By definition, a tandoori oven is a cylindrical clay oven heated by a wood or charcoal fire. The food is exposed to flames as well as heat from the coals and is further flavoured by smoke from meat juices that drip onto the coals.
Very much like a braai then, the attentive reader would say. Chicken tikka is one of the most popular meals to come from a tandoori oven. Tikka means ‘pieces’; chicken tikka refers to a specific meal of chicken pieces marinated in a masala spice and yogurt, skewered and cooked in a tandoori (or, in this case, braaied). Chicken tikka masala is my favourite curry – and it’s sure to be yours once you’ve tried this recipe, which features a spicy tomato sauce.
Ingredients for chicken tikka masala
- 4 chicken breasts (about 600 g)
- 250 ml plain yogurt
- Chicken tikka masala spice (or tandoori masala or any good red masala mix).
- A lemon
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- 50 ml tomato paste
- 250 ml cream
- 150 ml coconut cream (use what’s left to make pina coladas)
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Garam masala powder
- Turmeric powder
- Paprika powder
- Chilli powder
- Ground almonds
- Honey
- Salt
- Coriander leaves
While many supermarkets stock all these spices, visit the Victoria Street Market in Bertha Mkhize Street, Durban, for an authentic experience. In Cape Town, I get my spices from the Atlas Trading Company in Wale Street (tel 021 423 4361). In Johannesburg, go to the Oriental Plaza in Bree Street (011 838 6752).
Cooking instructions
1. Marinate the chicken
Cut four chicken breasts – about 600 g – into bite-size chunks and marinate in a mixture of 250 ml plain yogurt, 50 ml chicken tikka masala spice and 25 ml lemon juice (roughly the juice of half a lemon). Once you’ve mixed the marinade and tossed the chicken around in that, cover and place in a fridge for a few hours.
2. Braai the chicken
When the coals are almost ready, skewer the chicken onto sosatie sticks. Braai them until done, which will take 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the temperature of the coals, height of the grid and size of the chicken pieces. Black spots will appear here and there as the yogurt caramelises, but this is normal and part of the taste of this meal. If you aren’t sure whether the chicken is done, cut open a piece to see if the juices run clear.
3. Make the sauce
While the meat is braaing, you need to prepare the sauce. In a pot, fry a tot each of garlic and ginger in butter. Add any leftover marinade, as well as a teaspoon each of garam masala, paprika, turmeric powder and 2 ml chilli powder and fry for a minute. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a cup of cream, 125 ml (half a cup) coconut cream, and two tots ground almonds. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and honey as needed. If there’s not enough burn, add more chilli.
4. Assemble
Remove the braaied chicken pieces from the skewers and combine with the sauce. Stir in 50 ml chopped coriander leaves. Traditionally the meal is served with naan bread and basmati rice, but I like to serve it with roosterkoek. After all, this is a braai.
Know your cooking measurements
- One cup is 250 ml. While a measuring cup is best, do this if one isn’t at hand: take four identical glasses and equally distribute a 750 ml bottle of wine among three. What you pour into the fourth glass to the same level of the others will be 250 ml.
- One tot measurement is 25 ml, about the equivalent of a shot glass. Even without a shot glass, you should be able to approximate this with the eye.
- One teaspoon is 5 ml, roughly a heaped teaspoon (the small type you stir tea with). Like a measuring cup, a measuring teaspoon is something you’ll need to buy at some stage.
Also read: The ultimate Braai Day recipe guide
