Chicken Tikka Masala is a delicious and popular dish with multiple stories surrounding its origin, ranging from it being an older Punjabi dish developed somewhere in the 1920s to being created in 1971 by Ali Ahmed Aslam. It’s regarded as one of the most popular Indian dishes in the United Kingdom!
Cooking
When preparing to cook Chicken Tikka Masala, the Chicken is marinated for several hours in a mixture of herbs. Our Chicken is then put on a metal skewer, which will help it cook through the centre, as heat is applied to the centre of the chicken by the skewer, and it can be grilled or baked in the oven depending on personal preference.
The Chicken is then ideally cut into bite sized pieces, the word tikka itself actually meaning ‘cutlet’ or ‘piece’ and then placed into a marinade, made from a mixture of healthy and aromatic spices, herbs and yoghurt! A combination of salt, garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander and cumin with yoghurt creates the creamy, spicy sauce!
Ghee is heated in pot over a medium heat, to which tomato paste, cardamom, chiles and onion are added. The mixture is stirred often as it heats up until the tomato paste blends in and the onion reverts to being soft. Later on more tomatoes are added, along with their juices, and the mixture is brought to a boil, then left to simmer whilst being stirred often.
So What Are The Health Benefits Of Chicken Tikka Masala?
The health benefits for eating Chicken Tikka Masala are many. Chicken Tikka Masala is very rich in protein, which mainly comes from the chicken. Protein is used by the body to repair and fix tissues and grow hair and nails, it’s also used in weight loss, controlling blood pressure and reducing levels of bad cholesterol that build up in the body. Protein is also used by the body as an important building block of muscles, cartilage, bones, skin and blood.
Protein is a macronutrient like fat and carbohydrates, and in order to function well the body needs a lot of it! What makes protein different and special is that it’s not stored in the body like fat and carbohydrates, which means that it’s always beneficial to have a protein rich meal.
Chicken is a lot healthier than red meats, and it’s an important source of minerals and vitamins! It contains B vitamins which are useful in boosting your immunity against infection, preventing both cataracts and skin disorders, helping regulate digestion and eliminating weaknesses from the body. They can also help prevent migraines and other severe headaches, heart disorders, grey hair, diabetes and high levels of cholesterol. The D Vitamins which it also contains are very beneficial too, because it helps assist the body in bone strengthening and calcium absorption. Chicken also contains vitamin A which helps with your eyesight. The iron in Chicken is also very useful because it works to help with hemoglobin formation, and muscle activity, and it also helps to eliminate anaemia. Potassium assists the body in helping with bone health, brain functions and problems with your metabolism. Potassium and Sodium are electrolytes, which are absolutely critical for muscle function!
Improve Your Health With The Healing Power Of Garlic!
The herbs and spices used in Chicken Tikka not only help it taste delicious, but they are also very healthy! The Garlic contains allicin which is responsible for the distinct garlic smell! It has potent medical properties which help it fight off sickness and illnesses by boosting our immune system.
Garlic can also help reduce blood pressure and lower the risk of heart disease assisting with cholesterol reduction. It can also help detoxify heavy metal build up in the body. It’s also speculated that garlic can help reduce and even prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s and Dementia! Garlic can certainly help us live longer because it reduces oxidative damage which contributes to the ageing process.
Ginger – The Subtle Superfood!
Ginger has been used to help prevent nausea and sickness. Over time it can also reduce muscular pain, and it’s anti inflammatory effects can also help people who suffer with osteoarthritis. Ginger, which is a super food can also lower your blood sugars and improve your chances of fighting off heart disease by reducing some of the risk factors for heart disease.
Ginger can also help you in treating chronic indigestion and lowering your cholesterol levels. It can even help you in reducing menstrual pains, fighting infections by inhibiting bacterial growth and protecting against stomach ulcers.
The Tremendous Powers of Turmeric!
Turmeric, which gives curries a yellowish colour does a lot more than bring a nice orange to the Chicken Tikka Masala! A spice used in India for thousands of years, it contains curcumin which is a very potent antioxidant and also a natural anti inflammatory compound, which helps the body fight off bacteria. As an antioxidant, it also helps fight off oxidative damage to the body, which is believed to be one of the problems behind disease and ageing.
Curcumin, found in Turmeric also boosts brain function and helps reduce your risk of brain diseases occurring! Studies have also shown that Curcumin may also be useful in the prevention and treatment of alzheimer’s, reducing the pains and effects of arthritis through its strong anti-inflammatory properties, and it can has also proven to have beneficial effects against depression.
Lose Weight And Feel Great With Garam Masala!
Garam Masala is an interesting spice too, and the flavour can be lost if it’s added too early in the cooking process! Garam Masala helps to relieve pain and inflammation and it also slows the ageing process much like the other spices. It can be use to detoxify your body and remove bloating, and it also helps to get rid of bad breath! Garam Masala is also useful because it helps to promote weight loss within the body, relieving gastrointestinal problems, and it can also help remove heartburn! It’s also good for reducing blood sugar levels as it lowers your glycemic index!
Fight Allergies and Arthritic Pain With The Soothing Effects of Coriander!
Coriander, also known as Cilantro is wonderfully healthy! It contains Cineole and Linoleic Aci, which both possess antirheumatic an antiarthritic properties! They also can help in reducing swelling caused by these conditions as well! Coriander has been used for the treatment of mouth ulcers and to help regulate blood pressure within the body. For those who suffer from allergies, Coriander also has strong antihistamine properties, which can help protect people against seasonal allergies and reactions such as hay fever. Coriander helps the digestive enzymes in the stomach, it can help with indigestion if ingested often. As it has an effect on the endocrine glands, insulin production is increased, which can help to control diabetes and similar conditions as it helps reduce sugar in the blood. It can also help prevent menstrual disorders, and pain in the menstrual cycle. Coriander can also lower skin inflammation, assist in treating skin disorders, cure ulcers, lower cholesterol levels and can also be used to help treat diarrhea.
Fortify Your Body Against Illness With Cumin!
Cumin not only tastes great, it is also very beneficial to a healthy immune system! Cumin has been known to help prevent viruses and other illnesses from invading the body, and prevent some of the negative effects from E. coli such as stomach cramps and diarrhea.
Cumin is also a great source of Iron and Calcium, both of which are really beneficial to your body. Iron benefits your body by allowing the myoglobin in the muscles to hold oxygen. The brain is also dependent on oxygen in order to function well. If the body lacks iron it can affect the memory. Calcium benefits the body in many ways, assisting with blood clotting, nerve transmission, reducing blood pressure and helping muscle contraction! Calcium is also beneficial as it helps you to build and maintain your bones.
Cuminaldehyde, Phosphorus and Thymol are good detoxifying agents which can benefit kidney function and help balance levels of uric acid, water, sodium and fat within your body. Cumin can aid in digestion, because it helps to prevent the formation of gas in the in the gastrointestinal tract.
Cumin also, like many of the other herbs and spices in this dish helps reduce your blood sugar levels, which means it can help prevent diabetes. Cumin also contains Vitamin E, which helps reduce inflammation, and helps fight aging. It also speeds up your cellular regeneration as well, making it one amazing spice!!!
There can also be some residual probiotic bacteria left over in the yoghurt mix which benefits the body. It can help with gut health, skin conditions such as eczema, irritable bowel syndrome and oral health, making Chicken Tikka Masala pretty healthy!!!
So What’s Bad About Chicken Tikka Masala?
The only problem with Chicken Tikka Masala is that there is never enough of it!
I’m a social media marketing specialist based in Wivenhoe, the CEO of Fantasoft and wannabe space adventurer.