Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Chicken tikka - nice spice


More, please, from delicious, I hear you shout. Am I hearing things...?
Hopefully not! Here is another offering from the book, delicious. More Please
(and I'm still not over the punctuation...).

I chose this recipe because I had cos lettuce and yoghurt left over from the Greek lamb meatballs I made the other day.  This was also the first time I have used the seeds from cardamom pods, and the seeds do add a rich fragrance to the chicken.  I would probably use fewer pods next time, as the flavour was quite distinct, but, by all means use more if you like the flavour.

By the way, this dish here is chicken tikka, not chicken tikka masala. I was watching the QI TV show and Stephen Fry said that chicken tikka masala (the most popular dish in the UK), rather than being an Indian dish, actually originated in Glasgow. And really, anything Stephen Fry says must be true.  I've not had chicken tikka masala before, but it can contain tomatoes and cream together with the spices - I think I'll stick with this delicious version, thanks.

Chicken tikka with minted yoghurt
serves 4

Ingredients
5 cardamom pods
1 tblsp canola oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tblsp grated ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tblsp lemon juice
1/3 cup (95g) thick Greek-style yoghurt
4 chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, quartered
1 tblsp finely chopped mint leaves
4 pieces naan bread or mountain bread
Cos or butter lettuce leaves, to serve

Method
1.  To make the tikka marinade: Lightly crush the cardamom pods to remove the seeds, discarding the green husk.  Heat the oil in a frypan over low heat. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin and cardamom seeds and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant. Cool slightly, then transfer to a ceramic or glass dish.  Stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of yoghurt, then season well with salt and pepper.
2.  Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat.  Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3.  Heat a lightly oiled chargrill pan or barbeque on medium-high heat.  Cook the chicken in batches for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
4.  For the dressing: Stir the chopped mint into the remaining yoghurt, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
5.  To serve: Place the chicken on toasted naan bread, together with the lettuce and minted yoghurt.

recipe adapted from delicious. More Please (ABC Books)

Split the cardomom pods to remove the black seeds. The marinade paste is made from the cardamom seeds, paprika, turmeric, garlic and ginger. It's then heated to bring out the flavours, then mixed with yoghurt and lemon juice to provide a vibrant yellow coating for the chicken.
Serve the chargrilled chicken on naan bread with the cos lettuce and minty yoghurt.

The chicken was most flavoursome...

So delicious was it that I saved some for lunch the next day...

21 comments:

  1. LOL on Stephen Fry reference :))

    I think I bookmarked this very recipe as well. Need to get more cooking actions in my kitchen!!

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  2. Oh Yum!! Definitely healthier eating. nom nomm!

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  3. I love both chicken masala AND chicken tikka masala so this wrap looks just perfect to me!

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  4. Oooo YUMMO!!!! that chicken looks great!!! I'll bet it does make an awesome lunch!!

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  5. I didn't know that chicken tikka was different to chicken tikka masala....actually, I've never heard of chicken tikka =S But it sounds delicious! The spices in it sounds really nice!

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  6. This sounds really flavoursome, I love all the different spices!

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  7. Yum!! I want to eat this now LOL!! Looks so delicious :)

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  8. Chicken Tikka Masala look truly delicious and tempting.

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  9. I could eat a thousand of these! Looks soooo delicious!

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  10. oh this looks so tempting! Love the marinade for the chicken.

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  11. Yum! Don't you just love meat with yogurt? It's so good. Even this vegetarian knows that;-) Your chicken tikka looks delicious, Bel!

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  12. Another lovely cook-and-tell for this new cook book - I really must get a copy. It's nice to read a simple made from scratch version of the tikka paste as I'm yet to be satisfied with a shop bought Indian paste. Thanks for testing this one for us all.

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  13. verry yummy!the recipe sounds very tempting!

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  14. I had to chuckle at what you said about Stephen Fry! The pictures look amazing and so inviting! :D

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  15. This dish is almost as good as Stephen Fry. Big call, I know, but damn it looks tasty. He kinda looks tasty too, though I'm not a gay man so that's probably an odd thing to say. Right, I'm going to stop there.

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  16. Have thought tikka and tikka masala were the same, but I guess not. This looks and sounds absolutely delicious! And quite healthy too so no big guilt attached to it, unless you over eat of course =D

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  17. A great chicken thought, lovely, will be a nice change in chicken recipes.

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  18. Ooh I just love chicken tikka and the masala version too!

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  19. Haha, Stephen Fry is an authority on everything!

    But I am sure that I have read elsewhere that chicken tikka masala is, in fact, British in origin.

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  20. Looks fab - very fresh and flavoursome. That bread looks really good too.

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  21. gorgeous photos bel! makes me wanna dive in and swim about in chicken tikka wrap goodness!

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