Tandoori chicken (Tandoori murg/murgh)

This tandoori chicken makes me feel nostalgic about Tanzania where we used to get so many colorful kebabs and grills. We were fascinated by the colors. Some colors of grills and kebabs were golden, yellow, orange, red, green,etc...Tanzania was very much like India. Due to the large Indian crowd there, everything from Indian clothes to food were all easily available. We had so many good Friends there and was always invited for some lovely Gujarati lunch and dinner. I miss them all now...
Tandoori chicken is a famous Indian grill. It is chicken marinated with yogurt and tandoori masala (usually a mixture of chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder, aniseed powder etc) for 48 hours or more (I usually marinate for 72 hours) and then grilled in tandoori oven (I used charcoal grill) at high temperatures. The world famous chicken tikka is derived from this tandoori chiken. The Moti mahal restaurant in Delhi is very famous for this. So, when I visit Delhi, I just want to sneak into Moti mahal Restaurant's kitchen just to find out their secret recipe... Here goes my recipe....

Ingredients:
Chicken leg pieces - 4 nos
Butter for basting

For the marinade:
Thick yogurt - 4 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 4 tbsp
Coriander powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Aniseed powder - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 4 tbsp
Lime juice - 1tbsp
Red color drops (optional) -1 tsp
Chicken stock cube - 1 nos
Salt for taste

Method:
Mix all 'for the marinade' ingredients to form a thick paste. Slit the chicken legs and mix it well with this paste. Marinade for 72 hours. Take out from the fridge 1 hour before grilling. Grill it on hot charcoal grill for 5 min, baste with butter and cook until done. Serve with lemon wedges, onion rings, chips etc.

Note:
I used a red chilly powder which was not only spicy but gave nice rich red color. If less spice is preferred kashmiri chilly powder can be used. Can also add paprika powder. Butter can be substituted with olive oil while grilling

Chicken tikka ( skewered chicken/ Brochette de poulet)

Chicken tikka is a spicy sizzler chicken. This is authentic chicken tikka recipe where boneless chicken peices are grilled in a tandoor over or charcoal grill (I used a charcoal grill). I have tried cooking in ovens (not tandoor oven) also but it does not appear the same in taste as well as appearance. I just try chicken tikka in oven, just in case I'm in a hurry or want to use it as a filling in wraps or rolls etc.. Moreover, I'm such a big fan of Indian grills and love everything tandoori way. This must have been a mughals contribution to India. The Persian and Arabic grills are very similar . This chicken tikka recipe is cosmopolitan in nature found worldwide. This chicken tikka is added to masala gravy to get the famous chicken tikka masala. The Punjabi style chicken tikka is usually different from this one as they use chicken leg piece with bones (I have tried cooking that one also, and it tastes equally good). Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken - 1 kilo
Butter for basting


For the marinade:
Yogurt - 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 4 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Mace and nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Chicken stock cube - 1 nos
Salt for taste

Method:
Mix all ingredients and marinade overnight. Take out of the fridge 1 hour before grilling. Skewer them. Grill on hot charcoal grill, baste with butter and turn over and cook (or rather rotate well and cook, so that its cooked equally on all sides). Cook till its done. Garnish with onion rings, tomato slices, green coriander and serve.

Note:
I used a spicy red chilly powder which also gives a rich red color. Can use kashmiri chilly powder if less spice is required. Olive oil is a healthy option to butter.

Butter chicken masala ( murgh makhani)

Butter chicken masala is a authentic punjabi recipe. This is famous around the world due to its mild spice and often creamy and buttery richness. It can also be made a bit spicy if you prefer that way. This one is loaded with butter so health conscious people can afford to indulge in this only on occasions. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Bay leaves - 1 nos
cardamom - 8 nos
Tomato puree - 1 tin
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Cream - 100ml
Butter - 100 grams
Boneless chicken - 750 grams

To marinade:
Thick yogurt - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 1/4 tsp


Method:
Dice the boneless chicken and marinate with all the 'to marinade' ingredients overnight. Next day, either grill this marinated chicken or shallow fry using butter (about 25 grams) and keep aside. In a wok, Add 50 grams butter, when hot add bay leaves and cardamom seeds (can be removed and discarded after the aroma has been released). Now add ginger-garlic paste, chilly powder and saute for a min. Now add tomato puree, salt and cook for 5 min. Now add the grilled or shallow fried chicken and continue to cook till its almost done. Turn to low flame , add cream with constant stirring and cook till the required consistency is obtained. Turn off the flame. Add a dollop of remaining butter. Serve hot garnished with a swirl of cream and coriander leaves. Serve with Roti, naan, kulcha etc.

Note:
Cashew paste can be added to get thick gravy. Washing chicken with white vinegar before marination can make it really soft and juicy. Usually kashmiri chilly powder are used for its mild spice and rich color, can use other chilly powder if you'll like it spicy. Leftover grill chicken or tandoori chicken may be used in this recipe. Great way to use leftover tandoori chicken.

Chhole masala ( channa/chickpeas masala)

Channa masala( I would use this name instead of chhole masala ) is spicy gravy made from chickpeas. I would say this is a contribution from Punjabi cuisine. In Gujarati cuisine this is made as a dry and tangy side dish. In south India its quite famous. At restaurants its served along with large pooris or batura. Also commonly available as street food and chats. Here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
Kabuli channa( chick peas) - 2 cups
tea bag - 1 nos
onions - 1 nos
tomato - 2 nos
ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
chilly powder - 2 tbsp
coriander powder - 1 tbsp
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
dry mango powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
mace and nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
oil - 5 tsp
salt for taste

Method:
Soak the channa overnight. Next day boil it along with one tea bag( can pressure cook up to 2-3 whistle). Strain water using a colander, discard the tea bag and keep the channa aside. In a wok, add oil and stir fry finely sliced onions along with ginger-garlic paste. Now add tumeric powder and chilly powder and fry for a min. Add chopped tomatoes and other masalas like coriander powder, garam masala powder, dry mango powder, mace and nutmeg powder and fry for 3 min. Add channa and salt and toss well. If a gravy is required, add water and cook till the desired consistency is obtained. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot along with any Indian breads like naan, kulcha etc..

Note:
I have cooked this like a gravy, this may be cooked like a dry dish also. If you like it more tangy add little more dry mango powder.