In Search of Chicken Tikka & Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala on Basmati Rice

I adore Indian food, but I know almost nothing about it. When I was a teenager, I learned how to make five Indian dishes from my mom, who got the recipes from a YWCA cooking class in Kuala Lumpur. The dishes were/are: Tandoori Chicken, Vegetable Samosas, Dal, Cucumber Raita and Chipatis. I also learned to make homemade paneer (cheese) from milk and lemon juice, though for many years, my success with that simple recipe was hit-or-miss.

My favorite Indian dishes--the ones I order over and over again at Indian and Pakistani restaurants in Seattle, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, however, completely eluded me in the kitchen. (Until recently.) Though the recipes I attempted sounded yummy on the page and looked seductive in the accompanying foodporn photo shot, my own final product was never as satisfying, never a smoothly textured, never as amazing as the restaurant versions. Not even close.
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