Wanderlust Chef

For tonights dinner party I opted to feature the Samosa Chaat, Murgh (chicken) Tikka Masala, and basmati rice. I had cooked none of the above before (minus the rice) but figured it was worth a shot. The samosa is a triangular savory pastry originating from India which I opted to fill with a potato mixture and the chaat version is a popular street food in which you take the left over samosas and mash them with a plate full of chick peas, veggies, chutney, and lemon.

Chicken tikka masala although sounding Indian is actually a common British dish consisting of marinated boneless chicken pieces that are grilled and then served in a subtly spiced tomato-cream sauce. Fun fact – in 2001 British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook gave a speech in which he offered an explanation to the evolution of the dish: “Chicken tikka is an Indian dish. The masala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy.” Anyway, his explanation sounded good to me and I decided to serve it in despite of the origin as I also had Western palates to satisfy and as mentioned earlier it has always been one of my favorite “Indian dishes” before learning it wasn’t actually Indian.

Between the dishes I had an ingredient list a mile long, some I’ve never heard of, and most that currently didn’t exist in my cabinet. Although there are a few places you can shop for Indian groceries within Curry Hill we headed to Kalustyan’s which truly is a mecca for all Indian and Middle Eastern cooking needs. It is not just a shop but a museum filled with every possible spice, condiment, and sauce known to man. If you have never been here allow at least an hour for just browsing purposes (especially in the hot sauce section) and don’t forget your cash as you’ll get a discount.

A couple hours and a few bags of groceries later we had worked up an appetite. I was craving a dosa (an Indian version of a savory crepe) from Hampton Chutney Co. – one of my favorite delivery choices when I lived in the Upper West. Unfortunately we had meat to marinate and no time to waste crossing town for lunch so we opted for Dhaba across the street. We ordered a couple apps to share, the Langarwali Daal (a thick, spicy lentil stew with ginger) and Aloo Tikki Chaat (potato patties and chickpeas with yogurt and chutneys).

Once home I quickly whipped up the marinade as I wanted to make sure the chicken was tender and flavorful enough by the time it had to cook. I then moved on to cleaning the apartment since let’s be honest – the only time my floors are getting scrubbed is when guests are on their way. Fast forward a few hours and I was ready to pop my samosas in the oven and begin my tikka masala sauce which is essentially butter, cream, tomato, and spices. With those ingredients it occurred to me why I sinfully loved this dish so much. Needless to say I never informed my guests of the caloric content as I find that tends to ruin things however to be fair I did drop a few subtle hints about going for a jog in the morning.

Anyway, tonight we hosted 5 guests which including us consisted of 4 Peruvians, a Columbian, an Italian, and me (the token American). Everyone was open to my Indian adventure except my Sous Chef who requested I go light on the spice in my tikka masala as I think he was still sweating from the lentils we had at lunch.

Do to lack of time and in some cases lack of the proper utensils I had to cut a few corners:

• Chutney: Although easy enough to make I opted to buy both the Coriander Chutney and Date & Tamarind Chutney from Kalustyan’s – both are extremely tasty to which my guests even asked if they were homemade (deep down I wanted to lie)
• Samosa Pastry: I purchased the puff pastry squares as I realized I do not own a rolling pin
• Naan: Last minute thought and therefore just picked up a to go order from Turmeric down the street

In comparison to the restaurant:

• Samosa Chaat: I opted to go light on the chutneys and yogurt sauce for my initial plating but offered additional sauce on the side for anyone that wanted to go more spicy (coriander) and or more sweet (Date & Tamarind). The flavor profile was very similar to the restaurant and received rave reviews. I would absolutely make again.
• Chicken Tikka Masala: The chicken came out perfectly moist and tender but the sauce on the other hand lacked the kick that I think Indian Food needs which I of course blamed on my Sous Chef. The recipe might look like a lot of spice but don’t skimp if you want to achieve the proper flavor profile!

We completed the meal with some Ginger Matcha Tea-rrific Ice Cream I found while rummaging through the freezer at whole foods – although non Indian it seemed to somewhat fitting to my theme. In the end I deemed it another successful dinner in which my guest we able to happily roll (literally) out the door.