Tandoori Chicken

When my brother -in -law Gautam invited us to dine with him at Flame n Grill an Indian cuisine eatery in Kolkata, I was sure it would be a great outing. All this, because of the trashing reviews this restaurant had received from my eminent excise inspector friend. The first impression of the dimly lit interiors of this restaurant situated in Mani Square is of a cool upmarket place. The interiors arrest our attention , an ethereal sight indeed, but its the buffet spread that attracts my attention.

For those of us who would rather eat at home than have an exquisite dining experience, gourmet everyday is the mezzanine option. Try this ! Puree mangoes with some cucumber, mix with cold water to thin the solution, add some chopped coriander, some salt and lemon juice and you have a cold soup ready!!!Putting together a few simple ingredients you can put gourmet on your table everyday. Duplicating something you ate at a restaurant or your  last vacation, evoking the same delicious smell ,can be fun.

Each Time I bring home a bunch of bright vegetables , I have the feeling that my kitchen has suddenly brightened up. Scooping up all those colours and thinking how to cook them is a pleasure in itself. 

My sister -in -law, Mala cooks up  some simple but amazing dishes with her friends on weekends at her place. She shared with me a few of her recipes, that i would now like to pass on to you all. As you can see she is making chicken.We had tandoori chicken earlier at the restaurant so i decided to try out Mala's recipe at home. Mala's recipe can be made successfully in a conventional oven .

Tandoori Chicken :

Chicken                             1.5 kg, skinned & cut into 4 pieces                                                     or just chicken legs

Lemon                               juice of 2 

Salt                                    4 tsp

Garlic                                2 cloves,peeled & sliced

Onion                                1,large,peeled &sliced

Coriander Powder            1 tsp

Red Food Colour              1/2 tsp

Chilly Powder                  1/2 tsp

To Garnish :

Lettuce                             1

Tomatoes                          1-2,sliced

Onion                                1/2,sliced into rings

Lemon Wedges                 a few

Method :

Make 3 deep cuts in each piece of chicken with a sharp knife. Rub the flesh all over with half the lemon juice, then rub in the salt.
Mix the remaining ingredients to a paste with the remaining lemon juice, using an electric blender.Put the chicken in a baking dish lined with foil,then pour over the marinade.
Cover and leave to marinate for at least 12 hours.
One of the secrets of tandoori chicken is the marinade......the longer the chicken is left in the marinade, the more authentic will be the finished dish. You  may find that in some of the eateries it is usual for the chicken to be marinated in a cool place for 3 days and sometimes even for as long as 1 week.
Roast in a pre-heated moderate oven for 1 1/2hours at 180 degree celcius or until the chicken is tender. Increase the heat to moderately high that is 200 degrees celcius and roast for further 15-20 minutes until browned on top.
Serve hot on a bed of lettuce leaves, garnished with tomato slices, onoin rings and lemon wedges.

Tandoori Chicken