Tandoori Chicken Barbecue English Stylee

When I say Tandoori, what I mean is ‘English styleee tandoori’ i.e. spiced red chicken that is never going to see even a whiff of a tandoor oven. However, I don’t know many people who’d refuse a skewer of my, two day marinated, lime infused tandoori chicken and our kids just love it.

This is my family recipe and it includes, oh horror, red food colouring! Tandoori chicken is just not as fun without it.  The key to this dish is to marinate the chicken for two whole days, no less, or the flavours will be unable to reach their peak of perfection.

We like to eat it wrapped in flat bread which I make on the Aga.

I inherited an Aga with the house and after eight years I still find it the most infuriating and annoying piece of kitchen equipment known to man.

How people can wax lyrical over such an imprecise and temperamental fusty old hunk of iron is beyond my comprehension but it makes bloody good flat bread. Rise some dough, roll it out, slap it on the hotplate and voila – great bread.  A tomato and marjarom salsa and a crisp salad finishes this off, with a dressing made from herbs from the garden.

1 kilo/2lbs             chicken breast, cut into strips

1                            juicy lemon

1/2                        medium onion, peeled & quartered

3 cloves                garlic, peeled

3-5cm                   fresh ginger, peeled & quartered

1/2tsp                    turmeric

500g                       plain Greek yoghurt

3 tsp                garam masala, my mix –

• 1/2tsp ground coriander
• 1/2tsp ground cumin
• 1/2tsp ground fenugreek
• 1/2tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/2tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1 blade mace
• a grind of nutmeg

1tsp                 red food colouring

8                      Wedges of lime

Cut the chicken breast into strips.

Squeeze the lemon and mix with the masala spices. Pour over the chicken, making sure every piece is coated.

Now chop the onion, garlic and ginger and pound to a paste with a pestle and mortar or use a food processor. Add the turmeric and Greek yoghurt. Now add the spiced chicken and mix well. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 48 hours.

When ready, thread the chicken pieces onto barbecue skewers. I like to pierce each piece of chicken twice so that the strip forms a C shape on the skewer, I then push it down and thread another. Place on the barbecue and cook through, turning frequently. Remove from the heat and finish them off with a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon.

Serve with tomato salsa, chopped chilli, crisp salad and flat bread.

Green Goddess Dressing

5 tbsp             Home made or Hellmann’s mayonnaise

3                      spring onions, chopped finely

5 tbsp              flat leaf parsleychopped finely

2 tbsp              chives, chopped finely

2 tbsp              herbs from the garden, chopped finely

2 tbsp              red wine vinegar

1                      anchovy filled (oil packed) chopped finely

Black pepper a pinch of Maldon sea salt

Shake everything together in a jar and pour over crisp salad.

English: Cooking bread in Tandoor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)