I made a "not so traditional" version of chicken tikka masala. But, then again I am not sure if there is anything that qualifies as a "traditional Indian tikka masala." In fact, chicken tikka masala was not even born in India.
Rumor has it that years back in the 1960s, a British gentleman stepped into an Indian restaurant and returned his order of chicken tikka, complaining that it was undercooked. Tired of his customer's rants, the chef opened a can of tomato soup, threw in some cream and cooked the tikka in the sauce. Ironically, the dish became so popular in England that in 2001, it was declared England's national dish.
Some Indian critics claim that it was born in the early 1500s when Babar, a Mughal emperor sick of choking on the bones of his tandoori chicken, asked his Punjabi cooks to remove all the bones. Cooks terrified of the angry emperor chopped off all the bones before throwing the chicken into the tandoor (clay oven). They cooked the chicken in spices and served it to the emperor.
Whatever be the story, I know that it is one of the most popular Indian dishes and the kind of chicken tikka masala a restaurant serves determines the quality of a restaurant and a chef in my book. This is a quicker and simpler version from a busy mom to some Indian food lovers and I have a feeling that you are going to like it!
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