"Well Rita," you say, "that's not so ridiculous. You obviously have air conditioning, right?"
Wrong. So. Very. Wrong.
I survive in what I lovingly call 'the cave'. We don't open windows, blinds are like barriers from the demon-heat, and I try to move as little as possible when I'm home. Amy has her "hot-box" workouts, but I live in a hot box. I'm getting sweaty just thinking about working out...
But all that being said, I've occupied my time with writing and creating recipes, and also hunting for some delicious dinner ideas I can long for while I wait for the summer of death to end.
So for those of you who have sweet, sweet, air-conditioning, check out this amazing recipe from America's Test Kitchen (probably my favorite cooking show). They've tested and re-tested this recipe, and now those of us who can't afford a ridiculously expensive and highly impractical Tandoor oven can still make Tandoori chicken! I would suggest a healthy serving of brown basmati rice on the side, along with some crisp steamed green beans, or quickly steamed cauliflower (I don't overcook cauliflower, mostly to keep it's nutrients, and because a mushy veg just isn't my thing)!
2tbsp vegetable oil
6 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
2tbsp fresh ginger (minced)
2tsp chili powder
2tsp cumin
1tbsp garam masala **see note**
4tbsp lime juice, divided
1c yogurt (I splurge and use whole milk plain yogurt, but feel free to try light, or fat-free. And for heaven sakes, don't use vanilla!)
2tsp salt
3lbs chicken
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic and ginger. Cook them until you can smell them, but make sure they don't caramelize, or get any "color" on them.
- Add the cumin, chili powder, and garam masala. "Bloom" the spices, which is to say, cook them with the onion and ginger until you can smell them as well. Take the mixture off the heat and split in 1/2.
- Place one half the mix into a large bowl, and the other into a smaller bowl. Beginning with the small bowl, mix the spice paste with 2tbsp of lime juice and the yogurt. Set aside.
- In the big bowl, add the remaining 2tbsp of lime juice and salt to the spice paste.
- Take the chicken pieces and slice gashes into the meat. This is going to allow the rub to penetrate into the meat, giving it amazing flavor!
- Add chicken pieces to the big bowl and generously coat all the pieces in the paste. Marinate at room temperature for 30+ min.
- In the meantime, preheat your oven to 325 degrees, and prepare your baking sheet. Take one baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil (to help with your clean-up) and place a cooling rack on top of the foil covered sheet. This will keep the hot air in the oven circulating around all sides of the chicken, giving it a nice crust
- Once the chicken has marinated, pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken pieces and evenly coat. Place each piece on your prepared baking sheet.
- Cook chicken until the breast (white meat) reaches 125 degrees, and the thigh (dark meat) reaches 130 degrees.
- Remove from the oven, tent with foil, and get your oven ready for broiling. Once your oven is preheated, place the chicken under the broiler for 6-8min, or until the breast reaches 160 degrees and the thigh hits about 175 degrees.
--Rita
*a note on garam masala*
**DO NOT skip this ingredient! You can find garam masala at almost every grocery store that exists. Kroger has it. I'm positive. You mustn't avoid this amazingly pungent spice because it's what makes Indian food so amazing. Garam Masala literally translates as "Hot Mixture", but don't worry, it's not spicy. It's intense. Things like pepper, clove, malabar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and coriander are just a few of the common spices found in garam masala. Each chef has his own mixture. Visit a local spice store, if one is available to you. Smell things. Ask if you can taste the spices. See what you like, and buy that! And when in doubt and you're at a loss, make your own!!!!
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