I've had Indian food only a few times during my life. If I am roughly counting, I probably had it less than 15? It's never been something on my list or to cook at home. I think a big part of that is how intimidating the spices are. It's not like the usual spices we are used to that we can gauge with our eyes. That's when I discovered Spice Mode.
Spice Mode focuses on Indian spices by developing different mixtures for you to feel confident about making any Indian dish at home. What's also great about Spice Mode is how natural their products are. They locally source from midwestern farms, freshly chop the ingredients in-house where they eventually perfect the small-batch sauces without any preservatives added.
With the spices I've received, I will be making Chicken Tikka Masala. The items came with recipes, but of course I made a few edits because I made this in bulk.
Recipe makes 10 portions
- 10 chicken thighs were used.
- 1 - 15oz can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 - 28oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 - 15oz can of Coconut milk
- 1 Jar of Spice Mode Masala Sauce
- 1 Package of Spice Mode Tikka Seasoning
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
I preheated the oven to 450 degrees because I want the chickens to get browned before creating the sauce. It was a hot day and I really didn't want to beat myself over the stove. I was in a 'set it and forget it' mood.
I rubbed the seasonings (including salt and pepper) all over the thighs to coat. I'm looking for a beautiful tan on these babies after they come out of the oven. I know you see 8 thighs when recipe calls for 10. There's enough sauce and room to make 10.
After the chicken is browned, give it a quick wiggle then drop the beans, pour the crushed tomatoes and the 1 can of coconut milk. I topped the sauce with the remainder of the Tikka seasoning and added extra salt to season. I wrapped the dish with foil and stuck it back in the oven to bake for 40 minutes on 400. I took the foil off at 25 minutes and let it finish for another 10-15 minutes until it starts to brown and get bubble on top.
The chicken is topped with cilantro, served with jasmine white rice, some naan bread, and sugar snap peas. Everything was perfect with this dish. It's super easy and pretty much effortless (if you make it so). I could've easily busted out some pans, got some chicken breast instead, and basically cut the cook time in half. I just didn't feel like cooking at a fast pace, and cooking it in the oven still worked out great so why the heck not. My stove is clean and I am a happy girl.
Most common store that I know carries this is Whole Foods. Learn more about Spice Mode here > http://www.spicemode.co/
Happy Cooking.