Tandoori Chicken
TANDOORI in INDIAN stands for an earthern oven which is sort
of cylindrical and uses coal as the fuel.
This recipe will need a bar-b-que grill as a substitute. It
can be also cooked in a gas or electric oven, but it will lose
most of its flavour. Also, the chicken has to be marinaded for
atleast 6 hours, ideally 12 hours overnight.
You will need the following:
1. 12 Chicken drumsticks and/or breast pieces (skin removed)
2. 1 cup plain yoghurt (pref.) or 2 cups Buttermilk
3. 1 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
4. 2 tbsp coriander powder
5. 1 tbsp garlic powder } FRESHLY GROUND IS
6. 1 tbsp ginger powder } MUCH BETTER
7. 1 tbsp cumin powder
8. 1/2 tbsp. GARAM MASALA powder (available at any/all Indian grocery
stores)
You can prepare #8 at home by dry grinding to a powder the following:
(20 black pepper corns 0r equivalnet black pepper powder, 5 cloves,
1 inch cinnamon stick, 4-5 cardamoms, 1 tsp. cumin powder, 2 bay
leaves plus some more stuff I dont know, although this should be
fine )
9. Meat tenderizer (optional)
10. 2 tbsp. salt (use less if tenderizer contains salt)
IF YOU LIKE IT HOT AND SPICY , ADD 1 TBSP. EXTRA OF ALL SPICES FROM NOS.
3-8.
Method:
Prick the chicken pieces with a fork all over. apply the
tenderizer to the chicken pieces and let it stand for an hour or so.
The marinade : Take a wide and deep bowl about 12 2 inches wide and deep
enough to hold all the chicken pieces. Add the yoghurt plus one cup
water or the buttermilk with no water into the bowl. Add all the spices
from nos. 3 thru 8 into the bowl and stir to form a
homogeneous mixture.Now add the chicken pieces into the mixture, so
that they are all covered with the paste/mixture. Cover the bowl with a
lid and let it stand for 6 hours. If you plan to marinade for 12-15
hours, put it in the refrigerator. The more time it is marinated, the
better it will absorb the spices and the tastier it will be.
When you are ready to grill the chicken, apply melted butter to the
the chicken pieces with a brush or spoon all over and you are ready to
grill the chicken on the barbeque in the normal fashion. turn over the
chicken pieces when they look brownish red in color or darker if you
prefer it well done.
Slice finely onion into rings, add some salt and lemon juice to it, to
be served as a salad with the tandoori chicken. lemon juice sprinkled
on the cooked pieces also adds to the flavor , if you wish.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy this recipe, a favourite of the Moghul
emperors of INDIA!
Bless Merry Part
