Chicken Tikka Banana Masala

23 September 2017 By

Chicken Tikka Masala has become such a favourite Indian inspired specialty dish the world over often appearing in restaurant, cafe, pub and bistro specials as well as in food truck and street food menus. It can be prepared in so many ways and enjoyed with chips, mash, rice or wraps making it a crowd pleaser.

This particular version calls for a mashed ripe banana to be incorporated into the sauce mix. It’s a fun dish to make with a depth of flavour and I hope you enjoy making and eating it with your family and friends.


Ingredients

  • 200 g full fat natural pot set yoghurt, whipped with a fork
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 bunch coriander, minced
  • 5 sprigs fresh English mint leaves, minced
  • 1 kg chicken thighs, diced
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp Latasha’s Kitchen Garam Masala
  • 2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crushed between your fingers
  • Sea salt flakes to taste
  • 2 tsp Latasha’s Kitchen Tandoori Masala Paste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Sauce

Garnish

  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tbsp almond meal or cashew meal
  • Dollop of thickened or double cream

Method

*Marinate the chicken for at least 4-6 hours or preferably overnight.

  1. In a small bowl combine the whipped yoghurt with the garlic and half the mint and coriander leaves.
  2. In a large vessel or freezer bag, place the chicken, cumin, sweet paprika, Latasha’s Kitchen Garam Masala, fenugreek leaves, salt, Latasha’s Kitchen Tandoori Paste and olive oil. Mix well then add the yoghurt mixture from Step 1.
    TIP: The longer the chicken sits in the marinade the better chance it will have to soak up the flavours and the more developed the end result will be.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 200˚C or 180˚C if using a fan forced oven. Cover an oven tray with baking paper, then spread the marinaded chicken evenly over the tray. Place in the oven and bake around 40 minutes, turning the chicken mid way through baking.
  4. To make the sauce, heat oil in a wide deep saucepan. Add in Latasha’s Kitchen Tikka Masala Paste and gently fry for 5 minutes. Then add the banana and chopped tomatoes cooking for another 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Next add ½ tin tomatoes and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes until it is quite thick. Stir in the coconut cream and roasted chicken with all the juices. Mix in the green chillies, honey, lemon juice, balance of minced herbs and Latasha’s Kitchen Green Coriander Sauce. Simmer for a couple more minutes until the tikka masala is rich and thick. Adjust salt to taste.
  5. Serve sprinkled with sweet paprika, almond or cashew meal and a dollop of thickened or double cream.