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.

As a kid, I only knew shish kebab as a threat or danger.  When my brother threw a pitchfork at me, the running joke was that he would make me into a shish kebab.  Kids don't really think about what they're saying (or really anything at all), so it never occurred to me there was a great food attached to that lingering joke.  Shish kebab was really nothing more than a cool word we learned from Johnny Quest.

Turns out kebabs are to most of the cooking world what backyard BBQs are to the US.  The urge that makes someone buy a $2000 stainless steel backyard behemoth is the same urge that drives a griller in Greece to obsess about his marinade.  I can imagine a kebab chef in Istanbul maniacally protecting his marinade recipe like the treasure that it is...

This is a very simple recipe and very close in make up and process to Chicken Tikka.  In fact, I usually make them at the same time.  Once the grill is hot its worth the trouble to go ahead and cook it all at once.  Its ok to marinate the meat longer than 2 hours, but be prepared for a bit more kick.

Shish kebab

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black pepper seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3 gloves garlic

1 inch ginger

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp red chili pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp Thyme

2 pounds sirloin or lamb

Directions

1. 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.


2. Blend the toasted spices and the rest of the marinade (except the Thyme) into a puree.


3. Cut the meat into bite size pieces.  Sprinkle with the Thyme.


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


5. Marinate meat for at least 2 hours


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


7. 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: