Chicken tikka masala is a restaurant favourite just about everywhere. And you can make it in 30 minutes. For real.
Smooth sauce. Well spiced. Layered flavours. Might even be better than you get at your local Indian restaurant.
That’s a pretty bold assertion. I know. You can let me know what you think.
Curries in 30 minutes
This is part of a series. There’s already a masala chicken curry. A madras. A jalfrezi.
Full disclosure. It’s not a new recipe. I’m redoing a series from 2017. It was called nearly restaurant style back then.
The recipes stay the same. I’m just updating the names. And the text. And the pictures. Pretty much everything other than the recipe.
I’ll be adding some new recipes too. I like this series. Always have. I’m hoping you will too.
The onions are the thing
If you’ve cooked Indian you know. Onions are the thing. And those onions need to be cooked. And that takes time.
There’s no getting around it. Well cooked onions are fundamental. But how you cook your onions isn’t cast in stone.
That’s where this approach is different. Stick some onions in the microwave. Cook them until soft.
Puree with a little oil and water. That’s the magic here. A kitchen hack that really works.
Do that and it takes minutes to make the curry. Literally minutes. Flavours like you get in restaurants. In 30 minutes flat.
Just a little cream for big, bold chicken tikka masala taste
I use very little cream in this version. Lots of coconut milk. But just a hint of cream for richness.
More than a little cream blunts all the nuanced flavours. And that just doesn’t work for me.
Might be restaurant chicken tikka masala heresy. That’s OK. I don’t care about rules. But I do care about tasty. This is tasty.
This chicken tikka masala is all about building layers of flavour. I don’t want anything to come in the way of that flavour and my mouth.
BBQ tandoori chicken. Preferably over charcoal. That’s already huge. Layer on tomato. Spice. Coconut milk.
A bit of jaggery or brown sugar. Some lemon to balance it. And a hint of cream for richness. That’s what makes this special.
All tandoori masalas are not created equal
This chicken tikka masala uses quite a bit of tandoori masala. You can make tandoori masala or you can buy it.
If you buy it then you need to pay attention. Some tandoori masalas contain a lot of salt. A lot. A crazy amount in some cases.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing in itself. But it can wreak havoc with this recipe. With any recipe really.
Taste your tandoori masala. If it tastes like salt it’s salty.
Check the ingredient list. Most countries require ingredients be listed in order of quantity from highest to lowest. If salt is number one or number two it’s salty.
Again, that’s not a problem in itself. You just need to be aware. If your tandoori masala is salty leave the salt specified in the recipe out.
Taste at the end. Decide. Does it need more salt? Add a bit at a time. Until it’s just right. You just need to manage it.
Commercial tandoori masalas also contain food colouring. I used a commercial blend for this recipe. So it would look like what you get when you make it.
I think it’s too red. But there’s not much I can do about that.
30 minute chicken tikka masala with a catch
You can make this dish in 30 minutes. Easy. But only if you make the chicken tikka ahead of time.
I’m fast in the kitchen. And pretty organized. And there’s no way one person can BBQ chicken tikka and pull this curry together in half an hour.
So don’t try. And don’t expect this to take 30 minutes if you don’t pre-cook your tikka.
Maybe plan for this one tomorrow. And make something grilled tonight. And cook the tikka while you are at it. It will keep a day.
Or make tikka and freeze it. Do that and you can make this dish any time you want. Just don’t refreeze your chicken. That does bad things to the texture.
Or team up. Put one person on making the tikka. And the other at the stove making the curry. I could make that work in 30 minutes.
Or bite the bullet and realize it’s going to take you 45 minutes. Maybe a bit more.
I suppose I should have called this “30 minute tikka masala as long as you pre-cook your tikka”. That’s a terrible name though. So I just couldn’t do it.
I’m sorry if I’ve led you astray.
The 30 minute technique works with any curry
The best part of all this is once you figure it you can reproduce pretty much everything on the menu. Madras, jalfrezi, dhansak, dopiaza. They all work.
This may not be the most intuitive chicken tikka masala recipe you’ve ever seen. I get that. It’s completely different from pretty much every recipe out there.
Don’t let that scare you. This works. It works well. Take a leap of faith. You will never look back.
30 minute chicken tikka masala
Ingredients
The onion paste
- 2 cups onions – coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
quick tandoori chicken skewers
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 3 pieces per thigh. or 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp tandoori masala – you can get this from any Indian grocer.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
chicken tikka masala
- 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp tandoori masala – see note. Please see note.
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt – about half if you are using table salt
- 2 tbsp tomato paste diluted to the consistency of tomato sauce
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery if you have it
- 1/6 lemon – juiced
- 1 tbsp heavy cream – I use 35 percent milk fat
Instructions
The onion paste
- Place the onions in a microwave safe dish and cover loosely. Microwave at 70 percent until the onions are soft and translucent. This takes 10 minutes in my 1100 watt microwave. I can’t predict how long it will take in yours…
- Remove the onions from the microwave. Be careful. They will be hot. Let them cool slightly. Place the onions, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 cup of warm water in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
tandoori chicken skewers
- Combine the tandoori masala, salt and oil. Stir to combine.
- Cut chicken into large bite size pieces. Combine tandoori marinade with the chicken. Toss to coat the chicken and let sit, refrigerated, for one hour or so.
- Thread the chicken on skewers (pre-soaked is a good idea if you are using wood). Grill, over medium high heat until just done. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Alternately, you can broil them. Set aside.
chicken tikka masala
- Taste your tandoori masala. If it tastes like salt you have a salty product. Leave out the salt specified in this recipe. You can adjust at the end.
- In a small bowl, combine the coriander, cumin, garam masala, 2 tsp tandoori masala, kashmiri chili powder and kosher salt if you are using it. This is your spice mix.
- Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat until it shimmers.
- Add the garlic ginger paste and cook until it stops spluttering. You’ll understand what I mean when you do it.
- Turn the heat to medium low. Add the spice mix and stir continuously until it starts to smell really good – around 30-40 seconds. Watch it carefully. If you burn the spices at this point you have to start over.
- Add the diluted tomato paste and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the onion paste and turn the heat up to medium high. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5-6 minutes. Cover it loosely. It will splatter. If it doesn’t your heat is too low. The curry will darken a bit as it cooks.
- Turn the heat down to medium low. Add the coconut milk and brown sugar and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add the pre-cooked tandoori chicken and lemon juice. Simmer until the chicken is warmed through – another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream. Stir to combine.
- Taste for salt. If you’ve left the salt out it’s time to decide if it needs more. I can’t help you here. Not until I take over global production of tandoori masala anyway.
- Grab a spoonful of the sauce. Look at it. If it seems a little thick add a bit of water. Maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons. Stir and warm it through. Your goal is the lush restaurant gravy texture you know and love.
- Garnish with a bit of cilantro or fried shallots if desired. Drizzle a little more cream overtop if you want “the look”. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
30 minute chicken tikka masala
Ingredients
The onion paste
- 2 cups onions - coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
quick tandoori chicken skewers
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 3 pieces per thigh. or 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp tandoori masala - you can get this from any Indian grocer.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
chicken tikka masala
- 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
- 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp tandoori masala - see note. Please see note.
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt - about half if you are using table salt
- 2 tbsp tomato paste diluted to the consistency of tomato sauce
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery if you have it
- 1/6 lemon - juiced
- 1 tbsp heavy cream - I use 35 percent milk fat
Instructions
The onion paste
- Place the onions in a microwave safe dish and cover loosely. Microwave at 70 percent until the onions are soft and translucent. This takes 10 minutes in my 1100 watt microwave. I can’t predict how long it will take in yours…
- Remove the onions from the microwave. Be careful. They will be hot. Let them cool slightly. Place the onions, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 cup of warm water in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
tandoori chicken skewers
- Combine the tandoori masala, salt and oil. Stir to combine.
- Cut chicken into large bite size pieces. Combine tandoori marinade with the chicken. Toss to coat the chicken and let sit, refrigerated, for one hour or so.
- Thread the chicken on skewers (pre-soaked is a good idea if you are using wood). Grill, over medium high heat until just done. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Alternately, you can broil them. Set aside.
chicken tikka masala
- Taste your tandoori masala. If it tastes like salt you have a salty product. Leave out the salt specified in this recipe. You can adjust at the end.
- In a small bowl, combine the coriander, cumin, garam masala, 2 tsp tandoori masala, kashmiri chili powder and kosher salt if you are using it. This is your spice mix.
- Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat until it shimmers.
- Add the garlic ginger paste and cook until it stops spluttering. You’ll understand what I mean when you do it.
- Turn the heat to medium low. Add the spice mix and stir continuously until it starts to smell really good - around 30-40 seconds. Watch it carefully. If you burn the spices at this point you have to start over.
- Add the diluted tomato paste and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the onion paste and turn the heat up to medium high. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5-6 minutes. Cover it loosely. It will splatter. If it doesn’t your heat is too low. The curry will darken a bit as it cooks.
- Turn the heat down to medium low. Add the coconut milk and brown sugar and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add the pre-cooked tandoori chicken and lemon juice. Simmer until the chicken is warmed through - another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream. Stir to combine.
- Taste for salt. If you’ve left the salt out it’s time to decide if it needs more. I can’t help you here. Not until I take over global production of tandoori masala anyway.
- Grab a spoonful of the sauce. Look at it. If it seems a little thick add a bit of water. Maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons. Stir and warm it through. Your goal is the lush restaurant gravy texture you know and love.
- Garnish with a bit of cilantro or fried shallots if desired. Drizzle a little more cream overtop if you want “the look”. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Lamb keema matar. Never heard of it? That’s a shame. Because it’s crazy delicious.
Lamb. Spices. A rich sauce. And a serving of vegetables built in. Peas in fact. May sound strange. But it works. Really, really well.
And you can make it in 30 minutes. From a standing start. That’s just good living. I think anyway.
Lamb keema matar is a dish you should be making
Everybody’s heard of chicken tikka masala. Butter chicken. Lamb saag. These are the safe choices. Tasty.
Really tasty. But maybe a little conventional. Uninspired. If that’s your thing then stop reading now.
But if you want to stretch a little? Put a toe outside your comfort zone? Give your tastebuds a treat? Then you really should try lamb keema matar.
It’s a glebekitchen house favourite. Has been for years. It’s the one that gets requested the most. Along with restaurant chicken biryani . You should try that too.
Keema means ground meat in Hindi. Matar is peas. Keema matar. Ground lamb with peas. In a lush restaurant gravy.
And if you really hate peas just leave them out. this one is pretty amazing without them. Keema curry. That’s a thing too.
Restaurant results without the fuss
Ever wonder why your curries never turn out like the ones that you get at your favourite local? There’s a reason. A good one.
Almost every recipe on the internet uses traditional Indian techniques. Restaurants don’t. Simple as that. They have a different approach.
Restaurants use an onion gravy as the foundation of their dishes. That’s the trick. Why you can’t get your curries to taste like theirs.
They call it base gravy. Or curry gravy. They make huge pots of it. There’s a whole section full of recipes doing it just like the restaurants. Exactly like the restaurants.
Takes time though. A lot of prep. A few techniques to master.
If you want to go deep you can read about Indian restaurant curry at home . It’s a whole new world.
Or you can make this. It comes very close. Without the work. Curry gravy in 10 minutes. That’s what makes this weeknight cooking.
Up to you. Make curries twice a week? Every week? Full blown restaurant technique is for you.
Tight on time? Only make a couple curries a month? The 30 minute approach is probably a better bet.
Cook the lamb then make the keema matar
That’s a counter-intuitive statement. If you’ve been cooking Indian for a while you know. There’s a lot of braising going on in an Indian kitchen. A lot.
Restaurant style is different. They cook to order. Can’t sit around waiting for the lamb to cook with customers waiting.
“Ready to order?”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll have the lamb curry please”.
“Excellent choice. That will be 95 minutes. Would you like a cocktail in the meantime?”
Pre-cooked proteins. That’s how Indian restaurants roll.
This is a busy 30 minutes
This isn’t the simplest of curries. There’s a lot of moving parts. I can do it in 30 minutes. On a good day. And I don’t have to stop to check the recipe.
So maybe budget 40 minutes. This isn’t a race. Better to burn an extra 10 minutes and have fun. Nobody needs stress in the kitchen.
Or think about prepping the keema the night before. That works too. Makes this recipe a breeze. An easy 30 minutes. 22 minute lamb keema matar even.
Want really easy? Prep the onion paste ahead of time. That makes it a 15 minute dish. Perfect for a dinner party.
A couple curries. A fancy pilau rice if you feel like showing off. Maybe a nice green salad to start. That’s an easy night in the kitchen. Easy and impressive. Who doesn’t want that?
Try keema matar
30 minute keema matar. Lamb with peas. Fast. Delicious. Restaurant results. It just works.
If you’ve made it this far I’m guessing you are ready to broaden your horizons. Try this dish. You may wind up liking it as much as I do. That wouldn’t be a bad thing at all…
lamb keema matar
Ingredients
The onion paste
- 2 cups onions – coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp neutral oil – think canola, safflower, vegetable…
- 1 cup water
The keema
- 12 oz ground lamb
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 black cardamom – black is not the same as green. Just leave it out if you can’t get it.
- 1 Indian bay leaf – called tej patta (optional but tasty if you can get it)
- 2 inch cassia bark – cinnamon bark
- 2 tsp garlic ginger paste – you can buy it but it is so much better if you make it yourself
- 1/2 tsp kasoori methi – aka fenugreek leaves
- 2 tsp madras curry powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt – use about half this much if you are using table salt
- 2 tsp tomato paste – diluted in about two tablespoons of water
- 2/3 cup water
spice mix
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp mild kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp kasoor methi – dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tsp kosher salt – use a bit less if you are using table salt
keema matar
- 12 oz lamb keema – the full amount of the recipe link below. You can take out the whole spices or not. Up to you.
- 4 tbsp the lamb fat thrown by the keema – make it up to 4 tbsp with neutral oil if you don’t have enough from the lamb
- 2 tbsp garlic ginger paste – see notes
- the spice mix from above
- 2 tbsp tomato paste plus enough water to dilute it to the consistency of tomato sauce
- the onion paste from above
- 1 tsp tamarind paste homemade or store bought
- 1 cup peas
Instructions
Make the onion paste
- Place the onions in a microwave safe dish and cover with cling wrap. Do yourself a favour. Punch a couple holes in the wrap to let the steam escape. Microwave at 70 percent until the onions are soft and translucent. This takes about 10 minutes in an 1100 watt microwave oven.
- Remove the onions from the microwave. Be careful. They will be hot. Let them cool slightly.
- Place the onions, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 cup of warm water in a blender and puree until smooth. This is your onion paste.
Make the keema
- Start your keema as soon as the onions go into the microwave.
- Pre-heat your skillet over medium heat.
- Add the oil. Once it starts to shimmer add the bay, cardamom if using and cassia bark. Cook until little bubbles form around the spices – about 30 seconds.
- Add the garlic ginger paste. Cook until the sizzling stops. This should take less than a minute.
- Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the kasoor methi, madras curry powder and salt. You want the spices and oil to be fully combined. Homogenous is a good way of thinking about it. Cook for around 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat back up to medium. Add the diluted tomato paste. Stir to combine. Again homogenous is a good word. Cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the lamb. Break it up and cook until it no longer looks raw then add the water.
- Continue to cook until the water has evaporated. This should take about 10 minutes.
- While the lamb cooks use the time to finish making the the onion paste. Do your prep. Cook your peas. Measure out your spices. Dilute the tomato paste.
- When all the water has evaporated remove the lamb from the pan and set aside. Keep the lamb fat in the pan. Lamb fat is delicious. Seriously.
Make keema matar
- Cook the peas. If they are frozen microwave until warm. If they are fresh shelled peas, drop them into boiling salted water and cook until they turn bright green (probably a couple minutes if they are fresh). Check one. If you like them more done keep cooking until you get what you like.
- In a small bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, kasoor methi and salt. This is your spice mix.
- Heat the lamb fat you saved from the keema in a large skillet. If you don’t have 4 tbsp add a bit of neutral oil.
- Add the garlic ginger paste. Cook, stirring, until the garlic ginger paste stops spluttering. You’ll see what I mean when you do it.
- Turn the heat to medium low. Add the spice mix. Stir continuously until it starts to smell really good (about 30 seconds). This is called blooming the spices. It’s a key Indian cooking technique. Watch it carefully. If it looks like it’s sticking or burning lift the pan from the heat. If the spices burn you need to start over. No way around that.
- Add the diluted tomato paste and stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add half the onion paste and turn the heat up to medium high. Stir to combine. Cook for about a minute. Add the rest of the onion paste and stir again. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. Don’t worry if it looks dry. You can add a bit of water at the end.
- Turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in the tamarind paste. Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the pre-cooked keema. Simmer to heat the keema through. Add the peas. When the peas are warmed through you are good to go.
- If the curry is a bit thick add a bit of water or chicken stock and stir. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
- Garnish with a of cilantro if desired.
