairy in the recipe dulls the heat, which makes it tricky. :think You could try a spicier Garam Masala as well as hot paprika instead of sweet. (I tend to use smoked paprika, but my family is only a moderate spice crowd.)

A bit of Trivia - legend has it that Chicken Tikka Masala was actually created in the UK. (Glasgow, I think?)

I can get serranos! I used to have habaneros but we don't have them this year. I've heard that, that chicken Tikka masala is more a combination of two dishes or something. Either way, it's really good. I've tried cooking a couple other things and liked them all, but I'm trying to build slowly!

I have so much to go on now!

arelyn 07-13-2021 06:50 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by marbles (Post 6254108)
I've heard that, that chicken Tikka masala is more a combination of two dishes or something.

So if I go to a dhaba (street food place) and ask for chicken tikka I will get a stick with pieces of chicken on it served with a spicy green mint sauce. Chicken tikka masala is when the restaurant takes the left over kababs, makes a sauce with masala (spice) and serves it by the bowl full with rice or roti.

Habaneros and paprika would taste wrong in my opinion (though food is a very regional thing so people in other places may disagree). Serranos should be very similar to green chilies.

marbles 07-13-2021 06:53 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by arelyn (Post 6254120)
So if I go to a dhaba (street food place) and ask for chicken tikka I will get a stick with pieces of chicken on it served with a spicy green mint sauce. Chicken tikka masala is when the restaurant takes the left over kababs, makes a sauce with masala (spice) and serves it by the bowl full with rice or roti.

Habaneros and paprika would taste wrong in my opinion (though food is a very regional thing so people in other places may disagree). Serranos should be very similar to green chilies.


I've mostly had habaneros in combination with sweet things, which is why I never tried it. I didn't think they would go. I used some smoked paprika this time on the chicken and I didn't really notice a difference, but I didn't use a lot and anyway it isn't spicy.


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ViolaMum 07-13-2021 08:21 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
The heat in peppers is typically concentrated in the ribs and seeds. Make sure they go in your sauce if you want more heat.

Soliloquy 07-15-2021 04:06 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
You all are making me so hungry.

ViolaMum 07-16-2021 10:18 AM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Marbles, I looked up a bunch of recipes and I think what you want to buy is Kashmiri Chili powder for heat.

arelyn 07-17-2021 08:07 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
I wonder what the difference is between Kashmiri and normal red chili powder? I don't recall seeing both at our store but we go through it so slowly, I don't look for it very often. One picture I found online says (milder) which would be nice for our family (the kids don't like food very spicy).

ThreeKids 07-18-2021 06:32 AM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
I add cream to the canned sauce because that's the ingredient that gets removed when they want to make it cheaper.

I'm bold with the cayenne because we can always tamper down the heat by adding more cream directly to the plate and we like the effect of not having it fully mixed in. This is a modification of Indians adding yogurt to the dish at the table, but we've been told you can't get exactly the right yogurt in the U.S.

ViolaMum 07-18-2021 03:19 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by arelyn (Post 6254345)
I wonder what the difference is between Kashmiri and normal red chili powder? I don't recall seeing both at our store but we go through it so slowly, I don't look for it very often. One picture I found online says (milder) which would be nice for our family (the kids don't like food very spicy).

That's a really good question. Could it be the same thing, just labeled differently for American consumers? (To differentiate it from cayenne, or another chili powder.)

knitlove 07-18-2021 06:07 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by ViolaMum (Post 6254355)
That's a really good question. Could it be the same thing, just labeled differently for American consumers? (To differentiate it from cayenne, or another chili powder.)

Chili powder in the US is typically a blend of many different chilies and often cumin.

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arelyn 07-18-2021 06:27 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by ViolaMum (Post 6254355)
That's a really good question. Could it be the same thing, just labeled differently for American consumers? (To differentiate it from cayenne, or another chili powder.)

I just checked amazon.in and they are two separate items. I bet the Kashmiri one is a milder variety (they are known for milder food). When I restock my spice rack I'm definitely going to try it.

ViolaMum 07-18-2021 07:05 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by arelyn (Post 6254358)
I just checked amazon.in and they are two separate items. I bet the Kashmiri one is a milder variety (they are known for milder food). When I restock my spice rack I'm definitely going to try it.

Do you think it's a single variety of pepper or a blend? I can't seem to find any good information on it.

And darn, if Kashmiri is milder chili powder, it's not going to make the dish spicier! :doh

arelyn 07-18-2021 07:25 PM

Re: Tikka Masala
 
https://www.pepperscale.com/kashmiri-chili/

Looks like it will be too mild for you.

https://www.pepperscale.com/jwala-pepper/

This is our traditional chili. It is only used green in Indian food, never ripened.

According to the same website serranos are the closest whose name I recognize. They are less potent though so if an Indian recipe calls for one chili, add two.


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