Topic: Chicken Tikka - better than the BIRs

[Invisible Mike]

Has anybody who's made this tried Abdul Mohed's tikka marinade? How does it compare?

[chelseafan71]

Just thought I'd chime in and say that i tried this (with a couple of minor variations) and It came out pretty good - Very tasty & moist chicken
I think my broiler may be a little short on the heat required and It was a bit soggy on the outside so When It comes time to pull the bbq out I'll try it on there and see what difference it makes.

[Korma Chameleon]

Not many posts in this thread anymore, but with the weight of positive comments, I just have to try it. I can't bring myself to use Pataks though, that tang will have me toss the lot, so I used tamarind instead. I guess Pataks is used as some don't have tamarind to hand, so I'm not going to worry about this.

I'll be oven cooking as I don't really have a grill, so a bit worried about drying them out if I don't cook them quick enough. My peices are about the size you'd put in a curry, so not so big. I'm going to set my oven at 250 degrees C and judge by eye, oh, and my trusty Thermopen.

I quite like chicken in plain tandoori masala and oil, so interested to see what the rave is about.

[George]

interested to see what the rave is about.

But you may never know unless you try the recipe as originally written. When you visit a BIR, do you check if they use Pataks in anything you are likely to order, and then leave the place if they say 'yes'? Do you really think as many people would have enthused about this recipe if it tasted of Pataks rather than tikka? I don't think so. Your comments are irrational.

[Garp]

That's a bit harsh, George. Have you been for Christmas lunch (wine included) today?

[gazman1976]

I thought this recipe was ok, bit of a pain to make but made average Tikka, I now use a jar of tikka botti paste by Laziza and just add some yoghurt and marinade the chicken and it makes IMO far superior Tikka.

I believe another member on here introduced that paste before I got round to trying it, think it was Bengali bob but might be mistaken.

Anywhere if you can buy some and try it. only costs about ?2 quid for a jar

[Garp]

I can't bring myself to use Pataks though, that tang will have me toss the lot, so I used tamarind instead.

I'm the same, my friend, I try to avoid Pataks through pure, unadulterated, bias against using such things. My BIR quest was to try to replicate TA curries from scratch, and it remains my quest. I will, however, use pastes etc if I have managed to replicate them, but it was too much of a hassle. But I have to know that I can achieve the same, or better, results before I go for the easier option.

I've tried Pataks Tikka paste and found it too 'industrial' for my taste. I guess it's a matter of taste and everyone is different. It didn't taste like ant Tikka I had had though. I also find yogurt-free marinades give me the best results.

I cook my Tikka in pieces which are double the size of that which you would find in a curry. I find that that, in an oven, keeps the chicken moist and tender.

Good luck anyway




 

[Korma Chameleon]

My oven(s) let me down big style I'm afraid. I simply have no way to char. In any case, I can see the strong potential of this recipe. It certainly beats tandoori masala on its own. Given all the extra additions, I was surprised how strong the tandoori masala flavour came through. Salt & chilli levels were good. If I'll change one thing, it will be to reduce the quantity of lemon juice. That said, the juice I use must be strong, as I've suffered with other recipes also. I know what I use is much stronger than freshly squeezed lemon juice, so the reduction is personal to my ingredients.

I will never again use a Pataks paste. As soon as I taste that twang it spells "homemade rubbish" for me. Only once in my life, about 10 years ago, have I ever tasted that twang in a restaurant and I still talk about how shocked I was. I know there are restaurants that do use Pataks, particularly Kashmiri Masala Paste (which I've never bought myself, so can't comment on), but I've certainly never tasted the Pataks twang in a Bradford BIR, and would never return to a restaurant where I do. I'm quite sure the addition of the Patak's paste would have rendered this recipe awful for my taste, and my substitution and the result I achieved proved great for me, bringing me forward. I think you can probably tell I don't really worry about the omission.

[Edwin Catflap]

Hi Gazman

I have various Laziza pastes and use thes in lieu of Pataks but other than that follow the recipes for everything else and it makes superb tikka! Laziza is the preferred stuff in my house, i get it in rusholme when passing and is only about a quid a jar for tikka, tikka boti and tandoori!

Ed

[livo]

KC, I see where you are coming from with Patak's, so what about using a different brand of tandoori paste or better still, make up your own "paste".  I recently made a Balti Paste and it is a real winner for mine.  Personally I would be prepared to give it a go as written and would most likely "over analyse" by doing a side by side.  But then again I doubt I'd buy a jar just to do it when I have tamarind and a cupboard full of spices.

The Patak's "yeh or nay" question is an ongoing and never-ending one. As I've posted earlier I found their Mild Curry Paste to be a good addition to some dishes in controlled dosage, but there are other "supermarket varieties" from their range that I just don't like at all.

Get a little gas flame burner torch and hit the pieces briefly once done in the oven.