Chicken tikka masala

Chicken tikka masala (Bengali: চিচ্কেন টিক্কা মসলা; Hindi: चिकन टिक्का मसाला; Urdu: مرغ تکہ مصالحہ) is a curry dish of roasted chicken chunks (tikka) in a spicy (masala) sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orange-coloured. Chicken Tikka masala has been found to be the most popular dish in British restaurants and it has been called "a true British national dish."^[1]

Composition

Chicken tikka masala is chicken tikka, chunks of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt, that is then baked in a tandoor oven, served in a masala ("mixture of spices") sauce.^[2] A tomato and coriander sauce is common, but there is no standard recipe for chicken tikka masala; a survey found that of 48 different recipes, the only common ingredient was chicken tikka.^[3] The sauce usually includes tomatoes, frequently as puree; cream and/or coconut cream; and various spices. The sauce or chicken pieces (or both) are coloured orange with food dyes or with orange foodstuffs such as turmeric powder, paprika powder or tomato puree.^[4] Other tikka masala dishes replace chicken with lamb, fish or paneer.

Origins

One explanation of the origins of the dish is that it was conceived in an Indian restaurant.^[1][2] Rahul Verma, an Indian expert on street food from Delhi, has stated that the dish originated, probably by accident with subsequent improvisations, in Punjab during the last 50 years.^[5]

There are also claims that an Indian chef in Glasgow invented it by improvising a sauce made from yogurt, cream and spices.^[6][7] In July 2009 Pakistani-born British MP Mohammad Sarwar tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons asking that Parliament support a campaign for Glasgow to be given European Union Protected Designation of Origin status for chicken tikka masala.^[8] The motion was not chosen for debate nor has Sarwar spoken on this subject in Parliament.^[9][10] Some people have drawn comparisons between chicken tikka masala and butter chicken, another Indian dish including chicken and gravy which was probably invented in Northern India.

Popularity

Chicken tikka masala is served in restaurants around the world.^[11][12] A survey in the United Kingdom claimed that it is that country's most popular restaurant dish.^[2] One in seven curries sold in the UK is chicken tikka masala. The cross-cultural popularity of the dish in the UK led former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook to proclaim it as "a true British national dish".^[3]. It is also widely served in India, especially in major cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Chandigarh. Some restaurants in Pakistan and Bangladesh offer chicken tikka masala, especially if they expect tourists from the United Kingdom as clients.^[13]

See also

• Balti, a South Asian dish invented in the United Kingdom.
• General Tso's chicken, another dish seen as symbolic of a culture's cuisine.
• Curry chicken, a similar spiced chicken dish.
• Butter chicken, a similar mild curry dish.

Further reading

• Curry Club Tandoori and Tikka Dishes, Piatkus, London — ISBN 0-7499-1283-9 (1993)
• Curry Club 100 Favourite Tandoori Recipes, Piatkus, London — ISBN 07499149 & ISBN 0-7499-1741-5 (1995)
• India: Food & Cooking, New Holland, London — ISBN 978-1-84537-619-2 (2007)
• Collingham, Elizabeth M (2006). Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. Oxford University Press. pp. 2–3. ISBN 0195172418. 

References

External links

• BBC Good Food's version
• Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe