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Indian Chicken Tikka Masala: A Timeline
3000 B.C.: Tandoor clay ovens are invented.
1500s A.D.: Punjab is conquered by ruthless but decadent ruler, Babur. He orders his chefs to remove the bones from his meat before cooking it (not a popular notion at the time). Babur's chefs begin to cook the bite-sized pieces of meat in a tandoor. It is originally called joleh, meaning 'small pieces' and Persian for tikka.
1500s-1800s: Chicken Tikka dishes develop gain popularity among all classes.
1857: The
Indian Rebellion becomes a War of Independence.
(No one mentions Chicken Tikka.)
1942: Gandhi begins the Quit India Movement.
1947: India gains independence from British rule and becomes a Democratic Republic. (...still no one is talking about Chicken Tikka.)
1950s: An influx of Indian immigrants to the UK lead to Indian restaurants popping up throughout Britain.
Though hotly contested, the Chicken Tikka Masala dish we know today is said to come from a restaurant in Glasgow, where people started asking for sauce on their dry Chicken Tikka.
1955: Chicken Tikka appears for the first time in the English dictionary.
2001: Chicken Tikka Masala is called 'a true British national dish' by then Foreign Secretary Robin Cook.
2012: Asian Home Gourmet Indian Tikka Masala SpicePaste© is available in thousands of supermarkets across 6 continents.
If you'd like to try your hand at your own Tikka Masala dishes, try out some of AHG's very own recipes including:
Indonesian Nasi Goreng
Meaning 'fried rice', nasi goreng is commonly found on the menu of many a household in Indonesia. A spicy dish, common ingredients include egg, chicken and prawns.
Nasi goreng originates from Chinese fried rice and is thought to have been passed on from Chinese traders to Indonesian locals during the 10th century. When Chinese diaspora later touched Indonesia, the emigrants brought with them their food traditions and methods of stir frying in woks, solidifying nasi goreng into the Indonesian consciousness.
It's a convenient dish that is often prepared for breakfast- using leftovers from last night's meal and with the addition of fresh vegetables and eggs.
Here are a couple of great recipes that some bloggers have come up with. For quick and easy cooking, simply substitute the sauces with AHG's Indonesian Nasi Goreng spice paste!
Great recipes include nasi goreng ayam (chicken):
http://www.tasty-indonesian-food.com/chicken-fried-rice.html
And if you're looking for something more authentic- nasi goreng ikan asin (salty fish): http://sweetcoconutandcumin.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/nasi-goreng-ikan-asin-fried-rice-with.html
Other ideas with the nasi goreng flavour:
http://www.asianhomegourmet.com/america/our-recipes/indonesian-sambal-stir-fry-rice-spice-paste/sambal-fish-steak-serves-3.php
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Indian Chicken Tikka Masala: A Timeline
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Indonesian Nasi Goreng
Meaning 'fried rice', nasi goreng is commonly found on the menu of many a household in Indonesia. A spicy dish, common ingredients include egg, chicken and prawns. Nasi goreng originates from Chinese fried rice and is thought to have been passed on from Chinese traders to...
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