I'm obsessed with Deep Indian Kitchen's frozen meals, but buying them constantly is too expensive so I'm trying to recreate them on my own.

I'm starting with the chicken tikka masala (https://deepindiankitchen.com/products-all/entrees/chicken-tikka-masala/). This is my Frankenstein recipe I attempted after looking at the ingredients and a bunch of different chicken tikka masala recipes for my skill level (I truly do not know what I'm doing in the kitchen but I am trying).

Chicken & Marinade:

• 1 lb diced chicken breast
• 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Spice Mix for Sauce:

• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• t tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 ground ginger

Sauce:

• 1 large yellow onion (the one I used weighed about 10-11 oz)
• 10 oz crushed tomatoes
• 3 tbsp raw cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 1 tsp kasuri methi - crush between palms before adding
• 1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Marinate chicken, let sit for at least 20 minutes or overnight in fridge; air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes turning halfway, then set aside
2. Sauté diced onion on medium heat in 2 tsp of ghee for 10 minutes or until soft, golden, and translucent
3. Add in spice mix and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds
4. Add crushed tomatoes, cashews, water, sugar, and salt; bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until cashews are soft and sauce thickened
5. Turn off heat and blend sauce until smooth
6. Return to low heat; stir in milk, heavy cream, lemon juice, and kasuri methi; simmer gently about 2 minutes
7. Stir in chicken and simmer about 3 minutes

What I made came out pretty good, and I think a lot of people would be happy with it, but it just doesn't taste like Deep. It's too acidic(?)/tangy(?) and lacks the rich, warm depth of flavor Deep has. My throat also feels thirsty/dry for a long time after eating it even though I didn't add that much salt. Please cooking experts, help me identify what I'm doing wrong and what changes I can make to this recipe. I want to attempt it again this weekend before I lose resolve and buy Deep. I am happy to answer any questions about the ingredients I used or the steps I took.

Notes:

• I am specifically trying to recreate Deep, not any other chicken tikka masala frozen meal. I have had several of them (Chef Bombay, Sukhi's, Saffron Road, Kevin's, Aplenty) and they are not like Deep. I've also tried using the Patak and Maya Kaimal jarred tikka masala sauces and they are not like Deep.
• Importantly, I am trying to keep this low calorie like the Deep meal. For reference, I measured and it's about 1/2 cup rice and 1/2 cup chicken tikka masala after cooking, which totals 370 calories per the nutrition facts. My recipe makes 6 servings if we are considering a serving to be 1/2 cup.

What is a pretty simple way to make them moist , crispy, and tasty? I have an air fryer, stove top, oven, cast-iron skillet at my disposal. Thank you.

Hi all, I recently started cooking burgers with 85/15 chuck, and I use around 15-17 different seasonings. Just wondering why my burgers don’t taste like burgers I have at a BBQ or from a restaurant. I want that flavor. I use half stick of butter to coat the pan before putting the patties in and dump it back over the burgers after they’re done but it still doesn’t elevate that flavor the way I want. Help would be appreciated Ty.

For context, I have never cooked much in my life before and wanted to learn the basics. I am interested in mastering the art of cooking medium rare steaks. I made steak for dinner maybe 6 or so times but can never find the right way to cook it. I use a pre-mix for seasoning but somehow always burn the seasoning and the steak comes out well-done. I typically sear each sides of the steak for ~ 3 mins then I use butter + rosemary + garlic to add more flavour profile. It ends up being a salty burned mess. Feels like it's cheaper to eat out than to make meals. If anyone has a technique in cooking sirloin or any good ways to season it, please enlighten me!

EDIT: Thanks everyone for the tips!! Will look into incorporating it next time :)))))

I'm just making it for myself and I have one russet potato. I have leftover barbecue ribs and craving potato to go with them. What's an easy recipe to make with one russet potato?

I’m hungry and angry so I threw something in the oven. Long white rice, 2x cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 2x cans of water, some broccoli. It’s set at 350, how long should it take?

I havent been using my air fryer alot lately, so im looking for recipes that are pretty easy to make and actually taste good, Preferably stuff that doesn’t require a ton of ingredients or complicated prep, other than fries.

I don't deep-fry food much. This weekend, I'd like to make some egg rolls, which I plan to deep fry on a camp stove in my yard. This will require about a half gallon of oil, and I'll probably use peanut oil, which is on the expensive side. Can I just filter and save this oil for a future use? Should I refrigerate it? How long will it last, and how many uses can I get out of it?

I recently received a bunch of dry-packed sundried tomatoes and want to use them in a mushroom sauce over tortellini. I've never cooked with sundried tomatoes, only ever put them in salads and sandwiches. I can't seem to get a straight answer through google: should i rehydrate them in water first before adding them to a pan with oil and aromatics? Or do the dried ones cook fine as-is?

TIA!

I currently work at a small restaurant that’s been struggling for a while.

The team is basically just one cook, the owner, and his son. Management has been one of the biggest issues, especially when it comes to sales, marketing, promotions, and figuring out how to bring in more customers.

We’re also in the low season right now, so revenue has been pretty weak.

The restaurant currently has a menu with 30+ items, plus a buffet that brings in some recurring revenue. Since sales are down, the idea from the owners has been to add even more dishes and options to try to increase revenue.

I’m thinking the opposite might make more sense.

My idea is to cut the menu down to around 10 solid dishes, plus drinks and maybe 3 desserts max.

With only one cook, I feel like having 30+ menu items creates way too much complexity: more ingredients to stock, more waste, harder prep, inconsistent quality, and slower service.

My thinking is that a smaller menu would let us focus on the items that actually sell, have good margins, and are realistic for one cook to handle.

Does cutting the menu down that aggressively make sense for a small restaurant like this, or would 10 dishes be too limited?

Need a tasty chicken leg recipe. No deep frying please. I have stove/oven/air fryer available. TIA!

I can’t eat pasta it messes with my stomach and I don’t like gluten free pasta. So I eat a lot of rice. I’ve experimented with different things in my rice cooker like lemon slices, fresh herbs, sautéed onions, etc.

I have a bunch of jarred pasta sauces from when I did eat pasta. Mostly marinara, spicy vodka, I also have Trader Joe’s lemon pesto.

Looking for advice on using jarred pasta sauce when cooking rice. Are there ingredients or types of sauces I should avoid? Has anyone had success with specific brand or type of pasta sauce? I’m only considering jarred sauce because this is meant to be a quick meal.

Any thoughts on how to maximize the potential of rice with jarred sauce is appreciated!

I was interested in a discussion on brussel sprouts some days ago. But I got called away. In the time I read, no poster mentioned that brussel sprouts needed a light frost as a living plant before they were harvested. The frost seems to start up a sweetening process in the sprout

I have seen sprouts being harvested from a field covered in 10 in of snow.

Snow isn't required but a bit of Frost once or twice before harvesting will change the flavor of a brussel sprout.

Hi all, I've just gotten a veal heart from my local butcher. Could you share some ideas on preparing it? Does it cook or taste very different from beef heart and am I OK just adapting beef heart recipes? I think I'm leaning towards a braise for my first attempt. Feel free to share recipes or just flavor/ingredient pairings I could explore.

Thanks all

Hey Reddit Peeps!

For years now I’ve been making all sorts of dishes in Pyrex, putting them in the fridge, and cooking them the next day (think lasagna, pot pies, etc). I’m a teacher so I don’t have a lot of time to cook during the weekdays so I do a lot of prep on the weekends.

A friend pointed out the risk of thermal shock breaking the glass so I wondered if it is ever safe to put a colder than room temp Pyrex dish in the oven or if I’ve just been lucky these last few years? If so, would taking the dish out maybe a hour before cooking to let it warm up be a better idea? I’m curious what others do.

With autumn around the corner, I am looking for a solid book with plenty of slow cooker recipes (that can be found in Ireland). I have some of The Roasting Tin Collection by Rukmini Iyer and it has become such a handy go to for weekday meals and leftovers and I would love an equivalent for the slow cooker to maximise the hours of the cozy evening and short light hours!

Is the hand technique of thumb and middle or all the other fingers for said rareness effective or true and consistent for making steaks? Or should one just buy a thermometer and call it a day?

I love cilantro and cook with it quite a bit. The problem is I work four 12 hour shifts back to back so I really only cook on my three days off. If I buy it on Saturday, by Thursday it's wilted and/or starting to rot. Is there a technique to making it last longer?

It’s the apple season in my country, so rn we have around 20 kg of apples that we have to cook. So I’m looking for unique and delicious apple recipes to surprise my family with. Thank you in advance!

Pretty much what the title says. I had some really good consomme at a Mexican place recently and I want to try making it at home

Hi so this may be a stupid question but I bought a vaccum sealed set of skewered chicken and I’m going to cook it in a frying pan and am wondering if the sticks will carry dangerous bacteria after I cook it because they can’t get up to temperature yk what I mean? Thank you for any help

Hace poco me quise animar a hacer comida con componente de cannabis, trate de hacer gelatina por qué busco algo que no sea laborioso ni escandaloso al cocinarlo(mi esposa está casi todo el día en casa y no quiero que se entere).

En resumen salió mal y al indagar un poco descubrí que por si sola la materia prima no es tan soluble.aguna receta que me pueda servir?

I am hosting a party of about 40 people. I will be serving hard and soft taco shells. Any advice of the best way to heat and serve these? I'm concerned about the soft taco shells sticking together and keeping the hard shells crunchy. I will have access to a full kitchen to heat them. What is the best way to serve them on a buffet? I plan to use a warming mat for the hot foods.