Chicken Tikka Masala

My friend Wayne, from the  Food Network community site recently pointed out that he was haunted by the chicken tikka masala dish appearing everywhere on the Food Channel. Everyone from the "Spice Goddess", Bobby Flay, and even the " Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" program were focusing on this popular east Indian dish. Talk about the power of the media being persuasive: I too succumbed and had made the recipe but had not gotten around to posting it. My version is probably a lazy one as I didn't marinate the chicken nor pre-bake it before adding it to the tikka masala sauce. Also for my vegetarian friends, I'm sure this would be a great recipe for you if you simply replace the chicken with tofu. Now, without further ado and thanks to Wayne's reminder.......

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts cut into bite size cubes
3-4 tablespoons of  vegetable oil or grape seed oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala (spice mixture)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cardamon
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tomato chopped
1/2 cup water
1 small container plain yogurt (about 1/2 cup)
fresh coriander for garnish
Salt to taste

In a small bowl mix all the spices including the ginger. Set aside. In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook for a minute. Stir in the spices and allow the flavours to infuse. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the chopped tomato and pour in the water. Simmer and season with salt to taste. Add the chicken pieces stirring well to coat the meat with the sauce. Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened, about 12 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and continue to simmer 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with bismati rice.