The fancy of Britain / Tikka masala's more popular than fish 'n' chips

What do you think is the favorite food in Great Britain? Fish and chips? Steak and kidney pie? Jellied eels? Sausages and mash? Summer pudding?

No.

Britain's favorite food, as proclaimed in a speech last month by foreign secretary Robin Cook, is chicken tikka masala.

Chicken tikka masala may sound like an Indian dish -- most people assume it is, and no Indian restaurant in the country is without it -- but it is as British as a rainy day, an afternoon tea, a cricket match on a summer afternoon.

How did this delicious little hybrid become so popular -- the number one choice of ready-prepared meals, the filling in everything from sandwiches to Cornish pasties?

Chicken tikka masala seems to have emerged from the pots of Britain's Indian restaurants -- and there are 8,500 of them, according to The Times of India -- no doubt inspired by a languishing pile of leftover chicken tikka.

Tikka, for the uninitiated, are kebabs of small pieces of meat. In this case, the meat is chicken, although lamb makes delicious tikkas as well, and so, untraditionally, does tofu.

The meat is marinated in yogurt, lime or lemon and spices, then threaded onto sticks and barbecued in a tandoor, the very hot ceramic ovens that give tandoori chicken its trademark smoky flavor. Tikka could be described tandoori kebab, or tandoori without the bones.

Somewhere along the way, perhaps in some Indian restaurant in deepest, darkest Wimbledon or Manchester or Bradford, the chef thought, "Aha! I have some leftover chicken tikka and it has a very nice smoky flavor. Perhaps I'll simmer it in a spicy masala sauce and put it on the menu." And the rest, as they say, is history.

There is a reason it is so popular -- it is delicious. The smokiness of the chicken permeates the masala sauce. The sauce itself can be creamy, tomato-y, spicy, onion-y, fiery hot or comfortingly mild. It can have bits of vegetables in it, such as tomatoes, peas or spinach, or nothing besides the tikka meat and sauce, depending upon the whim of the chef.

Chicken tikka masala can be prepared either stewy -- in abundant sauce -- or balti -- with a sauce that is stir-fried in a woklike pan (called a karahi or balti pan) to concentrate it before the chicken chunks are added.

I almost always order chicken tikka masala, or convince someone at our table to order it. One of my favorite places to eat it is Aladin's on Brick Lane, the formerly Jewish neighborhood that these days feels exotically more like Bangladesh than Britain.

Aladin's is a Formica-topped almost greasy spoon joint perfect for lunch after shopping in the nearby Brick Lane Sunday Flea Market. In addition to its wonderful food, Aladin's other claim to fame is a visit from Prince Charles. Ask the waiter -- he'll put on a tape of the visit, old and crackly from being played so much for guests, and point out the photos of the event that adorn the walls.

I hope HRH ate well on his visit. I hope he ate generously and enthusiastically, because there is so much good stuff to eat there. And chicken tikka masala heads the list.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

This recipe is adapted from Indian chef, food writer and TV cooking personality Mridula Baljekar. Although Baljekar makes a mahkani sauce, I've combined the chicken tikka with masala sauce (creamy, tomato-y, intriguingly spiced). Sometimes I cheat and marinate the chicken with bottled tikka or tandoori paste. It's quite tangy and delicious, though the red color will stay on your fingers for days.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 cup plain yogurt + additional yogurt for drizzling

1 tablespoon crushed fresh ginger

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chickpea flour

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

Seeds from 3-4 cardamom pods

3-4 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed

Generous pinch of cinnamon

Generous pinch of cloves

Generous pinch of black pepper

Generous pinch of nutmeg

Several pinches hot pepper flakes

Bamboo skewers, soaked for 30 minutes

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Masala Sauce (see recipe)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS: Combine the chicken with the lemon juice, salt and sugar in a large bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients except for the butter and oil, masala sauce, and cilantro and yogurt garnish. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat the broiler or prepare a grill.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread onto skewers.

Melt the butter, then mix it with the oil and brush the kebabs with the mixture.

Cook on the barbecue or under the broiler for a few minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the heat and let rest a few minutes.

Remove the chicken from the skewers and combine with the sauce.

This may be done up to a day ahead, just store the dish in the refrigerator and rewarm over low heat.

Sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle with plain yogurt, if desired

Serves 4.

PER SERVING: 370 calories, 36 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 21 g fat (7 g saturated), 163 mg cholesterol, 706 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

The calories and other nutrients absorbed from marinades vary and are difficult to estimate.

MASALA SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon onion seeds, optional (see Note)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 black cardamom pods, opened slightly

8 whole cloves

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground white (green) cardamom seeds

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chopped tomatoes, including the juices

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Large pinch cayenne pepper

1 green chile, thinly sliced, or to taste

1 cup cream

1 teaspoon dried mint

INSTRUCTIONS: In a balti pan or wok, heat the butter and lightly fry the onion until it is softened.

Add the onion seeds and cumin seeds, cooking a further minute or two until they are fragrant.

Add the cardamom pods, cloves, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom seeds. Cook a minute or so longer.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, sugar, cayenne, green chile, and cook together for about 10 minutes, or until the flavors blend. Stir if it threatens to stick or burn.

Add the cream and dried mint, then cook over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Warm through, and serve with a sprinkling of cilantro and, if desired, a drizzle of yogurt.

Note: Onion seeds (also called nigella) are available at Indian markets.

PER SERVING: 370 calories, 6 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 29 g fat (17 g saturated), 97 mg cholesterol, 1,207 mg sodium, 6 g fiber.