Ajoy's Tandoori Chicken

[George]

I was expecting to be disappointed by the end result, as it seemed quite simple and devoid of many of the "BIR tikka" marinade ingredients. The result was actually delicious. I will play with the marinade going forward though to try and replicate closer to the tandoori flavour I remember.

Your approach is interesting and it sounds like it may have led to a good outcome, if you say that Ajoy's tandoori chicken tastes good. My frustration is that I have a long list of recipes which I suspect are well worth trying but there's never enough time to make many of them. So what led you to invest time and ingredients in this recipe when you were "expecting to be disappointed by the end result"?

Have you tried Blade's tikka recipe, which many people consider a benchmark or sort of gold standard reference point. I think this tastes good because it includes quality ingredients like mint sauce and lemon, which you now seem to be dismissing.

Whereas, if you followed Ajoy's recipe, you will have included potentially the worst Patak's type of ingredient of all, i.e. vinegar. I'm fairly sure it's included to extend the shelf life, and it's one reason why I dislike most of those pastes, other than in small quantities. But, as I say, so what if the end result tastes good.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I think [Blade's chicken tikka]  tastes good because it includes quality ingredients like mint sauce and lemon ...  you will have included potentially the worst Patak's type of ingredient of all, i.e. vinegar.

Are these not very personal value judgements, George ?  To classify mint sauce and lemon as "quality ingredients" while at the same time to dismiss vinegar as "potentially the worst Patak's type of ingredient of all" seems to indicative a sort of prescriptive/proscriptive approach to recipe formulation, whereas I would have expected someone as knowledgeable as yourself to adopt a more descriptive approach.  To my mind, there is no intrinsic value difference between mint sauce, lemon and vinegar : all have a valid role to play in the culinary process, and it is just a question of selecting the right amount of the right ingredient(s) for each individual recipe.

** Phil.

[DalPuri]

Isn't basic mint sauce just vinegar and sugar?

[Peripatetic Phil]

Isn't basic mint sauce just vinegar and sugar?

No, it has mint in it too

[DalPuri]

I'm ok with the odd spoon of pataks here 'n' there, although it's quite rare i use it in the final dish.
I was working in London a couple of weeks ago.
Got me priorities right. ..first day, straight to Tooting!!  ;D and in particular, Bhavins. They had both Mr. Naga pickle and fresh Naga chilies. 
Thought i would try a ready made G/G paste for the first time ever :-X  Revolting!!
It had acetic acid in the ingredients and the smell and taste was right through the curries from start to finish.
NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

[chewytikka]

Hi Josh
Chicken looks Very Tasty
I've been cooking Chickens in a crockpot then broiling to finish, the aroma is fantastic.

I subscribed to Ajoy's  a while back and enjoy his blog and his honesty about
Indian food, his Restaurant, Life and sharing his skills as a Hotel trained chef.

I have tried loads of recipes like this, a bit like a mission over the last couple of years

Some have been lacking, some too strong (Garam) Pakistani flavour for my taste and some amazing but different.

Will be interesting to read how you advance with this one.
cheers Chewy

[joshallen2k]

George,

So what led you to invest time and ingredients in this recipe when you were "expecting to be disappointed by the end result"?

A few things really. First the recipe came from an Indian chef running his own restaurant (albeit focused on traditional cooking rather than BIR). The recipe was well-laid out and illustrated, especially the chicken prep piece. And the finished article looked great. Those factors overruled my initial suspicion that the marinade itself was a little "basic".

Not to mention, there aren't many "tandoori chicken" recipes on cr0. And I don't subscribe to the notion that tikka and tandoori are the same, from a marinade perspective.

Also I'm far from dismissing lemon and mint... like I said I would continue to play with some additional ingredients and tweak Ajoy's recipe - which by itself without modification produces a very tasty end result.

-- Josh

[Malc.]

Josh,

It looks very good indeed, i'm all for this style of cooking, especially now I am maintaining a healthy diet.

I don't know if you might like to try this but, I often cook piri piri chicken (thanks to 976bar's recipe) and choose to spatchcock the bird and then 'broil' it under a medium heat for 40-45mins mins turning occasionally. It produces great results, crispy skin taking slightly at the edges with succulent moist chicken.

As soon as I get over this damn flu and get some taste buds back, i'll give this recipe a go. Anything you feel you ought to mention that you haven't already, or should I just jump in and see what I make of it?

Thanks for posting.

Malc.

[joshallen2k]

Hey Malc,

I'm also on a health kick until my vitals get back to where they should be, so Tandoori Chicken fits the bill. I'd say try the recipe as is - and see what works and doesn't work for you. Personally next time I make this recipe I will probably add a little spice mix, lemon and coriander. Maybe a very tiny amount of Pataks  :-X just to round out the flavour.

As for Piri Piri chicken, this too is a favourite of mine and a regular at the dinner table. Fortunately for me, Toronto apparently has the most "Churrasqueiras" outside of Lisbon. They are everywhere in my part of the city, kind of like how I remember BIRs being everywhere in the UK 

-- Josh