photo by mynameisharsha

As much as I maintained a habit of spending my trips to India enjoying Chicken Tikka eggrolls, I had a much more private tradition of failing to make them correctly on my return home.  I could never get the simplest part correct - the chicken.  Never mind the  roti, which continues to elude me, I was baffled by the chicken.

After nearly a year of fantastic (and mostly delicious) failures, I came to find out that I was actually making different recipes much closer to Pakistani origin than Bangalore.  I could very easily be proved wrong on this, but I am fairly sure I was making something closer to Kalmi Kebab.

What a great way to back your way into a great recipe, by a series of interesting mistakes...

A yogurt based marinade makes recipe want to be baked rather than grilled, but grilled is what I usually do.  I think this is better baked in an oven followed by a quick broil but make sure you use some sort of grilling tray.  You'll want the drippings to fall off the chicken.

That said, you might be happier with the grill, as I was...

Chicken Kalmi Kebab

1 in. Ginger

2 cloves Garlic

1 cup Yoghurt

2 Cloves

1 in Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Cumin

Pinch of Saffron

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Red chili

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless chicken meat

Directions

1. Mix the marinade well


2. Add the marinade to the meat and mix well.


3. Marinate meat for at least 2 hours


4. If using bamboo skewers, soak the skewers for 30 minutes.


5. Grill the skewers on your preferred grill.

My introduction to Chicken Tikka came in the form of bar food. As a regular business traveler to India, I spent a little time in the pubs of Bangalore.  Food always took the form of "snacks", which inevitably included Chicken Tikka.  On one particular night out with locals, someone at the table complained "this chicken is not hot enough.  I'm from Hyderabad…"  I quickly learned that Hyderabad and Andhra are synonymous with shockingly spicy food. 

There was (and probably still is) a restaurant/bar in Bangalore named Cosmo Village.  Cab drivers always had a fun time trying to find it.  It had multiple levels and a fantastic open air rooftop deck.  Any trip to Bangalore included a night at Cosmo Village.  On random nights they had a guy cooking chicken tikka skewers on a small bbq.  It made for a great evening - keep the big bottles of Kingfisher and skewers of Chicken Tikka coming until the inevitable jet lag catches up with you.

Coming home from India, I set out to learn how to make Chicken Tikka like the guy at Cosmo Village.  I made countless valiant efforts using the traditional Indian recipes, which are entirely yoghurt based.  It was a complete surprise to finally find the correct recipe in an excellent book on BBQ. I cook these on a small charcoal grill with hardwood lump charcoal.  Chicken Tikka is also a key ingredient in my favorite India street food - the Chicken Egg Roll.

Chicken Tikka Marinade:   1 Tbsp coriander seeds 2 tsp whole black pepper 1 tsp cumin seeds 6 clove garlic 2 inches ginger 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 1/4 cup water juice from 1 lemon 1 tsp Reshampatti or similar hot red chili (or cayenne) 1 tsp paprika 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 lbs boneless chicken   Directions   In a preheated cast iron pan, toast the coriander, black pepper and cumin until they are cooked but not burned.  Usually no more than a couple minutes.  Immediately grind in a spice grinder. Blend the toasted spices and the rest of the marinade into a puree. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Marinate chicken for at least 2 hours If using bamboo, soak the skewers for 30 minutes.  Thread the chicken onto the skewers. Grill the skewers.  After the second turn, coat the skewers in ghee or butter.

recipe adapted from:

photo by lavannya

Mumbai is definitely one of the best cities in India for street food.  Its no surprise that the Indian version of McDonald's is growing out of Mumbai, serving Vada Pav.  In many ways, this is India's version of the greasy hamburger.  In fact, I call these sliders, since they are approximately the size of their White Castle counterparts, but with much more of a kick.  Jumbo King sells these things very cheap - in the neighborhood of $0.15.  The buns are very much like McD's, but the sauces and condiments make it.  Eventually I'll try these with Chole, since that's one of the Jumbo King flavors...

The Vada Pav is essentially a potato patty dipped in a spicy batter and fried.  That's the Vada.  The Pav is the bun.  What really makes the Vada Pav is the condiments.  Ultimately, the sauces are what make these sliders worth making.  If you're in India you can save some coin eating these things, but if you're in Texas you load up on the great pickles and sauces you can pick up on your travels.  My usual combo is:

• A spicy garlic pickle


• A tamarind based chutney


• A Thai garlic/chili pickle

These turn out pretty small - remember, sliders.  The Jumbo King version is closer to a burger off the dollar menu, but that is far too large...

Vada Pav

Patty:

2 Tbsp  olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black mustard seed

1/2 tsp curry

About 1 inch ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Serrano chilies, seeded and minced

1/2 onion, minced

1 large potato, boiled and mashed (should be about 1.5 cups)

1 sweet potato, boiled and mashed (should be about 1.5 cups)

1/4 tsp turmeric

Coarse salt

1/4 cup cilantro

Batter:

1/2 cup chickpea flour

2 Tbsp rice flour

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp red chili pepper

1/2 cup water

Salt

Directions

1. Mix all the batter ingredients and blend until smooth.  Set aside.


2. To make the patties, heat the oil in a skillet and add the cumin and mustard. 


3. When the spices start to heat and pop, add the curry, ginger, garlic, chilies, onion and cook until the onion is done but not burned.


4. Add the potatoes and turmeric and  mix well.  Mash any large piece of potato and mix until heated through.


5. Mix in the cilantro, remove from heat and let cool.


6. Roll enough potato to form a ball about the size of a golf ball.  It's easier if you make all the balls at once.


7. Dip in the batter and fry in oil.  I fry them in about 3/4 inch of Canola oil.


8. When you turn them, smash the ball down a bit to form more of a patty.

A visit to India always includes fantastic food, and every meal seems to include bread.  I learned early in my travels that if you don't understand the menu, you can simply order "some meats, some gravies and some bread" and things won't turn out entirely wrong.

  photo by diametrik

Making the bread, however, has proved elusive for me.  I have never come even close to recreating the bread served at Lazee's in Bangalore, even though I am pretty sure it is a Kerala Porota.  Below is a simple recipe that I rarely do wrong.  It is my general purpose Roti.

Roti

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.


2. Put out a board and dust with a good amount of flour.


3. Add the milk and mix into a sticky dough


4. Knead the dough on the board, adding more flour until it is worked into a stiff dough


5. Divide the dough into 4 balls.  Roll each ball out flat, cover them in oil, reform into a ball and let sit for 30 minutes.


6. Roll each ball out to a very thin pancake.  Fry each side with just a little bit of oil.