Topic: Wondering about BIR Chicken Tikka

[solarsplace]

Hi

For a long time now, I have been making CA's Chicken Tikka and not really thinking about it because it is such a nice recipe taken it for granted that it is yummy, and instead concentrating on trying to perfect other main dishes etc.

I just suddenly started to realise that all the restaurants round my way now seem to be using Chicken Tikka in so many of their recipes that it seems to be more common to have Tikka in your dish than plain chicken.

Anyway, now moving in a Tikka thinking direction, I suddenly thought about how markedly different the BIR's tikka was from the Tikka I cook. It is remarkably tender, mine comes out tender but this is an extra tenderness. It is actually quite subtly coloured, but the main difference seems to be that it is almost like the marinade they use must be very thin and almost watery as there appears to be no for want of better terms Tikka crust layer, it is almost like the chicken has just been stained by the marinade there is no detectable coating just a little colour and obviously the flavour.

I'm wondering if it is even actually cooked in the tandoor? it has skewer holes through the pieces, but surely there would be some scorchings and slight shell to meat that has been in a tandoor?

Any thoughts on this? cheers all.

[commis]

Hi

Your watery statement fills me with the thoughts of BIRs that use frozen chicken.Chicken tumbled with water prior to freezing. Do they have a pizza oven?

[solarsplace]

Hi commis

What is chicken tumbled with water please? is it cooked? then frozen for later?

Could only guess about the pizza oven, never seen the kitchen unfortunately.

The restaurant in question is the Mahaan in Farnham (http://www.themahaan.co.uk/), my current favourite, they really make some fantastic curry at this place!

There is no complaints about the quality, just wondering about their methods.

Thanks

[Secret Santa]

I'm wondering if it is even actually cooked in the tandoor? it has skewer holes through the pieces, but surely there would be some scorchings and slight shell to meat that has been in a tandoor?

I can't imagine any other reason to skewer the chicken other than to prep it for the tandoor. It may be that the normal tandoori marinade is part of the reason the tandoori chicken has scorched parts.

It sounds, like you say, that the chicken tikka has been marinated in a very different marinade.

I've been to BIRs where the tandoori chicken and chicken tikka have clearly been marinated in the same marinade, and I've been to places where, like you discovered, the tikka and tandoori are very different beasts.

[haldi]

If the tikka is just cooked, it is almost wet
It dissolves in your mouth
It hardens up when left
There usually are a few scorch marks, but not many
Tikka, at most places round here, is really subtlely flavoured
Nothing  like I make
I bet if I gave some of mine to a takeaway chef, they would be disgusted
Too salty, too spicy & too garlicky
It's great on it's own but if you add it to a curry, it over powers it

[commis]

Hi

Solarsplace, tumbled chicken is basically that, imagine placing chichen breasts in a cement mixer with a mild brine solution. The chicken takes up the water and hey the chicken weighs more. I find it gives a almost boiled taste when cooked, cover it in tikka and would you notice.

Regards

[solarsplace]

Hi guys

@All, Thanks for the replies and info

Just FYI, I never payed much attention to the Under Cover Curry page on Tikka as at first glance it seemed not to provide any revelations. However a quick read last night and the book states that pre-cooked chicken is marinaded for the tikka.

The books method to pre-cook chicken is basically to boil in in base sauce thinned with water, so Commis suggestions are probably along the right lines if not completely spot on.

Cheers

[Masala Mark]

Have a look at this youtube vid, it doesn't explain a lot about exactly what is and isn't in, but what I did pick up from it is how thin his tikka marinade is, he says it is yogurt based, but it is very very thin compared to many of the yogurt tikka marinade recipes I have tried.

To be honest I can't tell if he just dipped the pieces into the marinade and then put them into the tandoor, you could see the sauce drip off the pieces as he puts them on the skewer. It's not thick and pasty and wouldn't leave that grainy texture either.

He did mention too that they are cooked in 2-3 mins.

Cooking With Mr. Raghani: Chicken Tikka

[PaulP]

I've also noticed the same problem with my chicken tikka. Last week I made Jb's chicken tikka and althought the taste was very good I found the cooked marinade was too thick and a little coarse.

Looking on the internet at recipes some of them use a mix of milk and yoghurt and appear to be much runnier than my marinade. Next time I might use a 50/50 mix of milk and yoghurt.

One other idea I'm not sure about: When BIRs make tikka do they marinade a whole breast, cook then chop up or do they cut the chicken first then marinade and cook?

I have tried both and I have found it works well enough to marinade the whole chicken breast, skewer and cook it whole and then cut into bite sized pieces. That way there is less surface area for the marinade and it makes for a lighter flavoured tikka.

On the other hand I think for a chicken tandoori recipe complete with bone the thicker marinade coating works well.

Paul

[ifindforu]

Hi

For a long time now, I have been making CA's Chicken Tikka and not really thinking about it because it is such a nice recipe taken it for granted that it is yummy, and instead concentrating on trying to perfect other main dishes etc.

I just suddenly started to realise that all the restaurants round my way now seem to be using Chicken Tikka in so many of their recipes that it seems to be more common to have Tikka in your dish than plain chicken.

Anyway, now moving in a Tikka thinking direction, I suddenly thought about how markedly different the BIR's tikka was from the Tikka I cook. It is remarkably tender, mine comes out tender but this is an extra tenderness. It is actually quite subtly coloured, but the main difference seems to be that it is almost like the marinade they use must be very thin and almost watery as there appears to be no for want of better terms Tikka crust layer, it is almost like the chicken has just been stained by the marinade there is no detectable coating just a little colour and obviously the flavour.

I'm wondering if it is even actually cooked in the tandoor? it has skewer holes through the pieces, but surely there would be some scorchings and slight shell to meat that has been in a tandoor?

Any thoughts on this? cheers all.

Hey try this out first of all the chicken is noble or sardia brand from brazil ,but fresh breast should do ok try cooking on a barberque or put in the oven,but dont over cook it,leave it to finish cooking in its own heat,1 large tub of yogurt the family type size
1 teaspoon of spice mix,1 teasponn of methi,1 teaspoon of coalmans fresh garden mint 1 mug of mustard oil,1 cup of coriander,5 green chillies 1 teaspoon tikka paste,1 teaspoon of tandoori paste.some salt,yellow or red coulouring or both.and half teaspoon of kashmir masala  1 teaspoon garamasala use a hand blender and blend,follow this and you will have chicken tikka like the one at the take away I work in.