This was another impromptu creation due to lack of experience and ingredients. I was faced with the problem of barbecuing chicken for a gang of fifteen men. It was a friends bachelor party and everybody wanted to have a barbecue but none of them seemed to have much idea about cooking. I, too, had never barbecued on my own but assisted others in putting the meat pieces on the skewers.
So I embarked on this green horn project with the hope that after plenty of alcohol nobody will realize what they are eating. I am not sure everybody praised it due to the pleasant effect of alcohol, so I will leave it to you to "taste" it.
Ingredients:
1. Chicken (I wanted boneless breast pieces but ended up with regular chicken with bones cut into medium sized pieces) - 3 kg
2. Tandoori chicken masala - 50 g.
This is available in packets in India, but the ingredients are Coriander seeds, cumin, red chilies, dried mango powder, Kachri [no clue what this is], fenugreek leaves, salt, black pepper, dried garlic, dried onion, dried ginger, cassia, large cardamom seeds, nutmeg - all powdered together. Many of the items seem rather exotic or hard to make. But from the smell of the powder, I believe coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper dominate the flavour. Some chili powder, cardamom seeds and dried mango powder and dried ginger (shunth) powder if possible, will enrich the base.
3. Lemon/ lime - 2
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
5. Butter - 100 g
6. Coriander leaves - 1 small bundle
7. Garlic cloves - 20
8. Ginger - 1" stick
9. Salt - 3 tbsp (or according to taste)
Procedure:
1. Clean the chicken. Separate out any fat and bony pieces like neck. Keep these aside for the sauce.
2. Add the tandoori chicken masala, turmeric powder and 2 tbsp butter to the chicken. Squeeze out the juice from the lemons into it, mix thoroughly and keep aside.
3. Smash the garlic cloves and the ginger stick.
4. Heat the rest of the butter in a small deep pan and add the smashed garlic and ginger into it. Add the fat and bony pieces/bones. Keep it simmering at lowest heat without turning the fire off. If it gets too thick, you may add one or two cups of water.
5. We made the fire after this. That took about two hours.
Thus, even if your fire is ready, I'll suggest that you marinate the chicken and simmer the sauce for at least an hour.
6. Chop the coriander leaves and add them to the simmering sauce. Keep simmering for another five minutes and the sauce is ready.
7. Put the chicken pieces on skewers piercing length-wise and pressing the pieces together. Make it as compact as possible. It should be of even diameter on all sides. Otherwise some parts of the meat will burn while some will remain undercooked.
8. Put the skewers on charcoal fire (over a grill) and cook. Turn the skewers once in a while so that all sides get cooked. Take a brush/ stick with a piece of cloth tied to its tip and keep dabbing some of the sauce on the meat.
9. Once the chicken turns dark brown and starts blackening at places, check if it is cooked by poking with a fork. Take it off the skewer and serve while hot. You may sprinkle a last dose of sauce before serving.
So I embarked on this green horn project with the hope that after plenty of alcohol nobody will realize what they are eating. I am not sure everybody praised it due to the pleasant effect of alcohol, so I will leave it to you to "taste" it.
Ingredients:
1. Chicken (I wanted boneless breast pieces but ended up with regular chicken with bones cut into medium sized pieces) - 3 kg
2. Tandoori chicken masala - 50 g.
This is available in packets in India, but the ingredients are Coriander seeds, cumin, red chilies, dried mango powder, Kachri [no clue what this is], fenugreek leaves, salt, black pepper, dried garlic, dried onion, dried ginger, cassia, large cardamom seeds, nutmeg - all powdered together. Many of the items seem rather exotic or hard to make. But from the smell of the powder, I believe coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper dominate the flavour. Some chili powder, cardamom seeds and dried mango powder and dried ginger (shunth) powder if possible, will enrich the base.
3. Lemon/ lime - 2
4. Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
5. Butter - 100 g
6. Coriander leaves - 1 small bundle
7. Garlic cloves - 20
8. Ginger - 1" stick
9. Salt - 3 tbsp (or according to taste)
Procedure:
1. Clean the chicken. Separate out any fat and bony pieces like neck. Keep these aside for the sauce.
2. Add the tandoori chicken masala, turmeric powder and 2 tbsp butter to the chicken. Squeeze out the juice from the lemons into it, mix thoroughly and keep aside.
3. Smash the garlic cloves and the ginger stick.
4. Heat the rest of the butter in a small deep pan and add the smashed garlic and ginger into it. Add the fat and bony pieces/bones. Keep it simmering at lowest heat without turning the fire off. If it gets too thick, you may add one or two cups of water.
5. We made the fire after this. That took about two hours.
Thus, even if your fire is ready, I'll suggest that you marinate the chicken and simmer the sauce for at least an hour.
6. Chop the coriander leaves and add them to the simmering sauce. Keep simmering for another five minutes and the sauce is ready.
7. Put the chicken pieces on skewers piercing length-wise and pressing the pieces together. Make it as compact as possible. It should be of even diameter on all sides. Otherwise some parts of the meat will burn while some will remain undercooked.
8. Put the skewers on charcoal fire (over a grill) and cook. Turn the skewers once in a while so that all sides get cooked. Take a brush/ stick with a piece of cloth tied to its tip and keep dabbing some of the sauce on the meat.
9. Once the chicken turns dark brown and starts blackening at places, check if it is cooked by poking with a fork. Take it off the skewer and serve while hot. You may sprinkle a last dose of sauce before serving.
