Bollywood Comes to Tampa

The International Indian Film Academy Awards were presented this weekend in Tampa.  This is the Bollywood equivalent of the OSCARs.  Very exciting!

Two favs from last year's trip to Kolkata.

The celebrations have inspired me to make another trip to my favourite Indian grocery store and pick up a few things.  Before I went, I read through several cookbooks to get an idea of some of the items missing from my pantry.  All kinds of interesting sounding ingredients ... fenugreek, mustard seeds, and dried chilies.  Having practically no 'will power', I bought all these and more.  There were a couple of favourites like paneer (similar to cottage cheese, but solid) and Thums Up Cola in my cart, but also some things from the produce aisle I have never seen, let alone used.  I did manage to show restraint in the freezer section even though there were many, many delicious options.  Once my own freezer is empty, I'll be making another trip there.

Still having an arm in a cast, I decided on a fairly easy but yummy dish -- Tandoori Chicken.  There were a few shortcuts I needed to make, such as using powdered garlic because I can't slice raw garlic and couldn't get the lid off the jar of crushed garlic. I'm pleased with the results in spite of this.
(Ross)

Tandoori Chicken
1 pound boneless chicken breast tenderloins
3/4 cup Fat Free Plain Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Fresh Minced Ginger
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 to 2 tsp Coarse Chili Powder (depending on how hot you like it)
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tbsp Tomato Paste

• Combine all ingredients except chicken and stir until smooth.
• Add chicken, making sure it is evenly coated with the mixture.
• Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 hours.
• Place the chicken in a flat baking dish and bake at 475 for about 20 minutes.  Make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through.

   The end result.  Not the same bright red we see in restaurants, but nice and juicy.

Marinating and ready for the fridge.