During our summer road trip, Elliott and I had the opportunity to eat at some really great restaurants. Our favorites included a brewhouse in Colorado, a tapas restaurant in New Mexico, and a pizza parlor in Wyoming. However, our all-time favorite restaurant was a small Indian place just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. Their Lamb Tikka Masala was so good, that it inspired me to start making my own at home. Tender pieces of lamb were served in a super-creamy and flavorful sauce. I think I would have been just as happy drinking a pitcher of the sauce by itself.
The spicy, orange-colored sauce is primarily made of tomatoes, cream, and a few spices. If you often find yourself intimidated by the long list of spices in many Indian dishes, this is the perfect dish for you. Other than garam masala, you will most likely already have the other spices in your pantry.
I’ve made this dish several times and it’s pretty forgiving when it comes to substitutions. For example, if you have two cans of diced tomatoes in your pantry, use those instead of the roma tomatoes (just leave out the water). I’ve also used jalapeños instead of serrano peppers and used lamb and chicken breasts instead of the thighs.
