As someone who loves a good meal, cooking one, came to me as a natural passion. I belong to a family where meal times consisted of not just food, but also noisy conversation centered around the events of the day and discussing the menu for the next. (ah yes, we are a greedy lot! )

For the most part of my life so far, my contribution in the kitchen was assisting mom and my duties were limited, to chopping veggies and laying the table. Then along came the great Indian wedding, and I was suddenly the queen of my very own kingdom. My curiosity about this magical world, coupled with an enthusiastic sous-chef (my husband, Vineet), led me to take on the challenge of preparing meals on a daily basis, and not succumbing to the convenience of hiring a cook.

This blog is a product of my experiments with food (not all are life threatening :D) for my fellow culinary enthusiasts - especially the newly weds and hungry bachelors and is dedicated to the women who've inspired me in the kitchen;
Aji (s),Ma and Nigella Lawson.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Tandoori Chicken

Ahh! Tandoori chicken.... we made this at home for the first time ever last night...and i'm still dreamy eyed... Spicy, juicy and deliciously scorched in parts, this is probably the yummiest version of cooking chicken the healthy way.

Ingredients:
- 700 g Chicken, mixed parts like thighs, drumsticks and breast pieces
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 1 large Lime
- 1 cups strained/ hung Yoghurt
- 2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
- 4 tbsp Everest Tandoori chicken masala
- 1 tbsp red Chilli powder
- 2 tbsp Butter (melted)


Method:
1.) Wash and clean the chicken. Trim any skin or visible fat with a pair of sharp scissors. Rub the chicken pieces with the salt and lime juice and set aside in a bowl for 15 mins.

2.) Strain the yoghurt using a thin cotton fabric to remove most of its water content (about 30-40 mins). Whisk together the hung yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, tandoori chicken masala, chilli powder and a little salt. Pour over the salt & lime rubbed chicken pieces.
Cover and marinate for atleast 2 hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

3.) Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the 'grill' on your oven. Shake off the excess marinade from the chicken and set it on a wire-rack. Drizzle some of the melted butter over the chicken and grill till its nicely browned (about 12-15 mins each side)

4.) Once cooked, allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes. A few rings of sliced Onions, a big squirt of lime juice, and Eat up!


If you cant find the Tandoori chicken masala, you can make some of your own. You need:
3 tbsp ground Cumin + 2 tbsp ground Coriander + 5-6 ground Cloves +1 tsp ground Cinnamon + 1 tsp Turmeric powder + 1 tsp red Chilli powder.

1 comment:

  1. Just had 5 most gorgeous tandoori chicken legs. I love your blog. Thanks.

    -Panju

    ReplyDelete