Chicken Tikka from Desi Shack

NEW YORK (WABC) -- In this week's Neighborhood Eats Pakistani food is served up at a restaurant opened by an Egyptian woman who fell in love with the food of her husband's homeland.

Yasmin Ibrahim loves the Pakistani food her husband's family cooks and she thinks the cuisine doesn't get its due here in New York City where they live. So she opened a restaurant to shine a light on it.

She's up to her second location with Desi Shack which is located at 134 Fourth Avenue in Union Square.

"We have a bunch of amazing family recipes that have been in his family forever and we decided why don't we bring this to New York City," said Yasmin Ibrahim, the owner of Desi Shack.

To be sure, Pakistani food can already be found in New York City, but at Desi Shack in Union Square there's a modern twist. It's quick serve, portable, and has a lot of options.

The owner Yasmin Ibrahim thinks it's a great way to ease into a cuisine many people may not know a lot about.

Quite literally you can mix it up at Desi Shack.

You begin by choosing either basmati rice, salad, or a paratha; that's Pakistani flatbread

Then you choose your meat or vegetarian option.

The chicken tikka is the most popular. The tikka is made with sour cream and yogurt mixed with spices like coriander, garam masala, and chili powder. There's mustard oil and ginger paste, plus lemon juice, that's blended lightly. Crushed mehti leaves and cilantro go in last.

The chicken marinates in the tikka for at least 24 hours before it's skewered and grilled.

Whatever base you choose, you then get to top it off with lots of options, including four chutneys.

The first Desi Shack location is near Grand Central, and amazingly, President Obama acknowledged Yasmin's entrepreneurial spirit.

That's pretty rewarding for Yasmin, but so is seeing her customers enjoy the food of Pakistan.

For more information please visit: http://www.desishack.com

Chicken Tikka Recipe

Ingredients:

3 lbs. Chicken Breast

1/3 Cup Ginger/Garlic Puree

1 Cup Sour Cream

Cup Yogurt

2 Tbs. Coriander Powder

2 Tbs. Cumin Powder

1 Tbs. Mustard Oil

Cup Lemon Juice

2 Tbs. Salt

2 Tsp. Chili Powder

2 Tbs. Garam Masala Powder

1/3 Cup Crushed Mehti Leaves

1/3 Cup Fresh Coriander

Cooking Instructions:

Cut boneless chicken pieces into small cubes and set aside

In a separate bowl, mix all the other ingredients above thoroughly with a whisk to ensure that they are fully blended.

Add the chicken to the marinade and refrigerate overnight

After overnight marinating, take the marinated chicken and put it on a skewer and grill on medium heat for about 25 minutes till fully cooked

Enjoy!