Tuesday, April 10, 2007

cutting corners



After feasting on traditional Easter Ham, Friday, Saturday, Sunday AND Monday, I was ready for something with a bit more spice.
Nothing against a 9 hour slow roasted organic clove infused ham with a vodka & brown sugar glaze, but I'm done with ham for a while.
I've been craving Indian for ages, in fact I walk by a really good Indian restaurant daily and the incredible aromas that come from the place make me want curry all the time.
We often do Indian take-away, seeing as it's close by, fairly cheap and fast.
But I also love to make my own curry sauces when I get a chance.
I'm not really one for pre-made jarred sauces, only because I really like being able to control exactly what I'm eating, and I guess I'm a bit of a food snob, and really like to do things from scratch.
But as life gets busier, I'm learning that buying pre-made isn't the end of the world.
So this morning before heading out for the day, I threw some skinless chicken thighs and a jar of Tikka Masala sauce in the slow cooker, set the timer on low for 7 hours and walked away.
when I got home the house smelled amazing and dinner was pretty much ready.
with the exception of some basmati rice that I whipped up.
The word "basmati" literally means something fragrant, and it certainly was.
1 chopped onion
2 grated carrots
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbs grated ginger
cook on med for 15 min.
add 1 cup of basmati rice
stir to coat
1 3/4 (+ extra if too dry) cup water
generous pinch of salt
cover, cook on low for 16-20 min.

so the meal wasn't completely instant, but super easy and really tasty.
Lulu really enjoyed the rice, which is always a bonus.
I also grabbed a jar of mixed hot Indian style pickle to serve on the side.
we washed it down with a couple of cold Kingfishers.

I have to say it was better than take-away.
way cheaper, much healthier (less oil etc.) and much tastier.
who knew jarred sauces could be so good?

3 comments:

Betsy Mae said...

THANKS for posting a recipe! I used to make Tikka Masala our of a jar but I never tried it in the slow cooker. I will do that sometime. Rice and whole wheat pasta are part of my girl's dinner almost every night.

crazymumma said...

mmmmmm

and I have not even had breakfast.

when I was in London wayyyy back in my 20's, my favorite places to eat were the Indian take aways. Much to much oil. But oh so good. Instant hangover cure.

I discovered the jarred sauces as well, and I like to use a masala with a tofu potato mix. But my alltime fave is saag paneer.

like I said. mmmmmm

amanda said...

I'm so glad you shared that recipe... I think I'm going to try it later this week! Yummy... sounds de-lish!