Chicken in Spice Laden Coconut Sauce

Canned Indian simmering sauce beats home cooked Indian recipe!!!  Yep, that's what happened here.  I still think about that fabulous Chicken Tikka Masala that I made with a jar of simmering sauce from Williams-Sonoma.  It was that good.  So, I decided to make this recipe of Chicken in Spice Laden Coconut Sauce, because it seemed like it might taste a lot like the Tikka Masala. Well, what can I say?  While this was a good dish, it just didn't match my Chicken Tikka Masala nostalgia.  And I made this recipe from scratch!   Is it because I don't have a spice mill and used my mortar and pestle to pound the spices?  Isn't it supposed to be more virtuous to pound them by hand?  What did people do before there were spice mills?  Whatever. I'm going to  Willams-Sonoma and buy more of that simmering sauce.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on this recipe.  I looked on the Internet and found that people love it, rave over it.  But, I also discovered that Chicken Tikka Masala is now the most popular dish in the UK--beating out fish & chips!!!!!!  So, I think that any recipe will have a mighty hard time when you are dreaming about Chicken Tikka Masala. 

Chicken in Spice Laden Coconut Sauce  (Ayala Algar from The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook)

4 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large onion finely chopped
8 garlic cloves
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
8-10 dried red peppers, seeded
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
pinch salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 chicken, cut into serving pieces--or 3 pounds chicken thighs
1 large tomato peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 cups fresh coconut milk or a 14 ounce can coconut milk
1/2 cup water

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until it begins to caramelize.  Add garlic and ginger and cook until the mixture looks reddish brown.  While the onion is cooking, stir almost constantly to prevent it from burning.  If mixture looks too dry, add a bit of water.

Grind peppers, cumin, and coriander in spice mill.  Mix the ground spices with salt and turmeric and place near skillet with onion.  When the onion turns reddish brown, add the spices and let them cook a few seconds, stirring all the time until they release their fragrances.

Add the chicken pieces and stir until they are well coated with the spices. Add the tomato and let cook until soft. Stir in the coconut milk and water and simmer, uncovered about 40 minutes until the chicken is tender. If sauce gets too thick, add water.  Serve with rice.

Comments

[Gerald]

Totally agree, I prefer going with the pre-made indian sauces because I just don't have the knack for making it from scratch

[Shannon]

I just got a gift certificate for Wm-Sonoma, maybe I should order a few jars of the Tikka Masala sauce and then get a spice mill with the rest! Regardless, this chicken recipe looks fantastic. Man, there is nothing that a can of coconut milk won't make delicious.

[sher]

Gerald,

THANK YOU!!!!! And this comes from a man who will be a professional chef with his own show on the Food Network (at the very least).

Shannon,

Obviously, I'm totally biased in favor of the WS simmering sauce, but do try it. The most popular dish in the UK!! Who would have thunk it? Yes--about the coconut milk.

[Jenn]

This makes me drool! I wish I could get the spices here to make me some tonight. At Wal-Mart, I can get a pre-made paste, but I've only tried the korma, which isn't too bad. I'm going to have to get the Tiki sauce, though!

[Susan]

hehe..so agree about the coconut milk. I mean, there's whole generations of children who've grown up thinking that veggies are yum because their mums simmered them in coconut milk with a few onions. Beat that hey: Pro - hmm...vitamins, fibre etc. Con - err...total cholesterol overload bwahaha!!

Anyway, I meant to comment that maybe your recipe sold you short which is maybe why you didn't get the flavour hit. Try toasting the coriander and cumin before pounding, (ie. heat over low heat, stirring, in a pan, until fragrant) That should help heaps...but maybe try somebody elses' recipe next :-) Life's too short for recipes that don't work!! (Incidentally, Charmaine Solomon is the best bar none for Asian recipes..)

[steven]

Susan is correct, the recipe should have called for the spices to be toasted. Thats Indian Food 101!

[albert]

sher,

Once again, great job.

Perhaps next time you could send one via FedEx. lol

[sher]

Jenn,

Maybe there is a Williams-Sonoma near you, that is where the simmering sauce I used came from. A friend bought it as a gift for me--so I have no idea how much it cost.

Susan & Steven,

Yes, the recipes I usually make call for the toasting. This did have you cook the spices, but it wasn't a real toasting, I don't think.

Thanks Albert!! :):)

[Gabriella True]

and how much is a Piece of Ginger???

and I am Totallly going to try that WS sauce.