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Murgh tikka (chicken tikka)
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 800g boneless chicken (leg, thigh or breast, or a mix)
For the masala
- 40g fresh ginger, roughly chopped
- 40g garlic cloves
- 1⁄2tsp cumin seeds
- 1⁄2tsp coriander seeds
- 1⁄2tsp chilli powder
- 1⁄4tsp ground turmeric
- 2tbsp lime or lemon juice
- 1⁄2tbsp garam masala
- 50ml groundnut or sunflower oil
- 150ml natural yoghurt
- generous knob of butter, melted
For the mint yoghurt dressing
- 1⁄2 bunch mint leaves
- 4-5 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1tsp sugar
- 1 green chilli
To serve
- kachumber or other salad of chopped vegetables
- chapatis
Method
A few hours or up to a day
before, cut the chicken into
bite-sized cubes. Rub in some
salt and pepper and set aside.
In a blender or small food processor, add all the masala ingredients, except the butter and half the yoghurt, and blend to a smooth paste, stopping and scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the remaining yoghurt. Check for spiciness to suit your palate and add more chilli if you like.
Add the chicken to the
marinade and mix to coat
evenly, then cover and leave
in the fridge for at least 4–5
hours or overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium – make sure it is not too hot or the chicken will burn before it cooks through. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 230C/ 210C F/Gas 8.
Thread the meat on to eight pre-soaked wooden skewers, then lay them on the grill rack or a rack in a roasting tin. Grill for around 15 minutes or bake for 8-10 minutes until well browned and cooked through, but still juicy and tender, basting with the melted butter and turning occasionally.
Meanwhile, put all the
ingredients for the mint yoghurt
dressing in a blender and
whizz to purée to a smooth
consistency. Season to taste
and keep in the fridge until
ready to serve.
Remove the hot chicken from the skewers and serve with the mint dressing, salad and chapatis.
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