Topic: Manchester Tandoori Chicken Starter

[Kashmiri Bob]

Was in a rush recently and thinking what to do with some reduced price fresh chicken fillets.  Found an unopened box of Riya's Tandoori Masala Mix in the cupboard.  Have tried this packet masala before.  It is sold at Asda.  About 85 p I recall.  Previously made a fair few additions to the marinade mix (g/g paste, yogurt, green cardamom/mace etc) and it came out only fair.  This time I just chucked about half the powder into a bowl with a good slug of veg oil and a squirt of lemon juice.  Halved the chicken fillets and mixed in.  Left for a couple of hours in the fridge.  Popped them on a disposable barbecue, which turned out to be a dud.  It must have been damp; just could not get it going properly.  So transferred to the micro combination oven.  When cooked and cooled all but one of the fillet halves went in the freezer.  Gave the tester mini fillet a reheat later in the evening.



Pic of marinade.  No added food colouring; already in the mix

Very surprised with the result.  First thought was this is a top drawer BIR Tandoori taste.  It was spot on.  Took me back to my Manchester, Rusholme days.  Can even see the red food colouring leaching out of it.  The oven cooked chicken texture was all wrong though.  Back in the mid-80s early 90s, I am fairly certain most Tandoori chicken made in Rusholme had never seen the inside of a tandoor.  Rather, it was steam cooked and finished off (brushed with oil) on a griddle.  The texture of steamed chicken is unmistakable.  Mighty fine.

Hoping to reproduce the Manchester Tandoori Chicken starter properly.  Feeling confident for now, with this packet mix.  I'll use skinless chicken quarters.  Probably 48 hours marinade.  My manky iron skillet pan is soaking in caustic soda as I type.  It will come up like new.  I will add more pictures when sorted.  Getting back on track.  A few other utensils may need dunking in the caustic. 

Just reminiscing here.  One of my first jobs as a youth was with an industrial cleaning company.  We did kitchens.  Hospitals, Granada studios and the like.  No messing about.  Several 20 kg bags of caustic in large portable plastic vats with boiling water for the oven fittings.  On one job we were finishing the rinsing and seemed to have lost a particularly large (over 3 feet wide) grill pan.   “It must be in there somewhere”, someone said.   We poured out the last of the caustic water down the drain and there, at the bottom, were two grill pan handles.  The grill itself was made of aluminium!    Dissolved it.  We kept quiet about this for some time.

This packet spice may have other BIR applications.

Rob

What have I done wrong inserting a photo?   

[Peripatetic Phil]

Well done Bob — always good to learn of a reliable short-cut.  I shall seek out some Riya's Tandoori Masala Spice Mix and report back.
--
** Phil.

[Kashmiri Bob]

First go steamed has been unsuccessful.  Miles off.  Have bought 10 boxes, so remain optimistic.

[Kashmiri Bob]

A couple of large chicken niblet testers with Ryas mix.  24 h marinade.  No oil (forgot). Just a slug of lemon juice. Oven cooked; drizzled a little oil over half way through cooking.  Really good.  I would be more than happy with this from a TA delivery.  Just need to sort out the much drier Rusholme restaurant finish.  Will try steaming again.  Last time after I steamed the chicken it went straight under the grill still hot.  This did not work out.  Next time plan to let the steamed chicken cool completely first.

[Kashmiri Bob]

Steamed marinated BIR Tandoori chicken looks to be a total fail.  I think I have sorted this though.  Steam chicken pieces (no marinade) and allow to cool.  Then marinade in Riya's.  Grill.  Did a tester chicken thigh this evening and 100 % Rusholme taste and texture. Photos to follow, but will hang fire until can also post results for a quartered  chicken done this way.  The steaming also produces a nice chicken stock to add to your curry, etc.  Need to find how out how to reproduce the Riya's mix too.   

[Kashmiri Bob]

Rusholme Tandoori Chicken on the bone.  Quite small thigh testers.  10 mins pressure cook at 90 kpa.  Allowed to cool/dry off.  Reheated in the micro followed by a brief blow torching.



Happy with this.  Ready to move on to a whole chicken cut into four pieces.  To finish will brush with butter ghee.  Fresh lemon and coriander.  Pickles too.

Rob

[Secret Santa]

Rusholme Tandoori Chicken on the bone.  Quite small thigh testers.  10 mins pressure cook at 90 kpa.  Allowed to cool/dry off.  Reheated in the micro followed by a brief blow torching.

Happy with this.  Ready to move on to a whole chicken cut into four pieces.  To finish will brush with butter ghee.  Fresh lemon and coriander.  Pickles too.

But why are you doing it this way? Surely the restaurant doesn't do it this way as they'll have a tandoor?

[Kashmiri Bob]

They did in Rusholme during the late '80's early '90's. The restaurants look more flashy and diverse these days.  I'll have said elsewhere that it was far from the best TC in the world, compared to many others, but it had its own BIR charm, and it was cheap. I am happy to reproduce it, along with Abdul's Shami kebab and the Pakistani Seekh kebab.  Takes me back to good times.

Here it is.  Taste, texture and appearance all as it was, pretty much, with no sign of skewering.





If you search on Youtube there are a few vids of actual chefs making TC in a pressure cooker.  Whole bird with no artificial colouring, but the idea is the same.

Rob