Moon Over Mumbai

Quick Tandoori Chicken

Not a true tandoori, but this gives you a gourmet meal on a weeknight. Serve with jasmine rice and coriander chutney (recipe follows.) This is best marinated overnight in the fridge. It's quick to toss together before you head for bed, then cover with plastic and refrigerate. Then, it is quick to cook after work.

For spice paste
1 large garlic clove
3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 small fresh red or green chile such as serrano or cayenne
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh gingerroot
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup coconut milk

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
1 small red onion
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

For yogurt sauce
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
a pinch cayenne

Make spice paste:
Mince garlic with salt and mash to a paste. Wearing protective gloves, mince chile (including seeds for a spicier paste) and in a bowl stir together with garlic paste and remaining spice paste ingredients.

Make 3 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep in each chicken breast and rub spice paste into cuts and all over chicken. Marinate chicken, covered, 30 minutes at cool room temperature.

Preheat broiler and line broiler pan with foil. Halve onion through root end and reserve 1 half for sauce. Thinly slice remaining onion half, separating layers, and in a small bowl soak onion slices in ice water to cover while broiling chicken.

Arrange chicken without crowding on rack of broiler pan. Brush chicken with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and broil about 3 inches from heat 8 minutes. Turn chicken over and brush with remaining teaspoon vegetable oil. Broil chicken until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 6 minutes more.

Make sauce while chicken is broiling:
Mince enough reserved onion to measure 1 tablespoon and in a small bowl stir together with all sauce ingredients.

Drain soaked onion and pat dry between paper towels. Top chicken with onion slices and serve with yogurt sauce.

Serves 4.

Coriander Chutney

1 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
¾ th cup freshly grated coconut or dried unsweetened coconut
3 hot green chilies (or as desired for hotness)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds (dry roasted)
2 teaspoons sugar
Juice of 3/4 lime
Salt to Taste
Blend all the above ingredients at high speed in a blender adding just enough water to make a thick pouring consistency. Store in refrigerator. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

This is zippy and great with jasmine rice and yoghurt sauce over rice.

An Indian meal will include breads of some kind and this is a great dipping sauce for naan or papadums. The latter are easy to find in the international food aisle at the grocery and you can cook them quickly directly on a hot range burner, electric or gas. With chutney, they are Indian chips and dips.

Hmm. I think I'm going out for Indian tomorrow night.