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Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan and White Rice by Jes Mostek

This fabulously easy Indian spiced chicken will have your guests thinking you've taken a culinary class in Indian cooking! You're likely to find naan bread either in the frozen bread section or on the "take 'n bake" shelf in the bakery section of your local grocery store.

In addition to the recipes, you will also need the following for this meal:

2 pkg.

Naan Bread

Recipes:

Chicken Tikka Masala by Jes Mostek serves: 8

Classic Indian chicken recipe. Serve with cooked rice or naan bread. For a lighter version, yogurt may be substituted for the cream.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp.

garlic powder

1 T.

paprika

1 tsp.

ground cumin

2 tsp.

garam masala

1 1/2 lbs.

chicken breasts, cubed

2 T.

butter

1 medium

onion, chopped

1/4 c.

lemon juice

2 (14 oz.) cans

diced tomatoes with peppers, drained

1/2 c.

heavy cream

1 1/2 T.

corn starch

2 tsp.

seasoned salt

1 tsp.

cayenne

1/2 tsp.

black pepper

Directions:

Melt butter in a large skillet (on medium heat). Add onion and sautee until translucent and golden (5-10 min). Meanwhile, prepare spices and cut up chicken.

In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic, garam masala, cumin, cayenne and black pepper.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, corn starch, and seasoned salt.

Add the chicken, lemon juice, and about half of the spice mixture to the pan. Cook 5-10 min, until chicken is fully cooked (cut one chicken cube down the center-- the juices should run clear, and the center should no longer be pink). Taste the sauce for flavor. If you prefer a more intensely spiced flavor, add the remaining spice mixture. Otherwise, reserve spice mixture for future use. Add the cream mixture to the chicken mixture in the pan, continuing to stir over medium heat until the sauce is bubbly and thickened.

Serve immediately with cooked rice or naan. Sprinkle additional salt or spices on each portion, as desired.

Rice by Jes Mostek serves: 4

This is a recipe for simple cooked rice. Feel free to spice it up, literally, to suit your personal taste.

1 c. uncooked rice will yield about 2 1/2 c. cooked rice, that's 4 - 3/4 c. servings.

Brown rice has more health benefits than its white counterpart. But if your goal is to cook authentic Japanese or Chinese cuisine, sticky white rice is your objective.

Ingredients:

1 c.

uncooked rice

2 c.

water

1/2 T.

butter, optional

salt to taste

Directions:

To cook the rice, you'll need either a rice cooker or a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan with a tight-fitting lid (a clear lid works best so you can see into the pot without having to disturb the cooking process to check on your rice).

Check your rice and remove anything undesirable (i.e. black grains, etc.). Pre-rinsing your rice is recommended on most rice packages. This part is optional. Rinsing your rice will yield rice that is more fluffy, while cooking your rice without rinsing first will yield rice that is more sticky. This is your choice.

Combine uncooked rice with water and a pat of butter and/or seasonings, if desired. Give the rice and water a quick stir to ensure that all of the rice is submurged and evenly distributed in the pan.

If you're using the rice cooker, follow the manufacturer's instructions at this point, and you're done (usually just turn it on and walk away).

If you're using a sauce pan or stock pot, put the lid on the pot and heat over a high flame until it reaches a full boil, stirring once to ensure that the rice doesn't clump or stick (just like when you're cooking pasta).

Once the rice is cooking at a full boil, reduce the flame to low and cook on a slow simmer until the rice is done. Do not disturb the rice during this stage of cooking (no stirring).

Once you have brought the rice to a boil, it will take about 20 minutes for white rice to cook, and 30-40 minutes for brown rice to cook.

When the rice is done cooking, fluff with a fork and serve.