Naan and spice and everything nice

In case you didn’t know, I’m obsessed with Indian food. It’s my favorite. Which is why it’s such a shame that I just now made a visit to our local Indian market last week.

My goal, by the way, was masala powder, and the resulting tikka masala I made was gobbled up too fast for me to get a picture!

One day I’ll have enough spices for a tikka dabba (spice rack) like this one!

On entering the market, my sister and I gawked at the huge exotic fruits and vegetables. They had names like “hoosi” and “konguun,” and I had no idea what they were. It was indeed an eye-opening experience.

We moved on to intricately inspect every other item of food in the store, which was fairly large. We both had hazy goals for what we wanted, but higher on our priority list was to simply enjoy the experience.

As we wandered aimlessly, a kindly Indian woman who did not work there asked if we needed help finding something. For a moment I inwardly seethed and considered spouting in perfect Hindi that I’m an Indian with a pigment disorder who knows this place like the back of my hand. But she was really nice. And I only know how to say “Hello” and “How are you?” in Hindi. Plus despite my wishes, I really didn’t know what most things were and could have probably used her help.

Anyway 🙂

In addition to my masala, I scored onion kulcha, which I had never had before but appeared like stuffed naan. Two of my favorite things: naan and something I’ve never tried! Later I discovered that kulcha is a sort of fluffier naan popular in northern India. It usually comes stuffed with cottage cheese, onions, potatoes or spices.

Variants of naan? Be still, my fluttering heart!

Thank you, Patel Brothers Market, for an enjoyable time and supremely yummy food! I have an auspicious feeling that I will be seeing you again soon…

Visiting India through chicken tikka masala

I’ve long been obsessed with India – the bright colors, the happy inhabitants and, of course, the flavorful dishes! Although I’ve never actually visited the country, I make Indian food often, so my first dish to share with you is chicken tikka masala. You might have heard of it, as it’s a popular dish in Indian restaurants here in America (although interestingly enough, Britain has laid claim to its origins).

Tikka masala is similar to many Indian dishes, with chicken marinated in yogurt with several different spices, cooked in a tomato sauce and served over rice. It goes excellently with naan, a common Indian flatbread. I have to admit I cheated and bought my naan at Kroger – naan isn’t really naan to me unless it’s made in a special kind of oven called a tandoor, so after failed attempts of baking it at home, I am at peace with buying it pre-made!

If you’d like to try making tikka masala, I’d recommend this recipe. Warning: there’s a liberal amount of both spices and jalapenos!

India is a land of tigers, monsoons and traditions. They let cows wander wherever they will.  They have a whole festival dedicated to throwing colored powder and paint at each other. Would you like to visit this exotic, yet chaotic, country?