If you’re a fan of chicken tikka masala, there’s one simple ingredient you can add to the sauce to really boost the flavour, and it’s something most people will have in their fridge
There’s nothing quite like a good curry, and there are some scrumptious recipes people can try to really warm themselves up during the autumn months. If you prefer your curry a bit milder, a chicken tikka masala may be just the ticket.
This is because the curry can range in spiciness from mild to medium, but it’s not typically that fiery. Instead, it often comprises a creamy, tomato-based sauce, so the level of heat depends on the recipe, specifically the quantity and type of chilli powder used, which can be adjusted to taste.
If you’re a fan of tikka, but struggle to make it taste divine, there’s a simple trick you can use to enhance its flavour. In fact, chicken curry is so straightforward to prepare you can rustle up some versions in as little as 20 minutes.
Mimi Morley, Senior Recipe Development Manager at HelloFresh, is renowned for offering all sorts of cooking tips with the brand boasting thousands of followers online, and she recently shared some easy advice.
According to her, you only need one ingredient to elevate your chicken tikka to the next level, and you likely already have it in your kitchen. You might be surprised to learn what it is.
When it comes to sprucing up the dish, Mimi advised to do the following: “Add a squirt of tomato ketchup to your sauce for a bit of a sweet/sour flavour injection!” According to the expert, that’s all there is to it.
Little did you know, adding tomatoes, or a type of tomato sauce, to chicken tikka masala can enhance the flavour. It helps to give it a rich, tangy and vibrant taste.
Whilst it’s not traditional to use the ingredient, many claim it adds an extra sweet and tangy flavour to the dish. The key to pulling it off is using the ketchup in moderation as using too much can overpower the authentic flavours of the Indian spices.
However, if you don’t like overly spicy food, the ketchup can help to mellow the heat. As well as this, good quality ketchups combine a balance of sweet, acidic and salty flavours that can boost the complexity of a tomato-based curry.
It turns out many other people like using the trick too. On Reddit, people have been quick to share how much they love using the staple ingredient when making curry.
Whilst some people use the same method, others recommend different ways to boost the dish. People had all sorts of ideas to share.
One person said: “The ketchup is a wonderful combination of sweet, acidic, sour, salty and tangy. It is not distinguishable in the dish, but adds wonderful layer of complexity.”
Another offered a different idea, writing: “I marinate the chicken in a yoghurt spice mix and then broil in the oven. It’s so good, I sometimes eat the chicken by itself.”
A third replied: “Depending on if, or how much tomato or tomato paste is in the simmer sauce, you can always add some more for a thicker sweeter masala.”
Meanwhile, another user chimed in with: “I use chicken thighs and coconut milk. I know that’s not traditional, but it sweetens and mutes the tomato. The oil separates like that in all the traditional videos I’ve watched.”
