November reviews: Tandoori Chicken & Spiced Basmati Pilaf

[aggie94]

These are from the Cooking Class (Indian) section of the new November CL. I was very disappointed with the Tandoori Chicken. I cut the recipe in half, using only 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces (about the size of chicken fingers or tenders). I used Hungarian hot paprika, which made it VERY spicy. And I used plain nonfat yogurt instead of lowfat (am I the only person who can't find anything smaller than a 32 oz. container of lowfat plain?). Anyway, the flavor is good, but it doesn't go through the chicken, if you know what I mean. There's that nice, spicy, flavorful outside, but when you bite into it, it's just plain boring white meat chicken. I wasn't impressed.

The Spiced Basmati Pilaf with Garden Peas was better, but still nothing spectacular. The smell was wonderful, but it just tasted like unseasoned plain basmati rice with some peas in it. The flavor of the cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves was SO subtle that it was barely distinguishable.

Neither of these recipes are repeaters, and the chicken might even get shredded into a soup or something. Two thumbs-down from me. :(

[KathrynY]

Thanks for your review. Too bad about the Tandoori Chicken. :( I'm hoping someone will try the lamb dish soon with a review!

DH and I love Indian food, and the spiced basmati pilaf is on this menu for later this week - maybe I'll add a little extra "spice". We were planning to serve it with a Vegetable Biryani from a light Indian cookbook. If it turns out well, I'll post the recipe for you.

[Kristilyn1]

If anyone is interested, I will post a tandoori recipe that I have--the trick is overnight marinading--but it is quite delicious.

I was hoping the CL was going to be good as mine is a little more labor intensive. I was surprised to see that they didn't include the garam masala as part of the marinade as the recipe I have calls for it.

Kristi

[aggie94]

Kristi,

I'd love to see your tandoori recipe. I meant to mention that the CL recipes did get points for ease, but when the end product doesn't taste all that good, is it all that important that it was easy to make? Probably not. :rolleyes: I had such high hopes for both of these recipes!

[cookingmonkey]

I know that quite a few Indian cookbooks recommend overnight marinating as well as the slashing technique made popular by that infamous Psycho chicken. Maybe this would help the flavors penetrate the chicken more.
Just a thought.

jennifer

[Ralph]

Too bad about the Tandoori chicken - it's on my to-make list. :(
Here's a recipe for Grilled Tandoori Chicken I made a few weeks ago from Emeril's page at www.foodtv.com . The recipe is actually quite healthy (note, the chicken is skinned); there's only 2 tbsp of oil in the marinade & I used non-fat yogurt. I ended up baking it as our fall weather here doesn't always cooperate with plans to grill! I DID marinate it overnight. The flavor was terrific, just like the stuff we get at a great Indian restaurant near us.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001

1 (4 to 4 1/2 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped serrano or jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed
1 tablespoon paprika
11/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
With a fork, ***** holes in the chicken pieces. Using a knife, cut diagonal slices 1-inch apart, and 1/2-inch deep into the larger pieces. Place the chicken in a baking dish.

In a blender, combine the oil, onion, garlic, ginger, pepper, and process on high speed to a paste. Add the paprika, salt, cumin, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, and cayenne, and process until well blended. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and process to a smooth sauce, scraping down the sides to combine all the ingredients. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Turn to coat evenly, rubbing the marinade into the holes and slits. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat a grill.

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place on the grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on the first side. Turn, baste as needed, and cook on the second side for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and continue cooking, as necessary until the chicken is cooked through, but still tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. (Alternately, bake in a preheated 425 degrees F oven on a baking sheet for 35 minutes.)

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

[Gail]

Thank you for mentioning what I was going to. I'm reasonably sure I posted a tandoori chicken recipe ages ago, which called from cutting deep gashes in the meat, to work the marinade way in. I don't recall whether the chicken was marinated over night, but it was certainly for several hours.

I'm thinking that if you go back and try CL's recipe using those techniques, it may come closer to the desired flavors. I've been eyeing those two recipes, thinking that exactly! (I'm reserving judgment on what to do with the rice)

Thanks for the thumbs up on the included recipe, Ralph. Will have to give it a try.

[Kristilyn1]

Here's the recipe I said I'd post.

TANDOORI CHICKEN

2 1/2 lbs. chicken pieces
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt to taste
1 small onion
1 tablespoon Tandoori Masala (recipe to follow)
2 teaspoons Garam Masala (recipe to follow)
1 (1 inch) piece fresh gingerroot, grated
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt

Rinse chicken pieces, pat dry with paper towels then slash meaty parts two or three times.

Place chicken in a shallow non-metal dish. Sprinkle with lime juice and salt. Set aside. Put onion, masalas, ginger, salt and yogurt into blender or food processor, process until smooth and frothy. Pour over chicken and cover loosely. Marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400F. Drain excess marinade from chicken pieces; place them in a roasting pan. Cook 25 to 30 minutes until tender and well browned. Serve hot.

I've typically done this recipe with boneless skinless breasts but thighs would work well too. I've also grilled it and it works very well.

The masalas are a little time consuming but I think they are delicious and could easily be used or added to other recipes.

TANDOORI MASALA
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon red (cayenne) pepper
few drops of red food coloring

Grind cumin and coriander seeds to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or with a pestle and mortar. Stir in cayenne and food coloring and mix well. Store in a small airtight jar up to 2 months.

GARAM MASALA
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
2 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks, crushed
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 tablespoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
Put all spices in a heavy skillet and dry roast over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes, until browned, stirring constantly. Cool completely, then grind to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or with a pestle and mortar. Store in airtight jar for up to 2 months.