Tikka Room

Friday, August 14, 2009

As you may have seen previously, we have started getting a bin of random produce delivered every two weeks. Sometimes, we get fruits and veggies that we are very familiar with and can incorporate into our weekly meal preparation without much difficulty, sometimes we need to get out of our comfort zone and try something new.

In our most recent bin, most everything was pretty usual: cabbage, lettuce, sweet corn, blueberries, etc. But we also received about a dozen sprigs of fresh mint. Now I've eaten recipes with a teaspoon or two of mint, but what to do with that much mint? Well, obviously some form dessert comes to mind first -- probably something with chocolate. BUT, I am not the dessert maker in the house. So, if it is up to me find the creative use for an ingredient, then most of the time I will opt for something a bit more on the savory side.

Enter: Chicken Tikka.

According to WikiPedia, this dish is South Asian, though the various sources I found on the web when figuring out how to make it were not so conclusive -- while several agreed with WikiPedia that it was Indian, some said it was Middle Eastern, and at least one even said Mediterranean.

At first glance, with several very strong-flavored ingredients, it sounds like this would be horrible, but all the flavors blended in very interesting ways to result in a very tasty, flavorful meal.

Chicken Hariyali Tikka


  • 1 cup chopped cilantro

  • 1/2 cup chopped mint

  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic

  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

  • 4oz. can of green chilies

  • 1 Tbsp. ground ginger

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks



  1. Put all ingredients except the chicken in a blender and liquefy.

  2. Put chicken chunks in a gallon-sized heavy-duty zippered storage bag.

  3. Pour the blended sauce into the bag and seal (make sure it is tightly sealed with as little air in the bag as possible.

  4. Clean everything (since you've been handling raw chicken)!

  5. From the sanitary safety of the outside of the bag, massage the sauce into the raw chicken for a few minutes.

  6. Lay the bag flat in your refrigerator approx. 8 hours or so.

  7. Skewer the hunks of chicken and grill



When all was done, we still had a couple of sprigs of mint left, so after the kiddos went to bed, we polished those off in the form of Mojitos.

My Life According to Petra

Monday, August 3, 2009

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to at least 15 people and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick Your Artist:
Petra

Are you male or female?
Praying Man

Describe Yourself:
Computer Brains

How do you feel:
All Fired Up

Describe where you currently live:
Right Place

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Over the Horizon

Your favorite form of transportation:
Run For the Prize

Your best friends are:
I Can Be Friends With You

What is life to you:
More Than a Thousand Words

Your fear:
Blinded Eyes

What is the best advice you have to give:
Don't Let Your Heart Be Hardened

How I would like to die:
Never Say Die

My Motto:
Think Twice
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