And though the list might be long, here’s the best news – no hunting down unusual ingredients. You can get every single ingredient from the major supermarkets here in Australia (Woolies, Coles, Harris Farms, most Aldi’s and large IGA’s).
Chicken Tikka Masala in a black skillet garnished with coriander / cilantro.
RECIPE REFERENCES
This recipe is the result of a mountain of reading, researching, tasting and cooking we did in pursuit of the ultimate Tikka Masala recipe for the home cook.
We visited some of our favourite Indian restaurants in Sydney just to taste the chicken tikka masala, and recounted our memories of curries we experienced in the UK and India.
We looked at existing recipes by authors both well known (Madhur Jaffrey and Heston Blumenthal) and unknown, including many Indian food bloggers. We even watched Youtube videos in Hindi and went to the library and dug up faded old Indian cookbooks!
We pulled out the best bits from every source of inspiration as well as adding our own ideas to come up with this recipe!
Difference between Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken
In case you are wondering about the difference between Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken, the main thing is the char grilled flavour of the chicken which Butter Chicken does not have. Also, the sauce of Tikka Masala is more intense and complex. 🙂
Photo of chicken tikka masala on basmati rice in a dark rustic bowl with a piece of naan wedged in on the side. Pickled red cabbage and skillet of Chicken Tikka Masala in the background.
For curry lovers everywhere, it’s truly worth making your own curry from scratch at least once in your life. Like Thai Red Curry, a store bought curry paste (even a really great one) simply doesn’t compare. If I were to make this using a jar of paste, I would pimp it up quite a bit with fresh garlic, ginger and spices, and it would be not much less effort than making it from scratch!
I really hope you love this. This is a recipe that my brother and I developed together, tag teaming with the recipe until we “got it right” (meaning, as close as possible to good Indian restaurants). Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
MORE GREAT CURRIES OF THE WORLD!
Butter Chicken – one of the most popular curries in the world
Rogan Josh – fall apart lamb in a rich creamy tomato sauce
Biryani (it’s amazing!)
Dal (Indian lentil curry)
Thai Red Curry
Beef Rendang
Massaman Curry
Goan Fish Curry (Indian) – an amazing seafood curry from the tropical beaches of Goa
Browse the Curry Collection
ON THE SIDE
Indian Tomato Salad
Samosas – The perfect appetiser / starter. Or snacks and lunch tomorrow!
Pakoras – Spiced Indian vegetable fritters
South Indian-style Cabbage & Carrot Salad with Coconut
Refreshing Cucumber with Lemon Yogurt Dressing
Give this Everyday Cabbage Salad an Indian spin by sauteing garlic and cumin seeds in oil before mixing up with other Dressing ingredients
Real Naan! Chewy, stretchy, fluffy – the ultimate homemade naan recipe right here
No Yeast Easy Soft Flatbread. Perfect to use as naan, but simpler and without yeast so you can get it on the table fast!
