Topic: Chicken Tikka by Razor (Illustrated)

[Razor]

Hi Guy's,

This is my recipe for Chicken tikka.  This recipe contains no yogurt or lemon juice, and doesn't require a long marinade, although the longer you leave it, the more the flavours will develop.

Ingredients;

1.2kg chicken breast, cut in to 2 inch cubes.

3 tbsp Sweet Mango Chutney (I used Pataks.  Use Hot Mango Chutney if you prefer a firey tikka.

3 tbsp of fresh chopped coriander

1 tbsp of Mangal Kitchen King masala or any decent mixed powder

1 tbsp of veg oil

1 tbsp of tomato ketchup

2 tsp of Tandoori masala (I used Rajah but any decent on will do)

1 heaped tsp of garlic/ginger paste (I used my home made gg paste 60:40 ratio)

1 tsp of dried methi leaves

1 tsp of red, yellow or orange food colouring (optional.  Use whatever colour best replicates your regional Chicken Tikka)

0.25 tsp of salt

Enough water to make the mixture pourable, ragu consistency!


Method;

In a non metallic bowl, mix everything together except the chicken.

I really need to get to grips with my photography skills


Add the chicken and mix really well, massaging the chicken thoroughly.  Leave this to stand in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, overnight is better though!


Set the grill to the highest temp and place the skewered chicken no more than 2 inches away from the heat.


Keep turning the skewers until the chicken is cooked through about 3 mins each turn


You could leave out the food colouring and replace with paprika if you wish.

You could also use this marinade for Lamb tikka if you desire but add 1 tsp of mint jelly of mint sauce to the mix.

Hope you enjoy,

Ray

[Peripatetic Phil]

Interesting, Ray : much much redder than I see darn sarf, where I would expect tikka to be yellow at most.  That is much closer to the local colouration for Tandoori Chicken.

** Phil.

[Razor]

Hi Phil,

My local TA's chicken tikka is yellow but their lamb is red.  As stated in the recipe, it's an optional, use yellow if you wish or simply omit.

Ray

[Peripatetic Phil]

My local TA's chicken tikka is yellow but their lamb is red.

Yep, that's the same down here.  It's odd how important colour is in taste perception -- if I were to order a chicken tikka and it were red on arrival, I would probably be disappointed even before I tasted it, just as I am disappointed if my tandoori chicken isn't bright red !

[Razor]

Hi Phil,

If I'd have had yellow in at the time, I definitely would have gone for yellow but I still would have published the red version, only because, on the many times that the question of colour has cropped up, it seems in more cases than not, red is what most members associate with Chicken tikka.

Anyway, the colour matters not it's the inclusion of the mango chutney that makes this recipe what it is.

Give it a go, use yellow food colouring or just simply omit the colouring altogether, and let us know what you think.

Cheers,

Ray

[Peripatetic Phil]

Anyway, the colour matters not it's the inclusion of the mango chutney that makes this recipe what it is.

Give it a go, use yellow food colouring or just simply omit the colouring altogether, and let us know what you think.

Well, I don't normally have mango chutney in the house (I am strictly a "pickle" man : lime pickle, mango pickle, chilli pickle, mixed pickle) but I bought some mango chutney last weekend for my abortive attempt at making onion bhaji, so this may well be a good way of using it up !

** Phil.

[Razor]

It's quite a subtle tikka, nowhere near as strong in flavour as the dipuraja one.  However, it's nowhere near as salty either, so it goes well in a curry where salt makes up part if the ingredients.

I've been trying to identify for a while now, what the strange after taste is that I get with most chicken tikka's, and for me, it's either the yogurt, lemon juice or both.  Getting rid of these two elements and replacing with the mango chutney, has really added a whole new dimension to my tikka.  Gone is the strange after taste, and has been replaced by a succulent morsel of meat with a little background sweetness and a very pleasant after taste.

Ray

[Stephen Lindsay]

You'd like our Scottish Tikka Razor - it's definitely red.

[luke465]

I have got a batch of Blades tikka in the fridge that I am cooking tonight to make a Buhuna.  Will give this a go next time......

[Willyeckerslike]

I might give this one a go this week as I am going to make up a base Tuesday or Wednesday, but a couple of questions,

What is Mangal Kitchen King masala?  I generally use CA's or Taz'z mix powder would these do?

Also where did you get them skewers from?

p.s around here (Doncaster) most chicken tikka is Yellow in colour, barring the odd takeaway

cheers

Will