ORLANDO, Florida – The New Punjab Indian Restaurant has been delivering flavors to International Drive in Orlando for 32 years. We spent the day at the family business bringing an Indian favorite to life.
“This is my home job in India,” says chef and co-owner Gurmail Singh. “The chicken tikka masala is a very famous dish.”
While Chef’s Kitchen usually shows you how to recreate the recipes at home, most of us don’t own a large clay oven (tandoor). Hence, the owners have done their best to explain the process of making a recipe for the most customer friendly, buttery, rich and juicy dishes.
Let’s eat!
Recipe and instructions courtesy of Gurmail and Nama Singh, New Punjab
- 28 ounces of boneless, skinless marinated chicken (Chicken Tikka); baked in the tandoor (large clay oven)
- Marinate the chicken overnight with a little yogurt, approx. 1 cup
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons of fresh garlic & ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- Masala Sauce: 14 ounces of fresh crush tomatoes that have been cooked for a long time with 1 tablespoon of sauteed ginger and garlic, and 1 teaspoon of whole cumin
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder. 1 teaspoon of coriander powder is added, followed by 1 cup of heavy whipped cream and a touch of dried fenugreek
- 2 tablespoons of sautéed small sliced red and green peppers to top the dish
- 4 teaspoons of freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnish
- This popular dish is enjoyed with fresh butter and garlic naan. All naan bread is cooked in the tandoor.
For the garlic naan:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 sugar
- Quarter teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- Enough milk and water (50/50) to knead the dough