Topic: Chicken tikka from our recent lesson

[jb]

Here is the tikka recipe we were shown on our recent restaurant lesson.

2 kilo of chicken breast
drizzle of mustard oil
chef's spoon ginger/garlic paste
2 chef's spoon of yogurt
pinch of garam massala
2 desert spoon's of mix powder
drizzle of lemon dressing
pinch of salt
pinch of methi leaves
orange/red colour
half of chef's spoon of blitzed corriander/green chillies
desert spoon of tikka paste
desert spoon mint sauce
half desert spoon kashmiri massala paste

The paste he used was this stuff...


http://www.simtom.co.uk/

Not used it myself but I've seen it advertised in a few magazines.The blitzed corrainder/chilles was an unusual ingredient,not seen that done before.The recipe is a pretty standard one,much like the others on this site,I guess the fact it's cooked in a tandoor makes a lot of difference.

[Secret Santa]

The blitzed corrainder/chilles was an unusual ingredient,not seen that done before.

I don't find it particularly unusual going into a tikka paste, but I'd really like to know where else they use it. Did you see it being used in any curries for example?

[Secret Santa]

desert spoon of tikka paste

half desert spoon kashmiri massala paste

The paste he used was this stuff...


http://www.simtom.co.uk/

I'm always disappointed when I see pastes being used in the tandoori and tikka, but I suppose I just have to accept that it's a necessity of a modern BIR economics. Well at least it's Simtom this time and not naffing Pataks! 

[Peripatetic Phil]

Well at least it's Simtom this time and not naffing Pataks! 

So how do they compare, Santa, in your experience ?  What are the highlights of the Simton's products, and do they have any downside when compared to Patak's ?

* Phil.

[Secret Santa]

Well at least it's Simtom this time and not naffing Pataks! 

So how do they compare, Santa, in your experience ?  What are the highlights of the Simton's products, and do they have any downside when compared to Patak's ?

* Phil.

I haven't tried them Phil. As you may have gathered I'm not a fan of pastes. My comment is based purely on others' experience of the Simtom pastes which have been very favourable (on this forum and others). I'd be hard pressed to track an example down though, I'm just going from memory.

[curryhell]

I also was surprised by the addition of the coriander / chilli combination.  But thinking about it, many recipes add a little chilli powder to the marinade.  What i found most surprising was the marinading time of only one to one and a half hours    - no need to marinade for 24 hours was confirmed by the head chef.  The tikka tasted good and like many other BIR tikkas.
When asked about the marinade for tandoori chicken, substitute the tikka paste with tandoori paste.  Not sure if the kashmiri paste was also included as well, but i would suspect so.
Not surprising on different brand of pastes being used.  I think it's down to cost and availability.  My local restaurant wholesalers sells Pataks and Pascos, the Pascos is a third cheaper than the Pataks for the catering size jars

[Secret Santa]

What i found most surprising was the marinading time of only one to one and a half hours    - no need to marinade for 24 hours was confirmed by the head chef.

That does seem criminally short maranating time. Was the chicken pre-marinated, as it were, in lemon juice and GGpaste first before the addition of the other ingredients?

[curryhell]

That does seem criminally short maranating time. Was the chicken pre-marinated, as it were, in lemon juice and GGpaste first before the addition of the other ingredients?

Thanks for pointing out the glaring omission SS.  Yes, lemon juice and G/G was added and the chicken pre-marinated for 20 mins or so before adding the additional ingredients.

[Stephen Lindsay]

I've previously done a side by side comparison of marination times with one batch getting 2 hours and the other batch getting 24 hours. There was a noticeable difference in that the longer marinade permeated much deeper into the chicken. The two hour pieces were still tasty though.

[Secret Santa]

I've previously done a side by side comparison of marination times with one batch getting 2 hours and the other batch getting 24 hours. There was a noticeable difference in that the longer marinade permeated much deeper into the chicken. The two hour pieces were still tasty though.

That's my experience too.