Dairy Free Tandoori Chicken, Chana Masala and Rice
While I'm sure I've missed some traditional steps and ingredients, this meal completely did the trick for a dairy free lover of Indian food!
I love Indian food, but as soon as I learned dairy did not like me..... most Indian dishes became something I could no longer eat... at least my "go to's" like butter chicken... So good!! I had to learn to make it myself, or at least make it well enough to meet my cravings! Here is the step by step for how to make Indian Tandoori chicken at home!
I try and buy whole organic chickens when they are on sale... you can get them in Canada for about $4.99 a pound, which is a decent deal! For meals like this that traditionally call for several cuts of chicken, I love to pull these out of the freezer! This was defrosted, and I cut the breasts off the bone and separated the legs and thighs off the carcass as well.
On to the spice mix......
I mixed up Garam Masala, turmeric, chili powder, paprika, cumin and salt in a bowl!... I shredded in fresh Ginger and mixed well!
Then I coated the chicken pieces all over in the mix to ensure that all surfaces of the chicken was fully coated!
I ensured this was well coated in avocado oil and placed in the oven at 400 degrees!
While that cooked... I started on the rice..... I've mentioned before that I cook separate meals for my kids.... kind of.... I always use the same ingredients but perhaps blend them differently for their particular palates. Thus I do not do Indian rice as I probably should... I cook the white rice first, so I can give my kids plain rice, and then flavour to meet a particular dishes needs after.... it still works!
I took 2 cups of white rice and cooked it in the microwave for 20 minutes in a covered dish, with 4 cups of water and a bit of oil. Once the rice was cooked I worked on the onion and pea mix that you often find in a biryani rice dish! I started with sautéing some red onion in a pan with cardamom seeds, salt and some cumin. Once slightly cooked I added the peas!
Once that was fully cooked, I added in the cooked rice and blended it together nicely and kept warm! Looks delicious right?
On to the Chana Masala! Otherwise known as chick peas! I love this dish! Chickpeas are amazing... so full of nutrients and protein, and in this rich tomato sauce; its to die for!
I used organic canned chickpeas, and placed them in a pan with some red onion, chili powder, garam masala, garlic powder, and cumin, with avocado oil to ensure the spices stuck to the chickpeas!
From there I added crushed tomatoes and a splash of cashew milk to create the tomato sauce this dish is known for.
At this point my tandoori chicken was fully cooked... doesn't it look delicious fresh from the oven? It was crusted with the Tandoori spices and was super flavourful! I wish I layered my dish with tinfoil... but lessons learned!
I plated each out, having set aside the rest in my warming drawer and served it out with fresh Naan bread! I hope you enjoy it!!!
The Recipe:
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