Easy family friendly Tikka Masala

Both chicken and cauliflower Tikka Masala for the whole family in one recipe!

If you love Indian food, but you don’t have an Indian restaurant nearby (l don’t even think there is an Indian restaurant in Nicaragua to be honest..) you make it yourself. So today I am sharing my easy family friendly Tikka Masala with you.

I am talking about an easy recipe that is on the table in no time. So keep in mind this is not an authentic Tikka Masala recipe. The flavors and the creaminess are there though. Homemade yellow curry paste and coconut milk are key ingredients in this Tikka Masala.

In my quest to create a quick and easy Indian inspired weekday meal I read a lot about the importance of mixing the right ingredients for the curry paste. So this recipe calls for yellow curry paste that you make yourself. I usually make a big amount of curry paste at once and freeze it (it is totally freezable YAY!) in family size batches so when I plan to make Tikka Masala again, I only have to thaw a batch.

Curry paste gives lots of flavor to this dish, coconut milk makes it creamy, the yogurt in the marinate tenderizes the chicken and gives the dish some tartness. And tomato paste gives it more depth of flavor.

How I make this easy family friendly Tikka Masala?

This Tikka Masala recipe can be made with either chicken or cauliflower. The preparation of the dish isn’t much different, but I will explain both.

How I make the yellow curry paste:

In a blender or food processor I pulse all the curry paste ingredients until a smooth paste forms. These are the yellow curry ingredients:

• onion
• garlic
• fresh ginger
• ground garam masala
• cumin
• ground turmeric
• salt
• cilantro stems (I use the leaves for garnishing)
• cayenne pepper
• lime or lemon zest

For about a minute I pulse it until a smooth paste forms.

I usually make a large batch and freeze it in family size portions so I only have to make the paste only ever so often. So most of the time this Tikka Masala comes together quite quick.

Marinate the chicken/cauliflower

In a large size ziplock bag I combine 2 tablespoons of the curry paste, the chicken or cauliflower and the yogurt. For the chicken I seal the bag and massage the mixture into the chicken. For the cauliflower I actually do the same but I don’t really massage the florets (they would break and fall apart) I kind of move it all around so the cauliflower is totally covered in the curry-yogurt marinate. I leave it to marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes (or I do it the night before and refrigerate it; even less work to do last minute!).

The actual preparation of this easy Tikka Masala:

I heat up a large, deep skillet over medium heat, add ¼ – ½ cup of the curry paste (to taste; I either make two batches and make one less spicy for the kids or make a mild one and serve curry paste on the side to add extra heat for those who want it) and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then I stir in the chicken or cauliflower, coconut milk, and tomato paste. Now all there is to it is stir to combine, cover the skillet and cook until the chicken/cauliflower is cooked through, 10 to 20 minutes (less for cauliflower, a bit more for chicken). Lastly I remove the lid and simmer to reduce the sauce. After about 5 minutes it will have thickened slightly.

I serve this family friendly Tikka Masala over (brown) rice and top it with fresh cilantro leaves and often times some toasted, sliced almonds.

Picky eaters tips:

This easy Tikka Masala is perfect for picky eaters; it is a smooth, creamy sauce already. The heat is adjustable (more or less curry paste). I leave off any garnishing for my kids and they gobble this up like it is dessert!

This is such a great family weekday meal. We all love it. I sure hope you do too. It is

subtly spicy – adjustable though – easily made vegetarian by using cauliflower – creamy – flavorful – so easy to make – & very delicious

I am so into easy weekday meal. Are you too? Than try my 1-skillet chicken cherry tomato orzo, lentil bolognese, balsamic cherry tomato tagliatelle vegan pumpkin risotto or this Thai lentil curry.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

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