Paaji ka Tandoori Chicken

Punjabi food is very much synonymous with the people there - rich, robust and full of life, moreover the best part about this cuisine is its variety, be it vegetarian or non vegetarian food. The fans all across the globe love the Butter chicken, Bhuna Gosht, Tandoori chicken, Amritsari Machchi, Dal Makhni, Chole Bhature and Sarso ka Saag. In addition to this, the food is very fresh in genereal due to the large produce from the vast fields in the villages of Punjab where a variety of ingredients are naturally grown, making the food extrememly earthy, and provide bold textures. 

As it is known that this state is one of the largest consumers of milk, every meal is bound to be served with a glass filled to the brim with lassi or chaach. Also, having been a wheat producing area, the people of Punjab innovate the basic bread a lot by making naan, rumali roti, kulchas and parathas.

Punjabis love cooking in ghee in butter as they belive these fats exponentially enhance the flavour of the food. Many famous gravies from Punjab are cooked in "desi ghee", served with bread: 'makhan mar ke'. To bring out the best flavour in Punjabi food, it is imparative to know the ideal balance of spices like coriandar powder, cumin seeds, carom seeds and masalas like garam masala.

The real tandoori food resides in Punjab, however it is belived that it was started in Persian, and this cooking technique travlled to Punjab with the invasion of the Arabs. Tandoori chicken was, as believed, invented in Peshawarin 1930 and since has become famous all throughout India, moreover, although seafood isnt in abundance here, yet deep fried skewered fish dishes are loved, such as Machch ke Sooley, Fish Kebab, Amritsari Machchi, and Fish Tikka. 

Here is the recipe:

Recipe courtesy: NDTV FOOD

Ingredients Of Tandoori Chicken

• 8 Large chicken pieces with skin (2 pieces breast, 2 pieces of thighs, a couple of wings)
• to taste oil
• For the marinade:
• 4 tsp red chilli paste
• 3 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• 2 tsp chaat masala
• 1 1/2 tsp tandoori masala
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 tbsp curd
• to taste salt
• 1/2 lemon (juiced)
• For the tandoori masala:
• 2 Cinnamon sticks
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 5 green cardamom
• 3 brown cardamom
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 cloves
• 1 Bay leaf
• 3/4 tsp turmeric

• How to Make Tandoori Chicken

• Prepare the marinade:
• 1.In a bowl add ginger and garlic paste, red chilli paste, chaat masala, tandoori masala, oil, curd, salt and lemon juice. Mix it well.
• 2.Rub the marinade on the chicken pieces, over the skin and underneath it. Make small gashes in the chicken pieces for the marinade to coat it nicely.
• 3.Marinate the chicken pieces for 30 minutes.
• 4.Char grill the chicken pieces on a griller or tandoor. Baste with oil at regular intervals.
• 5.Serve with lemon wedges and onion rings.
• Prepare tandoori masala:
• 1.In a pan dry roast cinnamon, peppercorns, green cardamom, brown cardamom, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaf and turmeric powder.
• 2.In a mortar and pestle grind the dry roasted spices into a fine powder. Masala is ready.
• 3.If you are making it in an oven, the temperature needs to be around 250-300 degrees C.
• 4.Serve hot.