Grilled Tandoori Chicken & Spicy Indian Potatoes

I adore Indian cuisine and embrace every opportunity to try an interesting new recipe or, like a old friend, welcome back a much loved favourite, like my delicious, hot and juicy Grilled Tandoori Chicken and fragrant Indian Spiced Potatoes. The luscious yogurt-based Tandoori Chicken marinade is extraordinarily full-flavoured, and with an aromatic mixture of ginger, garlic, lemon juice, cardamom, garam masala and turmeric, and is equally delicious with Indian paneer cheese, cornish hen and robust fish like swordfish or marlin. A perfect accompaniment to my Tandoori Chicken is Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Spiced Potatoes with Turmeric and Cumin, a wonderfully simple and satisfying dish that only takes about 15 minutes to make. 

Madhur Jaffrey, the alpha-chef for Indian recipes

My treasured copy Madhur Jaffrey's 'A Taste of India'

Sautéed with some oil and a vibrant blend of fragrant Indian spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, black mustard seeds and red chili powder, the diced potatoes become wonderfully crisp and golden brown as they roast, and exude an intoxicating aroma that will make you swoon. Served with some hot grilled Naan bread brushed with ghee and a sprinkling of sesame seeds, a dish of coriander mint chutney and a cold Kingfisher beer, you won't be able to resist this mouth-watering Indian feast.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken
Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp lemon juice & 4 lemon wedges
2 cups yoghurt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp chickpea flour
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp melted ghee

Pat dry the chicken breasts and score the tops with a 3 or 4 deep cuts. In a large bowl, combine the yoghurt, ginger, garlic, cardamom, chili powder, garam masala, oil, gram flour, lemon juice and salt and mix well to form a loose paste. Add the chicken breasts to the mixture, tossing thoroughly to ensure they're well coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4-5 hours, to allow the chicken to marinate.

To grill, place the chicken breasts on a pre-heated BBQ and cook 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat. Turn them over and baste with melted ghee, and continue cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes until the chicken is evenly cooked and has nice grill marks. Serve with grilled lemon wedges.

Indian Spicy Potatoes with Turmeric and Cumin

Serves 4

Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey

1 1/2 lb yukon gold potatoes

5 tbsp vegetable oil

1/8 tsp asafetida

1/2 tsp whole black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/4 tsp chili powder

3/4 tsp salt

Cut the potatoes into a 1/2-inch dice. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the asafetida, and a second later, the mustard seeds and then the cumin seeds. Now add the potatoes and stir once or twice. Sprinkle in the turmeric, and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are nicely browned and almost done. After 15 minutes, add the chili powder and salt. Stir and cook another 2 minutes.