WOOD FIRED CLAY OVEN TANDOORI CHICKEN WITH SPICED COCONUT PILAF RICE

I love rice cooked in coconut milk, its one of my favourite ways, as it gives the rice a sweet sumptuous depth of flavour, it is also a one pot cook, so great for a speedy tasty supper.

 

 

First for the tandoori chicken, I marinated chicken breasts in the spices for a few hours on skewers in the fridge, then I fired up my wood fired clay oven, but a really hot pizza stone in your oven will give you the same effect.

 

TANDOORI MARINADE

(will cover 8 chicken breasts)

 

vegetable oil (enough to make a paste)

1 onion fined chopped

4 tomatoes chopped

1 tbsp palm sugar

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 sachet of creamed coconut

1" fresh ginger grated

1 clove garlic grated

1 tsp turmeric

 1/4 tsp cayenne chilli powder

6 cardamon pod seeds

1 tsp fenugreek

3 kaffir lime leaves

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 pinch salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

 

Heat the oil in a pan and gently cook the onions for 10 minutes, add the palm sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes, now add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, lime leaves and coconut, bring to a simmer.

 

In a coffee grinder, grind all the spices and then add to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or so to make a paste, cover the chicken and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.  To cook place in your pre-heated oven 230 degrees on the pizza stone, do not turn the skewers for a couple of minutes, you want the chicken to seal and char adding all that extra character and flavour.  Cook for 5-7 minutes.

 

 

FOR THE SPICED COCONUT PILAF

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 can of coconut milk

2 1/2 cans of water

1 jelly chicken stock cube in 100ml water

1/2 tsp ground all spice

1 red pepper diced

10 baby plum tomatoes halved

1/2 cinnamon stick

1" ginger

1 scotch bonnet chilli whole

coriander to garnish

1 tsp red dried chillies

 

Take your crock pot and place all of the ingredients in, only stir once as you do not want the rice to become glutinous, and stirring will cause this.  Bake in your oven for 30 minutes or so until all the liquid has been absorbed, this is easy to tell as you will have steam holes all over the rice, serve with the charred chicken tikka and flat breads with a mint and cucumber yogurt dip.