If you’re stuck at home and feeling uninspired (like most of us!), why not focus your energy on something positive and use lockdown to expand your culinary skills? Not like your typical curry, this dish from Maine’s longest-running Indian restaurant blends two distinct cultures for a truly otherworldly taste.
The award-winning Bombay Mahal (featured in USA Today) is Maine’s longest-running and most celebrated Indian restaurant. Here, restauranteurs Raj & Bina Sharma, who relocated from living in Germany & the United Kingdom to Portland, Maine 30 years ago, share their east-meets-west recipe of a traditional Indian favorite paired with Maine’s most iconic crustacean export: Lobster Tikka Masala.
Ingredients for Lobster Tikka Masala (feeds four):
? 32oz fresh Maine diced lobster meat
? 45 oz of tomato puree
? 4 teaspoons of Butter
? 8 oz heavy cream
? 1 medium red onion
? garlic paste, 3 teaspoons
? ginger paste, 3 teaspoons
? cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon
? Caraway seeds, Ajwain, ½ teaspoon
? Cilantro, 1 oz
? Garam masala, 1 teaspoon
? ½ teaspoon turmeric
? Salt to taste, 1 teaspoon
? Sugar, 1 teaspoon
? Black ground pepper, ½ teaspoon
? 5 whole cloves
? Crushed fenugreek leaves, ½ teaspoon
? 2 bay leaves
? 2 inch cinnamon stick
? 3 whole green cardamom
? 1 green chili pepper (optional)
Instructions:
1. Bring a medium sized non-stick pan to medium heat
2. Add in butter once pan is ho When butter starts to melt, add in cumin seeds, cloves, caraway seeds, cinnamon stick & bay leaves until they become a golden brown color and you start to smell the fragrance
3. Next add in ginger/garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute, followed by your chopped onion (1 chopped chili optional)
4. Once the onions start to become translucent in color, usually after 2 minutes, add in your turmeric, salt, & sugar
5. Add in 3 cups of room temperature water to dilute the mixture followed by tomato puree
6. Continue mixing everything and bring to a boil for thickness for 15 minutes on high heat
7. After the 15 minutes are up, add in your fresh lobster and heavy cream, lightly stirring it so as to not break the meat for 5 minutes
8. Cover with a lid and let sit for 3 minutes allowing lobster to cook further
9. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, a pinch of garam masala, and a few dollops of melted butter
10. Serve with basmati rice and your favorite Indian flatbread such as naan or chapatti!