What's For Dinner?06/27/04Ersatz Tandoori Chicken(serves two parents and two children) I call this "ersatz" because one really needs to have an Indian tandoor, or clay oven, to make authentic tandoori chicken. Nevertheless, this recipe is reminiscent of the real thing and quite tasty in its own right. You can even enjoy it on a weeknight. The marinade is so easy to make that you can whip it up in the morning, add the chicken, and grill that evening.
The Chicken The Garnish 2. Prepare your fire or turn on your gas grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and grill over high heat. After about five minutes, turn the breasts. They should look slightly charred. Cook on the second side for about three minutes, and then begin basting with the melted butter. Remove the breasts as soon as they are done. 3. Meanwhile, combine on one half of a large piece of aluminum foil the garnish ingredients. Fold over the foil and crimp to make a pouch. After turning the chicken on the grill, place the foil pouch on your gas grill's warming shelf or in a spot not directly over the flame. (The purpose is to begin warming the garnish ingredients, not to cook them.) 4. Transfer the chicken breasts to a platter, then top with the warmed garnish ingredients and tent with more aluminum foil while the chicken rests and the flavors combine, about 5-10 minutes. Tips * I don't bother peeling the ginger, because the mini-chopper pulverizes the skin easily. * Choose dark green limes at the market, because they have more flavor than light green ones.
Listener Feedback *Kay Abraham of Germantown left the yogurt out of the marinade by mistake and found that it worked just as well as a rub! "It was so good," she writes, "that we've used it twice in the past two weeks for grilled chicken breasts." Kay has also developed a yogurt sauce to use with the pilaf as a complement to the spicy chicken: "I saute a pound of mushrooms, add a shot of madeira wine, and stir in a cup of drained yogurt (or half a cup of yogurt mixed with half a cup of sour cream). Salt and pepper, too, of course." *Harold Lohner reports that the first time he made this dish, "I followed the recipe exactly, and it was a hit." Then he tried a variation, cutting the chicken into big cubes and cooking them on skewers, also a success. Harold further notes that he tried marinating the chicken for "at least twenty-four hours as I had the time," and it came out "tender and tasty." He didn't find the cinnamon-cardamom pilaf very appealing, however, and instead made "a jasmine rice-pine nuts-feta-mint pilaf that was a great complement. (I'm always looking for another use for my prodigious mint plants!)"
If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future. Listener Feedback *Becky Dayton of Middlebury, Vermont, made the tacos for her husband because "he has generally kidlike tastes, and he loved them! The following night, he used the leftovers to whip up a tostada for me, and it was even better. He crisped up the tortilla in the oven (without using additional oil) and topped it with all the fillings. Because you don't have to worry about the tostada falling apart in your hands, you can really load it up and manage to get a bit of everything in each bite. The next time I prepare the beef filling, I'm going to heat up some refried beans or black beans as well. They will be the perfect addition to my new favorite tostada recipe." David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002). |
