KITCHEN TABLE
ENJOY STREET FOOD AT HOME
Exciting street food becomes easy to create at home with Maunika Gowardhan’s recipes, cooking techniques and tips in Tandoori Home Cooking (Hardie Grant Books, USD35).
MURGH MALAI TIKKA: CREAMY CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH GREEN CHILLI AND CORIANDER
Image credit: Tandoori Home Cooking by Maunika Gowardhan.
Wooden skewers soaked in cold water for 30 mins
640 g boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
Melted butter for basting
Pinch of garam masala
Pinch of chaat masala
For the marinade:
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2-inch ginger root, roughly chopped
2 green bird’s eye chillies
2 tbsp malt vinegar
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
80 ml double (heavy) cream
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
30 g cheddar cheese, grated
Handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
To make the marinade, grind the garlic, ginger and chillies in a blender with a splash of water to a smooth paste. Put the paste in a large mixing bowl with the vinegar, then add the chicken. Leave to marinate for 30 mins.
In a separate small bowl, combine the yoghurt, cream and cornflour. Mix well to get rid of any lumps. Add the cheese and coriander. Season to taste and stir well. Add this yoghurt mixture to the bowl with the chicken pieces. Mix well and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
Preheat the grill (broiler) to medium heat. Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire rack over the tray.
Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked wooden skewers and place them on the wire rack. Top with any leftover marinade. Place the tray under the grill and cook for 7-8 mins., until the chicken is lightly charred around the edges and cooked through. Take the chicken off the skewers and serve on a large platter, topped with garam masala and chaat masala. Serve with pickled chillies, red onions and naan.
SHAKARKANDI CHAAT: SWEET POTATOES WITH TAMARIND AND GREEN CHUTNEYS
Image credit: Tandoori Home Cooking by Maunika Gowardhan.
700 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chaat masala
For the pickled onions:
100 g red onion, finely chopped
3-inch ginger root, finely chopped
1 green bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
To Serve:
Spicy Green Chilli Chutney*
Tangy Tamarind Chutney*
Fresh coriander leaves
Handful of sev
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Put all the pickled onion ingredients in a bowl. Stir well and set aside.
Put the sweet potato in a roasting tray, pour over the oil and stir well. Roast for 35 mins. stirring halfway through so they colour evenly.
Once the sweet potato is cooked through and charred around the edges, transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add the chaat masala along with 2 tbsp of pickled onions and mix well. Arrange in a large serving platter.
To serve, top the sweet potato with a few tbsps of the Spicy Green Chilli Chutney along with the Tangy Tamarind Chutney. Add a little more of the pickled onions, some sev and chopped coriander. Serve immediately, placing the remaining chutneys, sev and pickled onions on the table in case anyone wants to add a little more.
* SPICY GREEN CHILLI CHUTNEY
Image credit: Tandoori Home Cooking by Maunika Gowardhan.
7 green bird’s-eye chillies, (5 if you prefer less heat)
30 g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
150 g Granny Smith apple, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
Salt to taste
4 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz to a smooth paste. Do not add any water. Serve with rotis, kebabs and salads.
The chutney will keep for 2-3 days when stored in a non-reactive bowl in the refrigerator.
* TANGY TAMARIND CHUTNEY
2 tbsp raisins
150 ml warm water
150 g banana
4 tbsp tamarind paste (adjust to taste)
6 tbsp jaggery or dark soft brown sugar
¼ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
¼ tsp black salt
Place the raisins in a bowl with 100 ml of the warm water. Set aside to soak for 10 mins.
Peel and chop the banana. Blend the raisins with their soaking liquid in a blender along with half the chopped banana, the tamarind paste, jaggery or sugar, cumin seeds, chilli powder and black salt.
Add the remaining 50 ml of warm water to thin the chutney. Serve immediately in a bowl topped with the remaining banana to accompany kebabs, cutlets and rotis.
Tandoori Home Cooking by Maunika Gowardhan is published by Hardie Grant Books, USD35.