Chicken Tikka Masala

• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 1/2 head cauliflower, separated into bite-size florets
• 7 cups chicken stock, divided
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 cups uncooked rice (recommend Jasmine or Basmati)
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more if you like it hot)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 2 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• Salt
• 1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt if you want to be authentic)

Directions

1. Put 4 cups of chicken stock into a 2-quart saucepan over high heat. When it comes to a boil, add the carrots and cauliflower and parboil for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Put the ginger slices and the garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. A
3. dd the onion and cayenne pepper to the olive oil in the skillet and sauté for a few minutes. When the onion starts to soften, add the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the remaining 3 cups of chicken stock, loosening up anything brown on the bottom of the skillet.
5. While waiting for the stock in the skillet to boil, drain the vegetables, reserving the cooking stock. (I put a mesh strainer over a large measuring cup and poured the vegetables into the strainer, then set the veggies in a bowl to wait.) If there aren't quite 4 cups of liquid in the measuring cup (the stock you cooked the vegetables in), add enough water to make 4 cups and return the liquid to the saucepan. Bring it up to a boil, add the rice, a teaspoon of salt, and the butter. Cover, bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes (or according to package directions.)
6. Add the par-boiled vegetables and chicken to the now-simmering sauce in the skillet. Add salt to taste, give it all a stir, add more cayenne if you like it hotter, reduce the heat and cover.
7. By the time the rice has absorbed all the liquid, the chicken pieces should be cooked through. Check to be sure!
8. Remove the rice from the heat and turn off the heat under the skillet. (If the chicken wasn't done, give it another few minutes and try again.)
9. Stir in the sour cream until smooth.