Chicken Tikka... Tried, Tested and Loved!

Hello to all the beautiful people :) 

I have been thinking of jotting down a thing or two about some of my creations.. the labour of my love and experiments in my lab (read: my kitchen). Ahoy! here I am today.

I would like to talk less at this point in time (I will leave my introduction for latter) and let you into my lair... Today I am going to share one of my favourite recipes: The Chicken Tikka Masala. Somehow, Chicken Tikka reminds me of my numerous travel to Delhi (old Delhi to be precise). To be honest, who hasn't heard of the Chicken Tikka Masala...? Believe it or not there is a bunch of people in England who actually believes that this dish was first created in Glasgow (in Scotland). Nevermind... !

So let's get cracking with our ingredients

Chicken Tikka

Ingredients:

For the 1st marination

500 gms   Bonesless chicken breast, cut into bite-size cubes

1tsp         Ginger paste

1tsp         Garlic paste

1/2tsp     Kashmiri red chilli powder 

1Tbsp      Lemon juice

               Salt to taste

For the 2nd marination

1cup       Hung yoghurt

1/2tsp    Kashmiri red chilli powder

1tsp        Ginger paste

1tsp        Garlic paste

1/4tsp    Turmeric powder

1/2tsp    Garam masala

1tbsp      Mustard oil

              Salt to taste

Also, you will need the following:

3Tbsp    Oil

1tsp      Ajwain seeds

2Tbsp   Gram flour

1Tbsp   Ghee

            Bamboo skewers

Love Bytes: Rem'er the final dish is a true labour of love and patience. The list of ingredients may seem long... the waiting time (say the marinating time) could be a lot to ask especially if you haven't got that kind of time to spare. For the busy lot with no time for a 3 hour marination...there are short cuts; however, the final result will differ. Besides, let me tell you this... now that I have prepared this recipe a dozen times maybe; I am quite smart with the different processed and have been successful in breaking down the processed into phases.My appeal: for those trying this recipe for the first time- try the long drawn method; once you are confident with the process; innovate.. who knows may you could come out with a more concise recipe? Feel welcome to share it with me. I'd love to try it out :)

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, tip in all the ingredients listed under the heading 1st marination. Give it a jolly nice mix, ensuring that the meat is coated with all the masalas. Leave it to marinate for at least 20 minutes. that's our 1st marination done!
2. While the marination is working its magic on the chicken lets get cracking with the next step...Next up, lets cook the gram flour (or besan). Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add ajwain seeds and then the flour (a little at a time and stirring continuously). Love Bytes:) Doing this ensures that no lumps are formed. For this process I like to keep the heat low as it lets me have more control on cooking the besan evenly. 
3. Keep stirring this mix untill it oozes a nutty aroma. Once you sense that. Take it off the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes. 
4. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the hung yoghurt to a creamy consistency. Tip in the besan mix to this. Take a whisk and mix all the ingredients to nice mix. Next on add the rest of the ingredients listed in the 2nd marination list. Last, add in the mustard oil and beat again. At this stage there should be no trace of oil in the yoghurt mix.
5.  Now bring in the marinating chicken. Tip it into the yoghurt mix. Gently massage the meat cubes and leave it to marinate atleast 3 hours. Love Bytes :) I marinate overnight. Big deal! 5 easy steps; takes me 20 mins and presto! succulent chicken ready to be cooked next day!
6. Ok, now lets get some action in our ovens... Whack the over to 220 degree C (200 degree for a fan oven). Let's get our marinated chicken out of the fridge first. Mix it once and leave it to rest at room temperature.While the oven's getting nicely heated up, tip in the bamboo skewers into water and let it be there for 5 minutes. Baste the roasting tray with some oil. Remove skewers from the water...pat them dry.
7. Pin atleast 4 cubes of chicken into a skewer. Make sure you leave some space between the cubes to ensure even cooking on all sides. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken cubes. Place the skewers on the roasting tray and place it in the centre of the pre-heated oven. 
8. After 7 minutes, baste the chicken cubes in Ghee. Whack it into the oven again for another 7 mins. Baste again... let it cook for another 4 minutes or so (or untill its cooked to your liking). Take it off heat and let it rest on a wire rack for 5 mins.... That's the world's tastiest chicken tikka ready to be relished!
9. Serve it straight on the skewers with tomato and onion rings and a dash of lemon juice

So, here we are for now. Hope you try this out... and do leave your comments or your recipes. 

Till the next food pleasure... Syonara :)

Lots of love and happy cooking: Maverick cook :)