Tandoori-style chicken

Tandoori murghi

I ha e, I tJ1ink, found a way to make tandoori-style chicken \ ithout a

tandoor! The tandoor, as I am sure you aU knO\; by now is a vat-shaped clay
o en, heated \! ith charcoal or " ood. The heat inside builds up t . uch an
extent that small whole chic ens, skewered and thrust into it, cook in about 10
minutes. This fierce heat seals the juices of the bird and keeps it moist 'i hi Ie
an earlier marinating process ensures that the chicken is tender and well
flavoured. The result is quite spectacular.
To approximate a tandoor, I use an ordinar oven, pre-heated to its
maximum temperature. Then, instead of cooking a hoi bird, I use serving­
sized piece' - legs that are cut into two and breasts that are quartered. The
cooking time is not 10 minutes because home ovens do not get as hot as
tandoors. Still, breasts cook in about 15-20 minutes and legs in 20-25
minutes.
Tandoori chicken may, of course, be served just the ay it comes out of
the oven with a fe'\' wedges of lemon, or it can, " ithout much effort, be
transformed into Makkhani l1lurghi (see next recipe) by smothering it with a
rich butter-cream-tomato sauce. Both dishes are xcellen for dinner parties
as most of the work can be done a da y ahead of time. The chicken is marinated
the night before so all you have to do on t e day of the part., is to cook it in the
oven for a brief 20-25 minutes just before you sit down to eat. If you wish to
make the sauce, all the ingredients for it except the hutter may be combined in
a bowl the day before and refrigerated. fter that, the sauce cooks in less than
five minutes and invol es onl~ one step - heating it. Both these chicken dishes
may be served with rice or naan and a green bean or cauliflower dish.

OPPOSITE PAGE:
Spiced basmari rice Masaledar basmati (page t 48)
ubergine cooked in the pickling style, Bat~~'an achari (page roo)
Ka hmiri red lamb stew, Kashmin rogan josh (page 53)

OVERLEAF:

Cod steaks in a spicy tomato sauce, Timatar wali macchi (page 95)

Rice with pea,', Tahiri (page 149)

Gujerati-style cabbage with carrots, Samhhara (page ro6)

66 CHICKE
 erves 4-6:
2{ Ib (tkg I2Sg) chicken
pieces, skinned (you ma
use legs, breasts, or a
combination of the two)
t teaspoon salt
t juicy lemon
150 oz (42Sml) plain
oghurt
! medium-sized onion,
peeled and quartered
I clove garlic, peeled
A ~ inch (zem) cube of
fresh ginger, peeled and
quartered
! fresh, hot green chi iii,
roughly sliced
2 teaspoons garam
masala (pagc t 8)
3 tablespoons yellow
liquid food colouring
mixed with i-t!
tablespoons red liquid
food colouring, optional,
see note below
WedgeSOfIlme, optional
The traditional orange colour of
cookec! tandouri ehiden comes
from food colouring. You rna
or may nor want to use ir. Jf you
do, mix yellow and red liquid
food colours to get a brighr
orange shade. If your red is
ver) dark, use only { tablespoon
of it.
Cut each leg into two pieces and each breast
into four pieces. Cut two long slits on each side
f each part of the legs. The slits should never
start at an edge and they should be deep
enough to reach the bone. Cut similar slits on
the meaty side of each breast piece.
Spread the chicken pieces out on one or
two large platters. Sprinkle half the salt and
squeeze the juice from three-quarters of a
lemon over them. Lightly rub the salt and
lemon juice into the slits. Turn the chicken
pieces over and do the same on the other side
with the remaining salt and lemon juice. Set
aside for 20 minutes.
Combine tl1e yoghurt, onion, garlic
ginger, green chilli and garam 11lflsala in the
container of an electric blender or food
processor. Blend until you have a smooth
paste. Empty the paste into a strainer set over
a large ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Pu~h
the paste through.
Brush the chicken pieces on both sides
with the food colouring and then put them
with any accumulated juices and any remain­
ing food colouring into the bowl with the
marinade. Mix well, making sure that the
marinade goes into the slits in the chicken.
Cover and refrigerate for 6-24 hours (the
longer the better).
Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature.
Take the chicken pieces out of the bowl,
shaking off as much of the marinade as
possible. Arrange them in a large shallow
baking tray in a single layer. Bake for 20-25
minutes or until just done. You might test the
chicken with a fork just to be sure. Serve hot,
with lime wedges.
•';.B. The left over marinade may be frozen,
and re-used Ol1ce.
OiICKEN 69
Chicken in a butter auce
Spicy bak d cmcke
Makkhani murghi
Masaledar murghi
The sauce in tbi . di h should be folded into butter at the v r.r 1 st minute sit H re is one f those ea y I:
Lends to eparatc otherwise. However, you can combine' I, le ingr dients effi rtlessly, There is a marinul
except the huner lip to a day ahead of time and refrigerate them until the are This chicken ha a very
needed. chillie'. T get the same effec
This is a wonderfuJi imple bUl spe ta ular dish in which randoori paprika with cayenne p pper
chicken of the preceding recipe i trw formed with a sauce. total quantity is about 1t ta Ic~
[ like to serve this chicken
S rves 4-6: Put the tomato paste in a clear measuring jug. lcmils' (page 122).
4 tablespo ns tomato dd water lowly, mixing as you go, to make
puree up 8 fl oz (225ml) of tomato sauce, dd the Serv s 6:
Water to mix ginger, cream, U'{lram masala, salt, sugar, green I tablespoon ground
A ( inch (z'5cm) cube of chilli, cayenne, green coriander lemon juice, cumin seed
fresh ginger, peeled and and ground roasted cumin seeds. ix \ ell. I tablespoon paprika
grated very finely to a
Heat the butter in a id saute pan or a It teaspoons ca cnnc
pulp pepper (sec note ab ve)
large frying pan, When the butter has melted,
I pint (27Sml) single I tablespoon ground
cream add all the ingredients in the measuring jug.
turmeric
Bring to a immer and cook on medium heat
I tea poon garam masala
for a minute, mixing in the hutter as. ou do so.
1-11 teaspoon freshl}
(pa e 18) ground black pepper
i aspoon salt Add the chicken pieces (but not their ac­ 2r3 teaspoons sal t - or [
cumulated juices). Stir once and put chicken taste
I fresh, hot green chilli pi ces on a warm ser ing platter. Extra sauce 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
finely chopped should be pooned 0 er the top. and masJled to a pulp
t teaspoon cayenne 6 tablespoons lemon juice
pepper 3~ Ib (Ikg soog) chicken
I tablespo n very finely piee s
chopped fresh green 3 tablespoons egetable
coriander oil
4 tea poons lemon juice
I tea p on ground
roa t d cumin seeds (see
page 17)
of oz (nog) unsalted butter
Tandoori-style chicken,
freshly cooked according
to the preceding recipe

70 Q-L1CKEN