Caveat: This technically isn't tandoori chicken as you make it in a microwave and not in a tandoor (earthen oven from Punjab). The end result will not look as red/ orange as the tandoori chicken of restaurants. That's because we don't use food colours. You will need a microwave with a grilling function. I guess an electric oven would do too
So why try this despite the caveats? Consider the following:
- This is completely oil free. I have it from dubious sources in the trade that restaurants part grill the chicken and then FRY it when orders are placed
- You can get better quality chicken than what restaurants serv
- No food colouring
- For men who want to cook - anecdotal evidence suggests that men who can dish out tandoori legs make women go weak in their knees
- And for women who cook - no oil, grill, white meat ... ladies, need I say more
Ingredients for Tandoori Chicken
- 6 chicken pieces. I'd go for drumsticks. Slash the surface so that the masala goes in
- Marinade. Mix together : 2 table spoons of curd + 1 tea spoon each of jeera/ cumin powder, dhania/ coriander powder, red chilly powder, black pepper powder + 1/2 tea spoon garam masala powder + 1 table spoon ketchup for the colour, 1/2 tea spoon sugar
- You could use some paprika powder/ Kasmiri red chilly powder (for the redness)
- 1 tea spoon salt
How to prepare Tandoori Chicken
- Spread marinade on chicken pieces and keep in fridge for 3 - 6 hrs. The longer the better
- Add salt on the chicken when its ready. It will drain out the juices if you add it earlier
- Put the chicken in the microwave. This process takes 25 minutes
- Put it on cook mode for ten minutes
- Take it out carefully, it will be hot, turn the chicken pieces over using a spoon
- Put it on grill mode for ten minutes
- Take it out, turn it over and grill for another five minutes.
- The dish is ready. There will be a lot of juice. You can sprinkle it over the chicken or on a bit of sliced onion, tomato and chilly as a salad. Best had with any form of roti.
This recipe first appeared on Kalyan's blog, finely chopped
