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Spinning Chicken – Ekeing out Quality Meat to avoid buying Mechanically Processed Meat – Part 2

From the mango chicken I made in my first post about ekeing out quality meat, the second half of the batch went straight into being a Chicken and Mango Tikka Masala.

I think the very real after effect of the horsemeat scandal is that we really don’t know what’s in processed food, even if it tells us the ingredients on the wrapper.

This was the second half of my intention to feed a family of 6 twice with each half of the batch.  One portion for eating, and one for freezing for another day.

Step two. Chicken and Mango Tikka Masala.  Again, accessories spun out the meat, with a filling pasta and nan bread accompaniment.

Chicken and Mango Tikka Masala Pasta

Servings 6 -12

Ingredients
  

  • HalfMango Chicken Batch http://scottishmum.com/mango-chicken-wrap/
  • 1 Clove Garlic
  • 0.5 Jar Pataks Tikka Masala Paste
  • 1 Teaspoon Sugar
  • 500 g Pasta Tubes
  • 250 g Tub Mascapone or fresh cream (You will need 250g more when you defrost the portion destined for the freezer.)
  • 500 g Carton or Jar of Tomato Passata
  • 100 ml Water
  • 1 Teaspoon of Mixed Herbs
  • 2 Onions

Instructions
 

  • Lightly fry your two chopped onions in the oil, add the garlic and don't allow the onions to brown. You want them to be a lovely soft texture.
  • Mix the Mango Chicken with the cooked onions and garlic.
  • Add half a jar of the Tikka Masala Paste, the tub of passata and sugar and mixed herbs. Bring to a very low simmer for 5 minutes. Your chicken is already cooked, so it is just a case of combining the ingredients and flavours until they are mixed in. Add water slowly until it becomes a texture similar to a very thick pasta sauce.
  • Split your batch into half. Put the half for freezing to one side to cool. With the batch you will be eating, add the cream or mascapone and finish the meal. If you freeze the portion for another day with the cream or cheese in, it may separate on defrosting. Leave adding the dairy to that portion until you are ready to eat it.
  • Cook between 500g and 1kg of pasta, depending on whether you plan to freeze cooked pasta with your Chicken and Mango Tikka Masala. If you do plan to freeze some pasta, I would be tempted to combine the pasta and Mango Chicken Tikka Masala. I prefer defrosting cooked pasta that has been combined with a sauce, but it would be just as simple to use rice, or cous cous when you eat your frozen batch.
  • Add your cream or mascapone to your Tikka Masala. If you want your sauce thinner, simply add a little more water until it reaches the right consistency.