This week, I decided to try out our crockpot with one of the simmer sauces. Basically, I poured in the Taj Calcutta brand Tikka Masala simmer sauce under and over two chicken breasts, and let it cook on low heat while I was out at work for about 5-6 hours. By the time I got home, the chicken was cooked all the way through, so I added a tomato, two green bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, and peas, stirred it all together, and let it simmer for another hour. While it didn't look like the prettiest concoction, the smells that filled the house were wonderful!
We like to serve our Indian food over rice, so I whipped up a couple cups of white jasmine rice (definitely worth the 30 minute cook-time, because it has a much better quality and consistency than minute rice, and goes better with this meal).
I was feeling adventurous that night, and since I couldn't find any pre-made naan (Indian flat bread) at the grocery store, I found a box mix to make my own. There were a few different flavors, but I decided to try the plain one first (though next time I want to try out the garlic one!).
It was really easy to make, and the yeasty smell that came about while I was kneading the dough brought me back to when my mom used to make tea rings. The directions were straight forward, and the one box can make up to 8 hand-print sized pieces of naan in about 45 minutes.
Since I don't own a rolling pin, I had to get creative... Thank you Caribou Coffee travel cup!
Cooking them up on the stove went really fast, and before I knew it, I had finished my ever batch of naan! I brushed them with butter and sprinkled on a dash of salt before serving them.
Dinner was really tasty, and we had enough leftovers to last us a couple of days. The only time consuming, labor intensive part was making the naan, but it was worth it to have the fresh flat bread on the side. This is definitely a meal that we will be making again and again.
Maybe we should take one more close look at the Tikka Masala... :-)
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