Isn't it funny how I go for weeks not blogging a thing, then all of a sudden I have a mad rush of blood to the head and bingo, there's three blog posts in quick succession. I have no idea why it happens, but it certainly seems to!
Now, these almost kebabs were so blinking tasty that they just had to be committed to blogdom straight away. You won't have any idea the tussles I have had with yoghurt marinated chicken, but they have been almost on an epic scale of disappointment. Hence, having had a taste of these little babies and realised that I'd reached nirvana, I just knew I had to write down the recipe and write it down fast - before it sank without a trace.
Now by rights, I should have laced these pieces of chicken onto kebab skewers and grilled them that way. However, I discovered at the last minute that the majority of my little wooden skewers had left home, so they just went onto the baking tray and were grilled like that. I don't think it harmed them any - in fact, I know it didn't.
Usually - and by "usually" I mean "in the past" - my attempts at yoghurt marinated chicken have been pallid at best and watery at worst. However, in this new and exciting dawn, I am so excited to report that they were neither pallid, oh no, nor were they watery! Well, they did exude a little water when being cooked, but that soon burned off.
They were deliciously spicy hot, with the warm curry spices singing along in harmony with the tang of lime juice and intense fruitiness of the tamarind. The acidity of both yoghurt and lime juice had tenderised the chicken and the use of garlic granules meant there were no horrid lumps of half cooked garlic in the mix. The slight charring on each piece brought out the best in the Tandoori spices and that spoonful of hot curry powder meant you were left in no doubt as to the worth of the sweet & fruity salad, along with the buttery rice.
I am seriously chuffed - maybe even "chuffed as nuts" as Dave Myers (he of Hairy Bikers fame) often says - with this recipe. I might even need to cook it again, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. LOL So if you give the recipe a whirl, do let me know how you get on with it!
Oh and incidentally - if you put your chicken onto the skewers, they'd be just brilliant cooked on a barbecue!
GRILLED CURRY CHICKEN SKEWERS (serves 2)
Ingredients :
4 dessert spoonfuls of full fat unflavoured Greek yoghurt
juice of half a lime
2 tsp rapeseed oil
1 tbsp tamarind sauce
4 heaped tsp tandoori curry powder
1 heaped tsp hot curry powder
half a tsp of ground turmeric
1 tsp of dried garlic granules
a pinch of sea salt
pinch of ground black pepper
2 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts, sliced across the grain.
Method :
Firstly, in a large bowl, make up the marinade by stirring together all the ingredients except the chicken breast slices.
Add the chicken slices and stir gently, ensuring that the marinade reaches every piece.
Cover with cling wrap and set aside in the fridge for a minimum of 4-5 hours.
To cook, cover a baking tray with silver foil and spray with a little cooking spray.
Using tongs, remove each piece of chicken from the marinade (taking as much of the marinade with each piece as wants to come) and lay it in a blob on the baking tray, leaving a little space in between each piece. Alternatively, lace each piece onto a bamboo skewer that has been previously soaked in water (to stop it going up in flames) - not too tightly - and lay the skewer on the baking tray.
Distribute any leftover marinade over the pieces that need a little more coverage.
Grill, under a hot grill (or a hot broiler, if you're American), until each piece has begun to char slightly. You don't want to have a lot of charring, just a few spots on each piece's high points. Turn the pieces and grill again.
Serve with buttery savoury rice and a fresh, fruity salad.
Printable version
I'll come right out and say it before I mislead anyone - the only "Tandoori" part of this curry was the label on the front of the spice mix jar!
So, having said that, I have to hang my head in shame and admit that yes, the poor old Caribbean Curry hit the skids again and STILL hasn't been made. You see, the recipe has been hanging around waiting to be made for so long that I'd quite forgotten that it required to be marinaded for 5-7 hours prior to cooking. The meat, that is, not the recipe. ~rolls eyes~
There I was with half an hour to go before I needed to start cooking - and no marinading having taken place. This sort of situation demands you know what you've got in your cupboards!
The first thing that came to mind was I knew that I had a random can of coconut milk that we'd picked up cheaply. So - chicken & coconut milk sends my head down one of two routes where a curry is concerned - Thai or sweet Indian.
I knew I didn't have the wherewithall to make a Thai curry, but the sweet Indian was immediately showing promise. I had onion and garlic, plus a selection of curry powders - including a Tandoori mix that I hadn't really had a serious play with. So, with Chicken Tikka Masala in mind, I set off down that kind of route.
Needless to say, the curry didn't resemble a Chicken Tikka Masala in the slightest - but that was the flavour that I had in mind and that I was aiming at, if not for!
Part way through, I began to think that some other kind of note would be good where the main ingredients were concerned and found myself hankering for some okra. Then I remembered that I had best part of two thirds of a cauliflower in the fridge - perfect!
Even though the Tandoori spice mix isn't really intended to be used in the way I used it, the curry came out as being very acceptable. The coconut milk, having been reduced, lent the sauce a slightly odd glossiness and made the whole extremely rich. I was very glad I'd included the cauliflower, as it provided a lightness that eased the palate against all the rich flavours.
So, as a "spur of the moment" curry, I reckon it worked very well indeed - and I'd happily make it again.
CHICKEN & CAULIFLOWER TANDOORI CURRY (serves 3)
Ingredients :
1 tbsp vegetable oil
10g butter
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 red chilli, seeds removed, chopped
3 tsp Tandoori curry powder
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 can coconut milk (I used the light version)
half a small cauliflower, cut into same sized florets
a handful of fresh coriander, chopped.
Method :
1. In a deep frying pan, heat the oil and melt the butter, then add the onions and fry on a medium heat until softened and beginning to colour.
2. Add the garlic and chilli and continue to cook for another minute or so.
3. Add the curry powder and tomato puree. Stir to combine and cook on a medium to low heat until the oil is beginning to separate.
4. Add the chicken and toss well to cover it in the curry mixture. Cook until the chicken has all changed colour and is beginning to caramelise.
5. Add the coconut milk and stir gently but well to amalgamate with the curry spices.
6. Add the cauliflower pieces and simmer until the cauliflower is tender and the sauce has reduced to your preference. If the sauce appears to be reducing too much, add a little chicken stock to thin it slightly.
7. Prior to serving, add the chopped coriander and stir through.
Serve with white rice.
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