Hello everyone, since this is my first post of the year. Let me begin by wishing all of you a very Happy New Year. May the coming 365 days bring you joy, peace, love and yes, delicious food in plenty.

Although I have only recently started blogging, I have been fortunate enough to get to know people from across the globe; some who follow my blog and some who read it. It is great fun interacting with you all sharing tips, tricks, recipes and above all the love for good food. A co-blogger (who follows my blog and loves Indian food) recently wrote to me asking if preparing all kinds of Indian food involved detailed technique and consumed a lot of time. My answer? Yes and No. Because of the cultural diversity existing in the country, certain regions do have an elaborate cooking process, some places it’s a quick fix meal. Nevertheless, I promised her to put up Indian recipes that didn’t involve a lot of technique and would be quick to prepare. That set the creative juices flowing and the recipe you see below is the result of one such endeavor.

The Red Roast Chicken (well, that’s what I called it) gets done in about forty five minutes and with a minimal of ingredients. Although I originally thought of only using the masala as a base, the gravy lover in me wouldn’t budge and I added curd towards the end to give the dish some more depth. The dark red colour comes from using a secret trick that I would share with you a little later. The roasted chicken when combined with the aromatic spices and the fragrant curry leaves combines into something that is almost impossible to resist. It is slightly heavier on the spices and oil; however, you could adjust to your taste.

I would be glad to hear from you on whether you’ve  tried it and the results.

Red Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 Kg Chicken (I used boneless chicken)
• 5 Tablespoons Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• 3 Tablespoons Refined Oil
• 150 grams curd
• 2 ½ tablespoons Red Chili Powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons Garam Masala Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds (and some Cumin powder)
• 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
• 1 tablespoon Cardamom Powder
• 1 tablespoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste
• 1 tablespoon Ginger Paste
• 1 Big sprig of Curry leaves
• 1 Lemon sized ball of tamarind (Soaked in warm water)
• Green Coriander Leaves (For garnishing)
• Juice of One lime
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Clean, wash, dry and cut the chicken. Add in salt, lime juice, and some turmeric powder and keep aside for 20 minutes.
• Now, heat the Ghee and oil together in a pan. When it is hot, add in the chicken pieces and roast them well. Once the chicken pieces start to brown, take them out from the pan and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add in the cumin seeds and the curry leaves and let them splutter.
• Once they start spluttering, add in the Ginger and Garlic paste and let it cook for a while. Once it starts to brown, add in all the other masalas (spice powders) except for the red chili powder.
• At this point, your mixture may be dry so add in a little water, just enough to keep it moist.
• Well now is the time for the secret I promised earlier. When the oil begins leaving the masalas; beat the curd well and add the red chili powder to it. This is done so that the beautiful red colour is released enhancing the end colour of the dish. Add the curd to the mixture along with the roasted chicken and allow it to cook.
• Squeeze the pulp of the tamarind well and add the water to the mixture. Add in the salt.
• Add a little water if you would like it have gravy, else the chicken should be done in 10 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.
• That’s it. Red Roast Chicken is ready!!!