Tandoori Chicken

This recipe was originated in 1920 by a man named Kundan Lal Gujral who opened a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Peshawer when British were ruling in India.As he cooked the chicken in a cylindrical clay oven called Tandoor, the name of the dish became Tandoori Chicken. I know, none of us have tandoor at home so there is no point of making tandoori chicken at home.But today I will tell you how to cook tandoori chicken without tandoor and with our normal microwave oven.

Ingredients:
4 chicken leg pieces, 4 teaspoon of plain yogurt(tok doi),1/2 teaspoon of Fenugreek leaf powder(kasauri methi),1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder,1 teaspoon of cumin powder,1 teaspoon of coriander powder, 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder, 2 teaspoon of red chili powder,1teaspoon of ginger paste,1 teaspoon of garlic paste, 2 teaspoon of lemon juice,1 teaspoon of salt(as per your taste),1/2 teaspoon of chat masala,2-3 teaspoon of oil,1/4th teaspoon of red food color.

Process:
For this preparation we need to marinate the chicken twice.

• take a small bowl and put 1/2 teaspoon of salt,2 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of red chili powder and mix it well.Give some slits to all the leg pieces on both the sides and then rub the mix really well on those leg pieces and marinate it for 10 mins.
• now take a air tight bowl and mix yogurt,ginger garlic paste and all the spices (except chat masala and oil) in it.Put the marinated chicken in the second marination,add 2 teaspoon of oil,put on its lid and put it in the refrigerator. I specifically mentioned air tight container because I want that all the flavor of the spices penetrate properly and uniformly in all the chicken pieces.
• Preheat your oven to 450 degree Fahrenheit which is 230 degree Celsius.
• take a oven proof tray or container,put a aluminum foil on top of it.make a base of slice onion and carrot. Though it is absolutely optional and you can put the leg pieces directly on the foil itself but I prefer to put a base as it absorb all the extra liquid that will comes out from the chicken.
• add some salt in the chicken and put it on the tray and cook it for 30-35 min on the oven.Please do check once after 20-25 mins and then get it cooked accordingly. Suppose if you find that the chicken was cooked properly after 25min then you can take it out from the oven and if it is not then you have to check it for every 5 mins.
• now take a griddle or a tawa put about 1 teaspoon of oil and then put those chicken pieces on it.Then sprinkle some chat masala and fry it for 5 more mins.This is also optional but I prefer to do it as it gives nice smokey flavor in it.
• That's all your Tandoori Chicken is ready to serve.

I hope you have enjoyed today's recipe...I am sure you did, because today we have learned one of the most famous preparation in India...Have a great day ahead and enjoy cooking :)