Food Blog | Travel

London Bound! — 4 Indian Food & The Loo of Doom…

An American Chasing Foxes

Please don’t clutch your pearls. I’ve never had Indian food. It was never that important, and it was never that available. Until the last few months of recipe reading and food channel watching, I couldn’t have even told you what curry was, but one thing I was sure of, I wouldn’t find anything authentic off the King’s Road. Like music, food is a great equalizer. It can bring people together. When Indian food came to England in 1733, it was because the colonialism of the world was underway, and the Brits liked their gravy. After all, Queen Elizabeth I granted the East Indian Company a monopoly on trade at Surat. There were several constant imports from India, including cotton, slaves, silk, indigo, salt peter, tea, curry, and opium.

On January 1st, 1877, Queen Victoria heard from spies that India was about to drop a new food on the market, and she wanted a piece of the action. She called for Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to come ‘round the Palace. Record shows that the conversation went exactly like this.

“Right, Benjamin. Me heard the East India Company be hearin’ tings. We want to know have ya heard of dis ting called Chicken tika masala, bruv? I tink it best if ya go down to the Parliament and sign up some dem pretty papers. Tellz dem me wants to be Empress of India.”

With his monocle tight and his mustache wispy Benjamin’s response was quick and loud enough for the Queen to understand just how serious she was. “Wot, wot, hrrr. Mum, uv course. Haha, Wot, Wot!” He bowed his head and curtsied, and on May the 1st Queen Victoria was named Empress of India. The Indian Viceroy, Lord Lytton, sent a letter to the Queen as an official high five, and all of India rejoiced. Now in 2024, when someone suggests authentic Indian food can be found down each street, you can believe the signs on the wall that market this restaurant as award winning because they are all award winning for something or another.

Chicken Tika Masala

Note that this recipe takes twelve hours to make. This is the chicken part.

1. Dice up some chicken 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick. Pat dry. You don’t want the extra moisture! Drop in mixing bowl. Play some Bollywood music in the background.
2. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder
3. 1 teaspoon of garam masala
4. 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder
5. 1 teaspoon of coriander
6. 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
7. 1/2 teaspoon of salt
8. 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (never lime juice) and 1 tablespoon of oil (mustard oil is preferred)
9. 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
10. 1 tablespoon of Kasuri Methi, which are dried fenugreek leaves

At this point, it should be a very colorful mix of powder, oil, and juice on raw chicken. If that’s what you’ve made, you’re nearly there! Add half a cup of Greek yogurt. Don’t use runny yogurt. Mix everything thoroughly and leave covered in the fridge for eight hours. When you are finished with the chicken part of the recipe, it should look like yellow raw chicken.

Part 2! Make the Masala

1. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan and wait until hot.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of onions
3. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt
4. Sauté on medium until they are a deep golden color (Half cooked onions are for losers and Communists.)
5. Add 1 chopped green chili and a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste. (You can used grated, but I know you won’t.) Sauté for forty to sixty seconds until you can smell the ginger garlic.
6. Tune the the dial to low. Add 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tablespoon of coriander powder, 2 teaspoons of garam masala, and 1 teaspoon of cumin powder.
7. Stir well while bobbing head to music, but DO NOT BURN THE SPICES
8. Pour 1 1/4 cups tomato puree
9. Cook on medium high until thick. This takes time but continue to stir. While this is developing, bring a 1cup of water to a rolling boil. When the tikka masala turns thick pour in the hot water.
10. Cover and simmer on low heat. You want it thick and fragrant.

Grill the chicken. This can be done on an outside grill or in the oven depending on your preference. If inside 460 F for 9 to 10 minutes turn as needed

Make the Chicken Tikka Masala

1. When the sauce is cooked and thickened pour half a cup of heavy cream and mix heavily. Let it simmer until thick and aromatic. Believe me, your house will be aromatic enough.
2. Add the chicken, mix and cook covered until chicken has absorbed the mixture and tenderized. Around 3 minutes… Add some coriander leaves for garnish.

There are plenty of things to eat with this and Tandoori Roti, Butter Naan, paratha, roti, or just plain old Basmati rice.

The moral of the story here is, The UK is a food haven of many cultures. Check them all out before judging them for their beans on toast.