MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Tandoori Chicken
Categories: Chicken, Indian
Yield: 4 Servings

8 Chicken drumsticks (2 lb)
Oil; for basting

MMMMM------------------------FOR SERVING-----------------------------
Chaat masala
Onion slices
Lemon wedges
Cilantro; fresh chopped

MMMMM-----------------------FIRST MARINADE----------------------------
1/2 tb Fresh lemon juice
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Red chilli powder or
- cayenne;
- adjust to tolerance

MMMMM----------------------SECOND MARINADE---------------------------
10 Black peppercorns
2 Black cardamom; seeds only
1 Green cardamom; seeds only
2 Cloves
8 Raw cashews; broken -OR-
2 tb Cashew meal
1 sm Cinnamon stick (see notes)
1/4 c Thick plain yogurt
Fresh ginger (1")
4 cl Garlic
1 tb Garam masala
1 1/4 tb Chaat masala
2 ts Kashmiri chilli powder;
- this lends the color,
- not the heat
1/4 ts Turmeric powder
1 pn Nutmeg; fresh grated
1 pn Ajwain seeds; scant
1 tb Ghee; melted & cooled
1 ts Salt; or to taste
1/2 ts Saffron threads;
- good quality (optional)

Black Cardamom has no substitute in this recipe. It has a woody,
strong flavor and aroma much different that the sweet smelling
cardamom. If you do not have it simply skip it.

You can make the tandoori marinade and immediately freeze it up to 1
month. When using, thaw it in the refrigerator and mix in the
proteins or vegetables you are using.

I recommend not using lean or boneless cuts like chicken breast for
making tandoori because the high heat of cooking will immediately
make the poultry chewy. You could use whole boneless thighs though.

Skin the chicken and wash it under a running steam of water. Using
paper towels, completely pat the chicken dry. Using a sharp knife,
make incisions in the chicken and place in a bowl. Thoroughly rub the
chicken with lemon juice, salt, and chili powder. Set in the
refrigerator.

Lightly crush the the black peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cloves, and
cinnamon in mortar & pestle. Place them into the blender. Add the
cashews, yogurt, ginger, garlic, garam masala, chaat masala, kashmiri
chilli powder, turmeric, nutmeg, ajwain, ghee, saffron, and salt to
the blender. Blend everything very very well until a smooth paste is
formed. Refrigerate this paste for 30 minutes for flavors to mix. If
it's not very hot, you can leave it on the kitchen counter top else
in the refrigerator so that yogurt does not turn sour.

Mix in the chicken and the marinade and let sit refrigerated for 18
to 24 hours, at least. This time of marination is really important.
You could marinate up to 2 days in advance.

Once ready to cook, leave the chicken pieces out of the refrigerator
for about 30 minutes. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
This makes cleaning easy. Set a rack over it. Also, preheat your oven
to its highest temperature, 600?F in my case. Place the chicken
pieces over the rack and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until done,
basting liberally with oil. Use a lot of oil for basting, this is
very important for a moist chicken. You will need to open up the oven
door and brush the chicken 3 to 5 times, keep on turning it to cook
on all sides. Alternatively you could grill the chicken outdoors,
basting it at intervals

Serve hot immediately with chaat masala, onion slices, lemon wedges,
fresh chopped cilantro.

Recipe by sanjuro

Recipe FROM:
<gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/tandoori-chicken.txt>

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