Planning for a weeks meal usually calls for some form of a roast at our home. This time around I wanted to try roasting a whole chicken flavored in Tandoori spice. Though tandoori spice originates from spices roasted in a clay oven, in the absence of one, I did mine in a normal oven. A nice crisp roast with juicy flavors goes excellently with the roasted eggplant side dish.
{whole tandoori roast}
1 whole chicken
3/4 tsp turmeric
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt & pepper
2 cups Greek yogurt
2 tsp ginger & garlic paste
1 green chili chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Preheat oven to 425.
Put the chicken in a roasting tin and using a sharp knife make slashes across the breast, thighs, and drumsticks. Combine the turmeric, chilli powder, salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil in a small bowl and use to coat the chicken on all sides. Cover loosely leave to marinate while you make the yogurt marinade. whisk the yogurt in a bowl until smooth then stir in the ginger, garlic, green chillies, garam masala, and cumin. Spoon this mixture over the chicken until coated and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to marinate for a minimum for 3 hours.
Roast the chicken in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, turn the chicken around and roast for another 20. Reduce to 350 for the remaining time (1 hour 20 mins or so) spooning over a tablespoon or so of the marinade every 20 minutes.
{baingan bhartha}
1 large eggplant
1 onion, chopped
pinch of asafoetida
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp ginger & garlic paste
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
3 tablespoons oil
1 small Indian green chili, chopped
salt to taste
Cilantro
Roasting eggplant is one of the most fun Indian cooking experiences in the kitchen for me. Mainly cause its messy & looks super cool! Using tongs hold the whole eggplant on an open flame directly on the stove. rotate until you see the skin starts breaking and juices start flowing. Roast all around till its done. Remove the skin and chop.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. When the oil gets hot, add the asafoetida, turmeric and onions. Cook until onions are translucent. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook until the onions start turning golden. Add tomatoes to the mixture till the it starts to break. Add garam masala, cumin, coriander and green chili.
Next add in the eggplant and salt. Continue to stir the mixture and mash down the eggplant. Turn the heat to medium and cook for about another 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add cilantro to garnish.