BASIC CHICKEN TIKKA, AWARDS AND A BREAK

Now it is holiday time for you. And when winter arrives, I have to sit in front of the BBQ. People here have a misconception that I am good at Tikka and Kebabs.  As long as Tikka is concern, any body can make it and it will be always tasty if you stick to the fundamentals. .  (Kebabs are high skill and high knowledge base affair , unlike  tikkas, and I am not talking Kebabs today, Vege or non vege.)

The  BBQ session for this winter was inaugurated on the 19th Dec  and it is generally at my younger brother's place. I thought I should share some tips  on Tikka and here I will go with chicken Tikka. (It is applicable to other red meat tikkas, with some modifications.)

The basic tips

1. Always use thigh , leg meat of chicken, because it is juicy and soft (never use the breast pieces.).If you have breast meat, you can BBQ it, but generally use for gravy dishes like butter chicken masala . You can also BBQ, wings, it is really tasty.

2. Spices for the marinade: ( Basic Tikka) Long back I had seen a TV program of the great Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. (Unfortunately I cant stand his face any more because he has shaved off his great mustache and I am missing his programs). He had mentioned " there is no hard and fast rules, add any spice which is handy. Remember , the charcoal grilling does the trick of giving the right flavor," (that slightly burnt-fat smoky flavor.). You dont get this typical flavor in Oven, lava grill, gas grill etc. ( I shall give an example of spice later, but you can use any ready made one.). This is for basic chicken tikka..you may add-on strong notes like Lasuni (garlic), Fennel, Azwain, Methi ( Fenugreek) at the end of grilling..

3. Chicken takes 6-10 minutes to cook on the charcoal. So dont over cook.

4 Pieces. A chicken leg should yield 2 to 4 pieces of tikka, depending upon the size. Dont make small pieces. For example a Kg of cleaned and de-boned leg meat will yield about 30 to 34 pieces.

5. The skewers must be flat and with rectangular cross section. This will prevent slipping of the pieces while rotating. 

THE RECIPE
Here I will give a basic recipe, which is basically two marinades, spices and I will use leg tikka ( I grilled few wing pieces too).
INGREDIENTS.
Chicken leg pieces. 1 Kg , deboned and cut to tikka size. ( as mentioned above)
1st Marinade 
Ginger paste 1 tbsp
Garlic paste 1 tbsp.
Lemon juice  6-7  tbsp (about 75 to 100 ml) 
Papain (meat softener) 1 tsp, ( optional for chicken and most tikka masala will have papain.)
2nd Marinade
Thick Curd 200 gms, whipped smooth.
Besan ( bengal gram flour) 11/2 level tbsp.
Butter oil 1/2 cup ( or any vegetable oil)
Spice. Use any one of the ready made Tikka /Tandoori masala.
Like MDH, Shan ( I used in this recipe) etc etc take 50 grams
OR
Make a mixture of powdered Cumin 2 tsp, coriander 4 tsp, red chili powder 2 tsp, Fennel powder 1/2 tsp, black pepper 1 level tsp, Garam masala powder ( any brand containing all the Garam masalas)1 heap tsp, turmaric 1 tsp, 
Butter / molten butter for brushing the tikka during grilling. ( optional)
( I will suggest , to use ready made masala)
CAUTION: Most ready made Tikka masala contains salt , so taste the spice before adding salt. Normally you wont need additional salt.
For finishing : Many people like a sprinkle of chat Masala just before eating. Not important.
Accompaniment: I Like it with a Coriander/Mint  / green chili, garlic in Yogurt chutney ( Burahni). Also keep fresh lemon, cut onions, or shallots soaked in 3-5% Vinegar.
THE PROCESS
(You all know , how to start the BBQ and ignite the charcoal and maintain uniform heat. If you want to know , send a mail).
Cut and wash chicken. Drain dry for 30 minutes.
Mix the 1st marinade and keep aside for 30 minutes

1st marinade added

Mix yogurt, Besan, oil and all spices thoroughly to make the 2nd Marinade.. Add the chicken and the 1st marinade to the 2nd marinade and mix throughly.
Leave aside for 1 to  2 hrs. You can keep it in fridge. 

2nd Marinade added

Put the meat pieces in a skewer , 3/4th to 1 inch apart. ( Fold the meat  and pierce the skewer so that the piece is attached at two places.)

The wings are skewered by a trainee chef ( my brother's daughter) 

Have some wine or whiskey ( Part of the process, I mean not the cooking process) 

Grill the meat on both sides. When the surface dries up, brush oil/butter/ butter oil.
Eat with accompaniments mentioned above.
Chutney  ( Burahni)
Coriander leaf 1 cup, mint leaf 1/3rd cup, smashed and chopped garlic 2 cloves, green chili 2 or more. Sour plain Yogurt 11/2 cup, salt.
Grind the ingredients and then whip in the curd and salt.
There are not many photos as I was busy elsewhere, grilling myself, I mean the chicken.
Some great moments. 

The Chef on the grill 

"Can anyone eat this ?" Brother and my daughter are apprehensive about the effect of whiskey on me and the subsequent effect on the chicken.

Blowing my lungs out , to keep the fire going 

Only few were left and no one took the photo of the final product on a platter. Every one was eating of the skewer

NOTE: I shall try to put some kebab recipes in future, where spicing , ingredients are  very important.  When you make beef or mutton tikka, the marinade and process will be bit different  and a softener is essential.,
BREAK
I am taking a break , going to Calcutta, Santiniketan . I shall also go to Sundarban to spend some time with the man-eating Royal Bengal Tigers. 
God willing, weather permitting and Tigers sparing me, I will be back by mid January. 
AWARDS, AWARDS AND MORE AWARDS

I am delighted and overwhelmed to say that I have received many awards over the last few months, that too from the greatest cooks in my blog sphere. I am just wondering, if I get so many awards for not cooking or posting much recipes, what will happen if I really start cooking!! Anyway, thank you so much !!

Award from Gouri, 5 awards not one. Craving for Bong food? Here it is.
Please do visit Didibhai's Kitchen 

Award from Amrita..I love to read her awesome non-food blogs. Her introduction about me, while giving me this award, made me to have my colorless blush!!! 

Please do visit, A HOUSEWIFE'S CHRONICLES

Award from Akila, I learnt a lot from Akila , some of her dishes are really innovative. But dont go by the name of her blog " Learning to Cook" ..it should be "teaching to cook". 

Please do visit.  Learning to Cook, Akila's Kitchen

Award from PJ (Padmaja,) a versatile blogger, so many things to learn on food and also  scientific  aspects of it. I always eagerly wait for her posts ( even if I am a hardcore non-vege due to medical reasons, Vege dishes are my delicacies)

Please do visit...Seduce your taste buds 

Award from Dr Sameena, a great cook, apart from that  she is a great dentist. You are all young people , so make it a point to read her dental blog . It is good for you and your kids. ( I wish I read her dental blog 30yrs back...you know why I am saying this)

Please do visit....My Culinary creations ( food blog)

We care for your smile ( Dental Blog)

Award from Amritha Kalyani, very nice blog indeed.
Please do visit... AK's Vegetarian Recipe World

Award from Authentic Oriya food  . I learnt few forgotten dishes from here.

Please do visit  Oriyarasoi