Firstly, what is Tikka Masala? Tikka is the chunks of meat marinated in spices and cooked on skewers in a tandoor oven. Masala being the tomato, cream and spice sauce. The UK's national dish, according to the former British Foreign Minister, Robin Cook, ranks first place over Fish and Chips. So where did this recipe come from? You would be wrong to believe the recipe originated from India, in fact you'll be hard pushed to find Chicken Tikka Masala in many restaurants there, even today. Some hotel restaurants in India do serve the recipe but this is simply to please their British guests. Many establishments, from London to Glasgow, claim the recipe originated at their restaurant. However, it is impossible to substantiate any of these claims. Since the late 1940's Indian restaurants have taken their place in almost every city, town and village across the UK. Chicken Tikka Masala wasn't on the menu in these restaurants, yet today over 23 million portions a year are sold in UK Indian restaurants alone. The history of Chicken Tikka Masala began with a disgruntled customer, who was served Chicken Tikka, cooked by a Bangladeshi chef. When the meal arrived, the customer enquired 'where's my gravy?' The Tikka was returned to the kitchen and the angry Chef responded by adding a tin of tomato soup and a few spices. Authentic recipe, accident or just an angry and insulted Chef getting his own back on an ignorant customer? Who knows. However, the customer loved his Chicken Tikka with 'gravy' and so the Chicken Tikka Masala was born. Today this legendary dish isn't usually made with a tin of soup, it's a little more complex than that. So, what is the authentic Chicken Tikka Masala recipe, I hear you ask? Well, there isn't one. In 1998 the Real Curry Restaurant Guide conducted a survey on 48 different Chicken Tikka Masala recipes and they found that the only common ingredient was Chicken. There are many variations of this British born dish but none are actually authentic. Chefs across the UK have tweaked and played around with the recipe until they arrived at what, in their opinion, was the best Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. Don't take my word for it, look around on the Internet, in recipe books, anywhere you like and you probably won't find two Chicken Tikka Masala recipes alike. Trail and error is the key and it's a good way of recreating this dish for yourself. Start with a simple recipe and don't be afraid to play around with it. Try looking at a few other, different recipes and take ideas from each of them. Combine the ingredients and don't fall at the first hurdle, you probably won't get it perfect the first time around. Stick at it and I am sure you will find YOUR PERFECT Chicken Tikka Masala. And remember, authenticity is not a factor as there is no authentic recipe. Here's a starting point for you.
The History of Chicken Tikka Masala
