CHICKEN TANDOORI MASALA

This is so good and is great fun to cook, I love cooking outside, despite the sleet rain and wind at present!  But this is almost as good charred on a hot griddle pan in the kitchen, with the windows open!  After many attempts I have finally married up several inspirational recipes and found this marinade tasted as close to the proper tandoori chicken cooked in a traditional tandoor.  I used my hot coal clay pot to cook the chicken which allowed me to get that all important charred essential layer of flavour on to the chicken to add that authentic tandoor taste, but you can still get that charred flavour from a stove top griddle, the outdoor cooking smoke flavour is the only flavour you be short on.  The flat breads really are worth the effort to make they only take 5 minutes to set the dough up and 3 minutes to cook and are outstandingly fabulous.

I have used kashmiri chilli powder in this recipe, you can find this on Amazon or in good deli stores.  If you want a redder traditional colour like in the Indian restaurants this is achieved by adding a paprika extract known as, paprika oleoresin I was unable to find this, it is used commercially and you can find it in the commercial mix of tandoori masala powders readily available.  I have made my own tandoori masala, recipe below.

MARINADE

5 cardamon pods de-seeded

2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp  coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 grated nutmeg

2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 tbsp tandoori masala powder (home made recipe below)

1 lrg tsp salt

2" piece of ginger finely grated

6 garlic cloves finely grated

300g Greek yogurt

1/2 lemon juiced

4 chicken breasts or lamb 

FLAT BREADS

500g 00 flour

15g dried yeast

50ml olive oil

10g salt

320g water

ACCOMPANIMENTS

200ml Greek yogurt

 8 tsps Harissa paste

watercress salad

 1 sliced onion

 1 sliced peppers

2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander 

TANDOORI MASALA POWDER

1 tsp ground ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, cayenne and turmeric.

Mix together

FLAT BREAD DOUGH

First make the flat breads, mix all the ingredients together and knead for 5 minutes, don't add any extra flour the stickiness will go with kneading cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes, if you want to make this further in advance, leave to prove at room temperature for 2-3hrs or make the day before and leave to prove in the fridge, up to 48hrs just bring out to come up to room temperature 15 minutes before using.

TANDOORI MASALA MARINADE

In a pestal and mortar or my favourtie a not for coffee grinder, grind the cardamom, cumin, cloves, black peppercorns and coridander seeds, tip into a larage bowl and add the yogurt, cayenne, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, chilli powder, tandoori masala, ginger, garlic, salt and lemon juice, mix well into a gorgeous paste and coat the chicken really well.  The longer you can leave this to marinate the deeper the flavour, 30 minutes and you will have a tandoori chicken meal but 5 hours or overnight in the fridge and you will have outstanding tandoori chicken.  Once marinated place the chunks of chicken on your skewers, if using wooden skewers soak them in cold water for 30 minutes prior to use.  If using metal skewers your chicken will cook a little quicker than wooden skewers.

FLAT BREADS

Heat a dry non stick frying pan to a high heat, divide the dough into 6, dust with flour and roll out to the size of a dinner plate, place in the hot pan and cook each side for approx 2 minutes, wrap up in a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the tandoori chicken.

CHICKEN TANDOORI

Fire up your BBQ, coal pot or stove top griddle and to start cook the skewers low down near the coals, or on a really high heat so as to char the chicken, don't turn the skewers until the meat has really sealed and charred on one side then once you have charred both sides lower the heat or pop higher up to finish cooking slowly, allowing the chicken to start resting as it finishes cooking, serve stuffed and rolled up in your flat bread with salad, yogurt and harissa.