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
- Mix the marinade well
- Add the marinade to the meat and mix well.
- Marinate meat for at least 2 hours
- If using bamboo skewers, soak the skewers for 30 minutes.
- Grill the skewers on your preferred grill.