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...