Trying New Things.
When we first moved to Tucson and discovered our incredibly large Asian/international grocery, it quickly became one of our regular outings, even if we didn’t need anything. It was an opportunity for us to peruse unfamiliar items and ingredients, many without English labels. Trying new things became a fun weekly activity.
One particular item that appealed to Mark, as he had recently given up drinking tea, was the milk masala. It is a small jar of aromatic ingredients to mix with hot milk and sip at leisure on chilly evenings. This Indian treat quickly became his breakfast favorite, only to disappear off the shelves soon thereafter.
This wasn’t a problem with the internet at our fingertips — I pulled together several recipes and eventually created my own blend, which is quite good and perfect for this recipe. If you cannot find commercial milk masala powder, my recipe is below.
Recently, I decided it would make a lovely flavoring for a chicken curry with green beans. All it needed was a shallot, cream, and coconut milk to make a perfectly addictive sauce. It has quickly become a new favorite of ours, and I hope you will feel the same.
~ David
Milk Masala Chicken
To print this recipe, please click the small printer icon below.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ghee, divided
- 8 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons milk masala powder, divided (recipe below)
- 1 large shallot, minced
- large pinch saffron threads
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup coconut milk
- cooked rice, for serving
- chopped pistachios, for garnish
Instructions
- Salt the chicken pieces and set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon ghee. Add the cut green beans and cook for about 8 minutes until they are wrinkled and beginning to brown.
- While the beans are cooking, sprinkle the salted chicken with the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of the milk masala powder. Mix well and set aside.
- Add the shallot to the green beans and cook 1 minute longer, until fragrant.
- Push beans and shallots to the sides of the pan and add the remaining tablespoon of ghee. Add in the coated chicken and cook, tossing till lightly cooked on all sides. You do not want it to brown. (The saffron in the milk masala will turn the pieces a bit golden.)
- Add the cream and coconut milk, saffron, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk masala powder. Stir well to combine, cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for five minutes. Remove lid, taste the sauce and season with salt. Cook 2-3 minutes longer to thicken the sauce.
- Serve immediately over cooked rice and top with chopped pistachios.
- Serves 4-6.
- • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
- Milk Masala Powder
- • 1/4 cup raw cashews
- • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- • 2 tablespoons raw pistachio meats
- • seeds from 5 green cardamom pods
- • 1 tablespoon sugar
- • 1/2 teaspoon saffron
- • grating of nutmeg
- • pinch ground mace
- In a skillet, toast the cashews, almonds, pistachios, and cardamom seeds, for 1 minute. Let cool. Transfer to a spice grinder, add the sugar, saffron, nutmeg, and mace; pulverize. The original blend (as seen in the photo above) leaves some bits and pieces of the nuts; mine tends to be very well blended. Place in a tightly sealed jar and refrigerate. Us it with this chicken curry… or stir a teaspoon into hot milk (with a bit of sugar, if you like) for a nice breakfast or bedtime beverage.
- Makes about 3/4 cup.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Edna Meza Aguirre
February 17, 2024 at 4:18 amYum! looking forward to trying David!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 17, 2024 at 9:11 amThanks Edna — I hope you like it.
Susan Manfull
February 17, 2024 at 6:45 amThe aromas are wafting from the screen! Yum!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 17, 2024 at 9:10 amThanks, Susan — it is very fragrant dish.
Mad Dog
February 17, 2024 at 7:54 amWow, that’s incredibly interesting. There are old Catalan/Moorish recipes which bear a similarty to this, albeit with the rice and chicken cooked in the same pot. No doubt there will be similar Moroccan ones too. I bet it’s delicious!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 17, 2024 at 9:10 amI think the coconut milk might be what sets these apart, Mad Dog — at least I’ve never seen a Moroccan dish with it, nor any in Spain.
Barb
February 17, 2024 at 8:27 amVery interesting dish and back story. I had never heard of Milk Masala but your recipe sounds very tasty!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 17, 2024 at 9:09 amIt’s really so different from what most Indian restaurants serve — at least here!
Carolyn J Niethammer
February 17, 2024 at 8:31 amGorgeous photos. And an interesting departure from the usual ginger/coriander/turmeric mixes.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 17, 2024 at 9:08 amThanks, Carolyn. Dishes like this are rare in India, and they are often considered for very special occasions.
Eha Carr
February 17, 2024 at 3:14 pmExciting! had heard of milk masala but never come up against it! Like the look an of the dish and in spite of my dislike of using cream shall definitely try! Absolutely love the background cloth used in your photography . . . a ‘whitish’ dish is hardly easy to make into an exciting photo !!!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 17, 2024 at 10:35 pmI do wonder if you could use all coconut milk instead of the combination of cream and coconut milk. It might work! It might not thicken as much, but it would still be really tasty.
I was just having a discussion with another food blogger about how difficult it is to photograph white and beige food and make them look palatable if not very good! So a special thank you for noticing. The china, silverware and fabrics all make such a huge difference.
angiesrecipes
February 17, 2024 at 9:20 pmA very different Masala chicken..and it surely looks very tasty and flavourful, David.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 17, 2024 at 10:36 pmThanks, Angie. The flavors of the milk masala works so perfectly with the chicken, coconut, milk, and cream. It’s quite addictive!
Mimi Rippee
February 18, 2024 at 8:14 amOh my god i need to taste that curry! What fabulous flavors. The masala mix is very interesting – I swear it’s what I used to get at a coffee shop during college. But they called it chai. I’ve since had chai (probably at Starbuck’s although I have only been a handful of times) and it was sweet and disgusting. Nothing like what I remember. But I think this is it!!!! So smart to use in a curry!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 22, 2024 at 10:06 amI’ve never had chai because I won’t touch tea. Do maybe it is similar? I think of chai as more spice forward — this is really nutty. I love it.
Ronit
February 18, 2024 at 2:51 pmMilk masala powder is new to me, but very intriguing. Having it at hand is a great way to improvise with.
Great idea, to use it in this dish. I’ll definitely copycat it! 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
February 22, 2024 at 10:06 amI know you will love it — and it’s nice to have two ways to use it: my chicken and as a beverage!
Christina Conte
February 18, 2024 at 9:28 pmThis looks and sounds SO good, I may just have to try it, David! Luckily I can use nuts again since my daughter has moved to NYC (not lucky that she’s gone so far away, though!) Sounds like a splendid meal for a cosy dinner in!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 22, 2024 at 10:07 amWell, that is a good/bad situation! Though I’m so glad you can have nuts again! I think you will love the subtle flavors in this.
sherry
February 19, 2024 at 1:26 amthis all sounds amazing David. I like the milk masala powder and must give it a go. I like to visit our local japanese store and hunt around for items which have no english on them. Always fun!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 22, 2024 at 10:08 amIt is always such a fun adventure shopping in international groceries whether at home or abroad.
Gerlinde de Broekert
February 20, 2024 at 3:24 pmThis sounds wonderful David. I have never heard of milk masala powder. It’s fun to learn something new when reading your post.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 22, 2024 at 10:08 amThanks, Gerlinde — it’s a nice combination and goes so well with the chicken!
Velva-Evening With A Sandwich
February 20, 2024 at 5:30 pmDavid, this is a fantastic dish. Milk Masala Powder is new to me but, I can see why it would make a delicious sipping milk ( morning, afternoon or evening). I love cardamom so can imagine the taste and scent too.
Beautiful entree using the milk masala powder.
Best,
Velva
Cocoa & Lavender
February 22, 2024 at 10:09 amThanks, Velva — Mark loved to drink it and I enjoy making the powder and using it in different ways!
Jeff the Chef
February 22, 2024 at 8:04 amThis sounds deicious! I’m curious about that masala milk powder. So, some of the ingredients won’t dissolve, I’m guessing. So the milk, if you drink it that way, has a bit of texture? Or does some sediment settle on the bottom?
Cocoa & Lavender
February 22, 2024 at 10:11 amYes, it is a bit gritty, Jeff, and it all depends on how finely you grind the masala. You can also purée the hot milk once the masala has been added and that smoothies it out a bit, too.
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
February 23, 2024 at 9:46 amI’m a big fan of Asian supermarkets, too. Every trip is a culinary adventure! We’re fortunately to have several in our area, including two massive ones, one Chinese and the other Korean. Aside from the “exotic” ingredients they also have excellent produce, meats and seafood. I can often find products there for my Italian recipes that you can’t find in “mainstream” supermarkets. And the best part is they’re both quite inexpensive so I can save on groceries.
Raymund
February 27, 2024 at 5:36 pmIt sounds like your journey through the Asian grocer in Tucson was a delightful adventure! Discovering new ingredients and flavors must have been so exciting, thats what I love with travelling, I always find new and exciting things in the supermarket or even wet markets.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2024 at 9:22 amYour recipes keep me going to the Asian store all the time! Half of the time I can’t find ingredients you mention, but it’s mostly because I can’t read the languages on the ingredients.
Marcelle
February 28, 2024 at 8:08 amI’ve never heard of milk masala, but now that I know it’s a thing I want to try it. It looks flavorful and exciting!! 🙂 I love looking around foreign markets too. Since we moved out to the sticks, I hardly make the effort to go. I think I need to drive into the city this weekend 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2024 at 9:21 amWhen we first plan to move to Tucson, we wanted to live out in the middle of the desert. Then I realized, how difficult shopping would be (and how many rattlesnakes there would be) so living in the city makes much more sense for us. But, your home is beautiful and I know you’re really happy out there. There are always pluses and minuses for each, and I’m sure you made the right decision.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
March 1, 2024 at 3:59 pmI have not heard of milk masala mixture until this post – but oh my goodness, it seems that I’ve been missing out a lot! Nuts and my favourite cardamom? I’ve got to make it, too! And this chicken looks and sounds utterly delicious – I think it was a genius idea to pair chicken and milk masala powder in one dish.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2024 at 9:19 amNuts and cardamom are a wonderful combination, Ben. Since Mark stopped drinking the milk masala, we had lots of it left over and I wanted to make something with it.
Valentina
March 3, 2024 at 11:42 amDavid, this sounds incredible. At first I thought it might be like a chai blend of sorts, and then I read the ingredient list. The combination of nuts is delicious and cardamom is one of my favorite spices ever. I love the idea of combining it with the chicken and beans. I’m in! Your rice looks particularly light and fluffy, to boot. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2024 at 9:06 amSomeone said it sounds like chai, but (not ever having had chai or tea of any kind) I looked up the blend and, as you found, it is very different. The nuts really add a lovely creaminess to this dish. As for the rice? I credit my rice maker… it has literally saved our marriage!
2pots2cook
March 8, 2024 at 7:31 amNever had milk masala; thank you for an interesting recipe ! Must do!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2024 at 8:53 amIt really is quite delicious. I hope you like it.