Some questions which occurred to me while slaving over a hot stove

Firstly, do people re-use freezer bags? I don't, and as such, I never understood the point of buying really fancy resealable ones. I go for small ones with this plastic, but I wasn't sure if people presume to reuse them. And if they do, how do they deal with the risk of cross-contamination?

Secondly, and on an entirely different note, our local Indian restaurant does a great chicken tikka. It's not the characteristic red colour of tikka, and the meat is much more tender than the usual deep-fried stuff you get in take-aways. All recipes I've found online include turmeric and chilli, and I can't find one to replicate the pale colour and lovely flavour. Any suggestions on where I might find one, or indeed on if this variation is particular to a region in India, as this may help my search?

Freezer bags - what a dilemma. Just had some cooked apple from one: it was a bit too gooey to think of washing out, but it seemed bad to throw the bag out.

Suggestion: hens aren't fussy, so if you rinse them out, you could use them to keep surplus vegetable peelings in for the hens.

When you peel and cook vegetables, you can drop the peelings into the left over water and boil them up for a minute or two and give them to the chickens. They like apple peel too. If you have too much for one day, you can put it into the old freezer bag and freeze it.

My little bible on Indian cookery (published in 1963) doesn't have a Tikka recipe. It's really a 90's British invention so I don't think exploring regional variations will help. Howeever the ever helpful E.P.Veeraswamy has a simple recipe that might get that colour and flavour you want with tomato puree (or tomatoes) and yoghurt (or coconut milk) with the spices ( curry powder, onion, garlic, and 2 dry red chillies are the simplest one he has).

I stick the bags back in the freezer if they've had berries or rhubarb or plums or something like that in them and use them again next season. Otherwise I use the non-swanky ones.

I'm rather ashamed of my freezer - full of stuff that I have forgotten about. I like cooking but hate eating frozen food so it's a bit of a waste putting lasagne in the freezer because it'll stay there forever. I'm slowly emptying it in time for the long-awaited glut of summer fruit.

Chicken tikka I never, ever eat because the colour is so unnatural. But I'll check out the cookbooks later tonight when I get home, TheBear and see what they suggest.

candide wrote:

My little bible on Indian cookery (published in 1963) doesn't have a Tikka recipe. It's really a 90's British invention so I don't think exploring regional variations will help. Howeever the ever helpful E.P.Veeraswamy has a simple recipe that might get that colour and flavour you want with tomato puree (or tomatoes) and yoghurt (or coconut milk) with the spices ( curry powder, onion, garlic, and 2 dry red chillies are the simplest one he has).

It's not tikka masala I'm after, but the dry chicken tikka (or tandoori chicken, it's sometimes called).

There's very little colour involved, certainly nothing as strong as tomato or curry powder. I may have to resort to asking for the recipe in the restaurant, but they may not be too obliging.

Kate P wrote:

Chicken tikka I never, ever eat because the
colour is so unnatural. But I'll check out the cookbooks later tonight
when I get home, TheBear and see what they suggest.

Thanks. I agree about the colour that you commonly find, though it is mostly caused by the spices (I make a paler version at home, which is healthier looking), and I was kinda disturbed when I saw the Indian beside the last place I lived popping the chicken into a deep fryer to heat it up when I ordered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/tandooristylechicken_90296.shtml


This one from Madhur Jaffrey seems very lemony but doesn't use turmeric .

candide wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/tandooristylechicken_90296.shtml


This one from Madhur Jaffrey seems very lemony but doesn't use turmeric .

That's great, I'll give it a try. I think you're right, though, I might cut down on the lemons.

I'l report back in a week or so.

By the way, great to see you Bear.