Alright, so I whipped up some chicken tikka masala the other night. It turned out pretty decent, rich and creamy, you know the drill. But then came the usual problem: what the heck do I serve with it? Just the curry and maybe some rice feels… incomplete. It’s like getting dressed but forgetting your shoes.
I always start thinking about naan bread first. Love that stuff, especially garlic naan. But making it from scratch? Sometimes I just don’t have the energy for that whole process, waiting for dough to rise and all. And the store-bought ones are okay, but not the same. So, naan was out this time. Lazy evening, I guess.
Figuring Out the Sides
So, no fancy bread. Rice was a definite yes. You kinda need something to soak up all that lovely sauce. Basmati is my go-to. Simple, reliable.
Step 1: The Rice. Easy peasy. Got the basmati out. Gave it a good rinse under cold water, maybe three or four times, until the water wasn’t super cloudy. Dumped it in the rice cooker, added the right amount of water, pinch of salt, maybe a cardamom pod if I’m feeling fancy (I wasn’t this time). Hit the button. Done. That’s the easy part handled.
But just rice? Still felt a bit bare. Chicken tikka masala is rich, a bit heavy sometimes. Needed something to cut through that richness. Something cool and fresh.
Adding Some Coolness and Crunch
Step 2: The Raita. This is almost non-negotiable for me with Indian food. It’s just so good for balancing the heat and spice. Grabbed some plain yogurt from the fridge. Full fat, gotta be full fat for good raita. Plopped a big scoop into a bowl.
- Chopped up some cucumber. Really fine, almost grated it but decided chopping was faster. Tossed that in.
- Found half an onion. Chopped that super fine too. Added it. Some people don’t like onion in raita, but I think it gives a nice little bite.
- Mint! Almost forgot the mint. Got a few leaves from the sorry-looking plant on my windowsill. Chopped ’em up, threw them in.
- A pinch of salt, a tiny pinch of roasted cumin powder (this stuff is magic). Stirred it all up. Tasted it. Yep, cool, refreshing, perfect. Stuck it in the fridge to get really cold.
Okay, rice cooking, raita chilling. Better, but maybe one more thing? Something with a bit of crunch, maybe?
A Simple Salad Thingy
Step 3: Quick Kachumber-ish Salad. Didn’t want anything complicated. Just needed some raw veggie freshness. Remembered seeing kachumber salad somewhere.
So I just grabbed:
- The other half of that onion. Chopped.
- A tomato. Chopped. Tried to get rid of some of the watery seeds.
- The rest of the cucumber I used for the raita. Chopped.
Threw it all in another bowl. Squeezed maybe half a lemon over it. Bit of salt, bit of black pepper. Gave it a quick toss. That’s it. Super simple, adds color and that fresh crunch. Didn’t even bother with cilantro this time, kept it basic.
Putting It All Together
By now, the rice cooker had popped. Fluffed the rice up with a fork. Got the chicken tikka masala heated through properly. Pulled the raita out of the fridge. Grabbed the little bowl of chopped salad.
Served it all up. A scoop of rice, generous ladle of the chicken tikka masala over it. A dollop of the cold raita on the side, and a spoonful of the crunchy salad next to that. Honestly, it looked pretty good. More importantly, it worked. The cool yogurt, the fresh salad, the plain rice – they all played their part next to the star curry. Didn’t miss the naan too much this time, surprisingly. Sometimes the simple sides are the best, less hassle too.
