Tikka masala is one of the world's most popular Indian dishes. But, a little nosing about reveals that there's no one recipe that can claim the name. This version, beef or veggie, is from South Africa's unique Indian diasporan cuisine, one I associate with the beaches of KwaZulu-Natal and memories of hole-in-the-wall places where you could find it.
Though tikka masala is a worldwide favourite and fits right in with my current project of re-visiting culinary "suburban classics" of the 1970s, even I baulked at the idea: it's just too obvious. Yet, this version I love is not the same as those most commonly served in the UK. For one thing, it's not chicken. It seems dear old tikka masala actually has a more colourful history than expected.
There are many claims linking its undying popularity amongst the British with origin myths dating from the 1960s. One of the most popular is that it was born in a Glasgow eatery. However, a little research shows that the recipe for "tikka masala"—or one version thereof—had already been published in a popular British women's magazine in the 1930s. This is hardly unexpected given that British middle-class housewives' interest in Indian cooking dates back to the 19th century, encouraged by and reflecting that double-edged sword of Britain's relationship with its colonial "jewel in the crown".
The version I love cannot deny its colonial-era baggage. But, it has a slightly different vibe from the most popular UK versions with ingredients and accompaniments that reflect the flavours and traditions of South Africa's subtropical eastern coast. I have resonant memories of a version of this dish, lapped up at a place near oThongathi (called Tongaat back then) after a day in the water. Or, when even younger, cooked by my father for for me, my siblings and a gaggle of cousins who lapped it up, a Saturday-evening treat that we'd enjoy, a little too sunburned compared with what is now considered wise...
This isn't the version my dad taught me. It's the version taught to me by Mrs Naidoo who owned this place up a steep flight of stairs; one of those old-school joints with a first-storey verandah dining area on the bit of Grey Street (in Durban) that is now part of Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street. I'd go there on Saturday afternoons with a very particular group of friends, to get some nutrition before we headed on to a hotel bar on the Victoria Embankment overlooking the harbour and from there to a notorious underground club. Today it seems all the architecture of this area, influenced by the Arabic architecture of Zanzibar and Mombassa, has gone. The Farsi owners of pet shops, hardware stores and spice emporiums that once characterised the street are now somewhere else...
Mrs Naidoo would fold her arms when she spoke of Mr Naidoo—I'd see him scurrying off into the kitchen—and she told me she was only sharing her recipe with me because I was "a very polite boy". Poor lady: how disappointed she'd have been now.
Nonetheless, here it all is, a recipe courtesy of Mrs Naidoo whose grandparents came to work on the Natal sugar plantations in the late 19th century. I used to take her fruit and veggies I'd grown with my dad—well, mostly my dad had grown. She thought our mangoes were fair-to-middling, but our spinach, hot chillies and onions were excellent. The last meal I ever ate out in South Africa before leaving was at her place.
Important point: this is not the mythical "Durban currry"; that joy has yet to published here. Nor is is exactly "Durban masala", another dish I also plan to share. Both of those involve spices not readily available in most EU, US, Canadian or Aussie supermarkets. So, I'm going with the most accessible.
Nice spice, old spice, dry spice, scary spice...
I used to be a stickler who insisted on making my own spice paste from scratch, perhaps not that crazy given my insistence on this very specific regional version. One piece of research of over 60 recipes for "chicken tikka masala" showed that the only ingredient they all shared was chicken...
What I worked out is that it's actually the use of both dry spices and "wet" spice paste that make the real difference. So, now I buy tikka masala pastes that have what I consider to be the must-have ingredients and compensate with what's missing by additional dry spices in the early stages of cooking to create this authentic South African post-surf flavour.
On the shopping list below the spices are indicative; the essential ones. On the UK market there are numerous tikka masala pastes that contain what I think are the essential spices. Mix 'n match. If your paste lacks one of the essentials, add it as a dry spice.
The essential spices are: turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, dried coriander, tamarind, cumin seed, fenugreek leaf, dried coriander leaf.
The majority of South Africa's diasporan Indian population on the country's eastern seaboard were historically Hindu and followed vegetarian diets. But, many of the local places selling this dish catered to patrons who weren't. So, chicken and beef versions were always popular. I was a veggie myself back when I used to frequent these places. But, even my mates who weren't—unless you got unlucky with a dodgy proprietor who overused potatoes—clocked that the vegetarian versions were often tastier.
I'm approaching this recipe a little differently, since I strongly recommend that carnivores should give the veggie version a whirl at some point. The ingredients specifically followed by a "v" are what makes for the superlative veggie version. Everything else—except the beef—is used in both versions. Yes, you can put all of them in the beef version, but that's rather overkill... and you'll need to work out the ingredient quantities for yourself.
Sambals
Sambals are at-table condiments served with this dish and most South African "Indian" dishes. The word itself—and probably the tradition—is lifted from an Indonesian term brought to the Cape by the slaves of Dutch settlers. They're also a common feature in Cape Malay cuisine, not just Indian diasporan cooking from the East Coast. They mostly consist of locally available raw fruit, herbs and vegetables that diners add to their dish while eating. Along with chutney, pickles and achars, they're placed on the table with items such as poppadoms as a kind of appetiser and then also eaten with the main course.
This recipe serves 3 to 4 diners. Scale up as needed.
This recipe produces a medium-to-hot spiciness. If you prefer it milder, reduce the red chillies (rather than the tikka masala paste) and/or increase the amount of coconut cream.
Shopping list
for the tikka masala
6 tbspns peanut oil (or sunflower oil)
Lean beef; cubed (400g)
1 large green bell pepper, cubed
2 brown onions; cubed
3 hot fresh red chillies, sliced
200g closed-cup mushrooms, sliced
Approx. 200ml water
A generous clutch of fresh coriander, chopped
1 vegetable stock cube of jelly
3 tbpsns concentrated tomato purée
Approx 70ml coconut cream
3 to 4 tbspns tikka masala spice paste
3 dried bay leaves
1 or 2 dried red chillies
juice and pith of 1 fresh lime
2 heaped tspns of ginger & garlic paste (or grated fresh ingredient equivalents)
1 heaped tspn of garam masala
for vegetarian/vegan tikka masala
½ a large butternut squash; skin-on, scrubbed and cut into large, irregularly shaped pieces a little larger that "bite size) (v)
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (ideally not plum tomatoes) (v)
Approx.150g chopped spinach; fresh or frozen. If you can get African or Madagascan spinach, all the better (v)
for the "Natal yellow rice"
1.5 cups basmati rice, washed
3 cardamom pods
1 heaped tspn turmeric
for the sambals
1 fresh mango, cut into irregular "cubes"
a clutch of fresh coriander, chopped or "plucked"
1 banana, sliced
a little milk
a clutch of spring onions, chopped
a large chunk of cucumber, chopped
a fresh tomato (or a clutch of cherry tomatoes), chopped
a little wine or malt vinegar (NB, not balsamico!)
Cooking Method
for the tikka masala
In a small pot with a lid, heat half of the oil on a medium-high heat. When hot, add the garam masala and allow to cook for 30 seconds, stirring. Almost immediately, add the garlic and ginger paste and allow to sizzle for a minute. Add the onions, stirring the ingredients together. When the onions soften, add the bell pepper and stir in. Cover and sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to settle
Add the tomato purée and crumbled stock cube to a jug or beaker and dissolve fully in about 200ml of boiling water
To a larger pot or deep frying pan with a lid, add the rest of the oil and heat on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the tikka masala paste, chopped fresh chillies, bay leaves and any other dried spices. Stir constantly to prevent sticking. As soon as the ingredients stick, pour in a little of the stock and tomato purée dilution, adding the beef (or butternut squash chunks; see below) at the same time. Stir almost continuously to ensure they're fully sealed. When they are, add the mushrooms, repeating the process
Allow this combination of ingredients to simmer together for at least 5 mins in a minimum of liquid—add a little more of the diluted stock to prevent sticking if necessary. Then, add the remainder of the liquid (and the tinned tomatoes if doing the veggie version; see below) and bring to the boil
Cover and boil vigorously for about 5 mins. Uncover and add the mix of onion and peppers from the smaller pot, stirring in. Bring back to a gentle boil and, while it's hot and bubbling, add the coconut cream and lime juice and pith, stirring in to make sure the coconut cream melts in fully
Throw the fresh coriander onto the top of the ingredients and cover. Allow to boil vigorously for 2 or 3 mins, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 mins, stirring every 5 mins, adding a little more hot water if it appears to be thickening too quickly
If doing the vegetarian version, it's at this point that you add the spinach and stir it in. For some reason the veggie version usually takes longer to cook than the beef—maybe it's the combination of the tinned tomatoes and the large chunks of butternut squash—so plan for it to simmer on a low heat for another 7 to 12 mins, stirring occasionally and tasting regularly. This "curry"—whether beef or butternut—should produce a fairly thick sauce without adding any specific reduction ingredients. If it still feels a little "watery", simply continue to simmer on a very low heat and it will thicken
Once your dish is cooked to a lovely "rich 'n thick" consistency, remove from the heat and rest for 5 mins before plating or serving in a tureen
the "Natal yellow rice"
The rice is best cooked while your "curry" is reducing. Add your washed rice to a pot or rice cooker with the appropriate amount of water (salt it if you wish, I usually don't). Stir in the turmeric, add the cardamom pods and bring to the boil on a high heat
Cook until the rice is "fluffy" and all the water has evaporated. It should be yellow in colour with a hint of turmeric and cardamom if you sniff it. Serve with the "curry"
the sambals
You can prepare your sambals up to 24 hours before and store, in sealed containers, in the fridge or prepare them while cooking the rest of the meal. But, they benefit from being able to "mingle" a little, so don't do them last
Mix the chopped fresh mango with coriander leaves and gently mix together. Place in a condiment dish
Slice your banana and place in a condiment dish. Bathe in a little milk (to prevent it turning brown). If lactose-intolerant use coconut milk or lemon juice instead
Chop the spring onions, tomato/es and cucumber and mix in a condiment dish. Bathe in a little vinegar
Take the condiments to table with your dish—or before with poppadoms
Alternatives
Carnivores
Chicken tikka masala is a perpetual international favourite and you can simply substitute the beef with cubed skinless chicken. When doing chicken, I tend to opt for red bell pepper rather than green. This results in a "smoother" taste many prefer—though I personally prefer the chicken with the more bitter green bell peppers; less of a dish for a "kiddie" palate...
Vegetarians
The perfect veggie—indeed vegan—version is already detailed above. The main difference I usually deploy is a combination of both green and red bell peppers (use two smaller instead of one large). No, I can't exactly say why, but I think it has to do with the following: butternut squash is sweet; spinach is a natural counterpoint; yet, using only green pepper makes that juxtaposition more jarring; and using both green and red fixes the problem. Sorted!
Also, in the veggie version, I prefer to add the fresh coriander at the point that I add the butternut and not later. This is because the coriander, cooked directly in contact with the butternut squash develops a discernible impact on the taste of the lovely orange veggie.
Also—someone has actually asked—yes, there is a reason that the butternut squash is cut into such large chunks. Basically, you don't want it to disintegrate and turn the dish into a "soup". Keeping the chunks larger and the skin on helps with this, not to mention offering more fibre. For example, I have cooked this dish with European pumpkin and it's been too "squishy". However if you can get your hands on the kind of flat, white pumpkin common in South Africa that shares a certain "butchness" with butternut squash, that works well. When I was a kid, it was referred to as "Zulu pumpkin" but these days is seems to be marketed as "flat white Boer pumpkin"... and, yes, I am tempted to crack a joke at the irony of it all.
Pescatarians
King prawns, langoustine, squid, octopus or mussels (only if in Belgium or the Netherlands where the big Zeeuwse mosselen are the most like the ones you find in South Africa; silly little Irish and Scottish ones don't work) are among my favourite versions of this dish, even though I do them rarely for some unknown reason. Each version has it's own cooking order because seafood cooks more quickly than meat, chicken or dense veggies.
But, the basic rule is this: add tinned chopped tomatoes as you would with the veggie recipe above, but add them at the stage you'd add the butternut squash in the veggie/vegan version. Then, proceed with cooking the dish, but only add the seafood in roughly the last ten minutes (or less, depending on whether you're adding squid or peeled king prawns...). No one likes "prawn bubblegum".
Other stuff
The cuisine of the Indian Diaspora from South Africa's eastern coast rarely uses certain ingredients one often finds in the UK's bigger mix-'n-match patchwork of Indian cultural influences (or more obviously in India). This is for a number of reasons, including that many of the original Indian subcontinent immigrants who travelled to South Africa were from coastal Southern India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon as it was then) and because it's also a story of their culinary adaptation on the southern tip of Africa to embrace available ingredients.
Thus, for example, oil, particularly sunflower oil, is often used while ghee is rarely used. Similarly, "yellow rice" is a characteristic feature of much of the local cuisine, but it isn't a true pilau with all of pilau's "extra bits". Nor is it oven-cooked. And, naan is almost "exotic".
Also, the tradition of serving multiple dishes simultaneously (e.g.. thali ) is not particularly present. Some argue the immigrant cultures adapted the structure of courses to fit in with the accepted norm of the colonists. Of course, none of this means you can't match this dish up with your favourite sides and accompaniments.
I've included three personal favourites here. But other popular sambals include:
cubed pineapple or pawpaw with fresh coriander
Large slices of desiccated coconut ("klapper") traditionally used more with Cape Malay dishes
Grated apple with raisins bathed in malt or wine vinegar
Finely sliced raw brown onions
Chopped hot red and green chillies for the endurance curry fans
Last but not least, a wide range of pickles—e.g. lime pickle—or achars are eaten with this dish, but the gold standard is chutney ("blatjang"); more specifically Mrs. Balls.chutney. The original recipe is widely available around the world, but, if you can, get your hungry mitts on Mrs. Balls Peach Chutney ("Perske Blatjang"). Life is so much better when you can.
The vegetarian/vegan version with butternut squash, mushrooms and spinach
Pairings
I do think this one is a challenge for wine pairings and I'd love to hear Karel's input. If I do have it with wine—I rarely do—it tends to be a rosé or white, even with the beef version. Either a punchy chenin blanc or one of those less friendly chardonnays from the Cape work very well with these spicy flavours. The best rosé pairing I ever had—with a beef version of the dish, in fact—was when I cooked it for a friend in Lüderitz in Namibia who loved South African Indian cooking. He had some guests from Germany staying at the time; wine enthusiasts. They suggested we have it with a Spätburgunder Rosé Trocken from southern Germany they had brought with them and it was glorious, but I can't for the life of me remember from which winery.
My go-to tipples with this one are sparkling water with a dash of lime or mango, iced tea with lemon or lime, and I never underestimate how well it works with a Coke on ice with a slice of lemon or lime. Of course, like many Indian dishes, it's also great with beer including South Africa's quotidian Castle Lager.