Simmer Sauce Your Way to India!
Versatile, slightly spicy, creamy tomato gravy from India, this Tikka Masala sauce makes a fabulous quick chickpea curry that I used to stuff baked potatoes, along with a drizzle of cooling, velvety Greek yogurt.
Having grown up in India, my go-to cuisine, my comfort food is usually some version of Indian food. Traditional Indian food uses cooking techniques that are often very time consuming. Here I am using a fabulous brand of Tikka Masala sauce that gives you all the flavor of a slow cooked, traditionally made sauce.
Store bought tikka masala sauce is the key to a quick curry. While we may typically use an Indian simmer sauce like this for a traditional chicken or vegetable curry served over rice, there are a myriad of other things you can do with these sauces such as brushing the sauce onto cubes of chicken or salmon and making kebabs, or using the sauce as the base for a pizza topped with ricotta, bell peppers, tomatoes and nigella seeds and so much more!
I love to BE BRAVE and try new ways of serving my favorite flavors, and this was a fun change from the usual and so very yummy.
Chickpea Tikka Masala Baked Potato
Ingredients
1 cup sliced yellow onions
2 tablespoons garlic paste or minced garlic
1 tablespoon ginger paste or minced ginger
2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 jar O&V Masala Mama Tikka Masala sauce or Cashew Tikka Sauce *
1 tablespoon Sambal Oleak (optional for additional heat and to taste)
¼ cup water
¼ cup chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish)
4 russet baking potatoes
1-2 tablespoons Unflavored EVOO (divided) *
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon cumin powder
2 tablespoons diced red onion
Chopped Thai chilies and lemon wedges to serve
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash and dry the potatoes, and then poke holes in the potatoes with a fork. Rub with unflavored EVOO, sprinkle liberally with sea salt and place on baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender and the skin is crispy. Remove from the oven, slice vertically down the center and pinch the bottoms of the potatoes to crumble the flesh.
In the meantime, beat the Greek yogurt in a bowl, add in the cumin powder, salt and pepper to taste and stir well.
While potatoes cook in the oven, sauté the sliced yellow onions in 1 tablespoon of EVOO until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and cook till aromatic and combined (an additional 2-4 minutes). Mix in the chickpeas and the jar of Tikka Masala sauce and Sambal (if using). Add the ¼ cup water to the empty bottle to get all the sauce out, and add to the pan. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until thick. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
Stir in the chopped cilantro and spoon over the 4 baked potatoes.
Drizzle each potato with a little Greek yogurt mixture and serve garnished with chopped red onions, chopped Thai chilies and a lemon wedge for squeezing.
Serves 4
Active time 20 minutes Total Time: 65 minutes
Notes
* I personally love this Masala Mama Tikka Masala sauce (as I do all their other sauces including the Cashew Tikka which is the vegan version of this sauce). It is made with fresh ingredients, no artificial flavorings and true extra virgin olive oil. If you have a favorite brand of Tikka Masala sauce, feel free to use that, but know that the flavors of the sauce will dictate the quality of the dish. Many Masala Mama sauces are available at Oil & Vinegar Greenville
This good Unflavored EVOO will impart clean taste to the dish and some nutritional value as well. You may substitute with another high-quality oil if you prefer.
Categories: Entrée, Gluten Free, Dairy Free Option, Vegetarian, Vegan, Easy Weeknight Meal, Quick Dinner, Filling Lunch, Indian Flavors, Tikka Masala Sauce, Chickpeas, Baked Potato, Simmer Sauces, Easy Indian, Curry in a Hurry, Greek Yogurt
