Indian Dinner plus exploding glass pans

Well last night made for an interesting dinner that is for sure.  We invited the Heal's our neighbors over for dinner last night and had a great meal plus exciting events.  One thing I definitely did learn is to not leave a burner on and put a 9X13 glass pan on top of it.  As I pulled the 9X13 glass pan out of the warm oven, I placed it on the stovetop not knowing I left the burner on.  Within 10 minutes of being there, it literally exploded into millions of pieces.  Shards of glass went everywhere.  I would have to say that the largest piece wasn't much bigger than a couple of quarters side-by-side.  It was amazing!  I never knew a glass pan could do that, let alone shoot everywhere.  I even found glass in my toaster.   Luckily no one was close to it.  I will be cleaning up glass for a lifetime now.

Anyway, the dinner turned out FANTASTIC.  I decided to try a new Indian food recipe.  The one that we tried was from All Recipes and it had a 5 star rating with over 1,000 reviews.  Because of the great reviews I thought it would be a good one to try, and I'm glad we did.  Definitely a favorite from the Indian cuisine. We also served this with our version of this Naan.  You can check out the recipes online for the original versions, but here are my versions.  ENJOY!!!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 - 2 pounds chicken (4-5 chicken breasts or 11-12 chicken tenderloins)
6 long skewers

 Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper (more or less depending on desired heat)
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground paprika
2 teaspoons Garam Masala (optional, but a great addition)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups heavy cream (1 small carton)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt.  Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat a grill on high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate.  Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.  Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute.  Season with cumin, paprika, Garam Masala and salt.  Stir in tomato sauce and cream.  Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. It is very important for it to simmer for this long in order to let the flavor develop appropriately.  Trust me, you will love it more the longer it simmers. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro.  

Whole-Wheat Garlic Naan

Ingredients:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

 Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Mix melted butter and garlic together and let sit for 5 minutes. 

Preheat George Foreman grill.  Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle.  Place dough on grill, brush uncooked side with garlic butter.  Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned with top of George Foreman grill up.  Turn over.  Brush cooked side with butter.  Close top of the George foreman grill and cook until browned another 1-2 minutes.  Continue until all dough balls are cooked.