This recipe came to my mind quite by chance. In fact, it came at a time when I was trying out a recipe posted here in this blog by my friend Prerona. In case you haven't tried out her recipe, you should, it's the "Tamil Style Mixed Vegetable and Lentil Stew". Like most South Indian recipes, this too called for the use of tamarind, one of the key ingredients in this dish. While I have been preparing grilled chicken with lemon my whole life, I did want to try experimenting with tamarind.
The other key ingredient here is dates. My husband experiments quite a lot with pork. And he adds 'Bhoot Jolokia' also known as Ghost Pepper in most of his dishes. Ghost Pepper as the name suggests is one of the hottest chilies available in the world. And, many a time to balance the taste he adds different ingredients- from tangy to even sweet. Dates, whenever he's used had never failed him. So, bingo I got my second ingredient.
Both date and tamarind have a nice fleshy texture and a brilliant color. I was quite confident of this recipe, but after trying it out, I am absolutely happy with the results.
Ingredients for the marinade:
Chicken- 2 breasts with skin on, preferably
Pepper- 2 tsp, freshly ground
Garlic- 6 pods, crushed
1/4 tsp cumin powder, optional
Salt, to taste
Olive Oil
Method:
Sear the chicken with a knife, so that the marinade seeps in properly. Mix all the ingredients. Rub it on the chicken and keep it for about 45 minutes or more.
Ingredients for the Rub:
Cornflour- 2 tbsp
Onion powder- 1 tsp
Garlic powder- 1 tsp
Oil- for frying
Method:
Dry mix the cornflour, onion, and garlic powder. Dredge the marinated chicken pieces properly and coat it in the dry mix. Heat oil in a pan, fry the chicken on both sides till you get a nice brown colour. It will take just about a minute or two on each side. Note that the rub is dry, so the oil will have dark residue. Clean the same before frying the second piece. It is ok if the chicken looks slightly burnt, it is the dry rub, but be careful not to overdo.
Preheat the oven, then bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes at 170 degrees or till done. Don't worry, the skin will ensure the chicken does not become dry.
*Don't throw away the leftover dry rub. We will use it for the sauce.
Yes, one of us does like our chicken slightly deeper fried.
Ingredients, Date and Tamarind Sauce:
3-4 dates, soak in water
1.5 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp- chili flakes
1 tsp- peppercorn, freshly ground
1 small onion
3 garlic pods
Salt, to taste
Oil- 1 tbsp
Dry Rub- leftover, to thicken
Method:
Make a pulp of the soaked dates.
Dice the onion, crush the garlic.
Heat oil in a pan/wok.
Add the garlic and onion, fry for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the dates and tamarind. Add salt.
Fry till the sauce sticks to the pan.
Then add a splash of water, and the leftover dry rub.
The sauce will reach a nice thick consistency.
Place the chicken on the sauce and coat the top and the sides, cook for about two minutes.
Add some water if required.
Ingredient for Crispy Spinach:
Spinach leaves- a few
Corn flour
Salt
Oil- for frying
Method:
Wash the spinach, dredge the wet leaves in cornflour and fry till crisp in a flat bottomed pan. This will ensure you don't waste or use too much oil.
Ingredients for Spinach sauce:
Spinach- a bunch
Butter- 1 tsp
Ice cubes
Cream- 1 tsp spoon, optional
Salt
Method:
Blanch the spinach. Give it an ice bath soon after. Blend the spinach with ice cubes. This will ensure a beautiful green color.
Heat the butter, add the spinach puree and salt.
Bring it to the desired consistency, will take not more than 3-4 minutes. Add a spoonful of cream if desired.
Serving Suggestions:
This chicken would go well with some salad, roast potatoes or vegetables, different kind of breads.
To assemble:
Place everything on a plate and serve it as per your choice. The picture below is how I did it.
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