Tandoori Chicken Wrap

The inspiration for this tandoori warp came from a recent visit to a food truck that sold Gyros. So I decided to make my Fusion-Indian version of the famous and delicious Gyro with Tandoori Chicken.

RECIPE: Tandoori Chicken wrap
Ingredients:
Flat bread or Pita bread
For Tandoori chicken:
Tandoori Marinade (to make your own recipe)
1 Lb Chicken breast, boneless and skinless
For Spicy Sauce:
1 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 garlic clove
1  tsp Cumin seeds, roasted
Fresh coriander leaves
1 Serrano pepper
Salt and pepper to tatse
1/2 tsp Paprika
2-3" piece of Cucumber
1 tsp oilve oil
For Caramalized onions:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Large onions, sliced not to thin
Assembly:
Fruit salt or Chaat Masala
Fresh lettucce, chopped
Fresh Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1. Make the Tandoori marinade according to the recipe.
2. For Tandoori chicken: Wash the chicken and mix in with the marinade and let it sit for 2-6 hours.When ready to cook, put them on a baking sheet and bake for 22 minutes at 400 degree F. Make sure you flip them half way through the baking. Now move the rack to the broil position and broil on maximum heat for 5 minutes till the tops brown. Let it cool a little and slice them at an angle.
3. For Caramalized onions: In a frying pan heat the Tbsp of oil and add the sliced onions to it. Let them cook on medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes and stir every now and then to distibute the heat and also for them to brown evenly.
4. For Spicy Sauce: Put 1 Cup Greek Yogurt, 1 garlic clove, Fresh coriander leaves, 1 Serrano pepper, Salt and pepper to tatse, 1/2 tsp Paprika, 2-3" piece of Cucumber and a tsp of olive oil in a blender into a coarse sauce.
5. Assembly: Spray some oilve oil in a non stick pan and heat the flatbread till a little crisp. Now on the flatbread, layer the spicy sauce, caramalized onions, tandoori chicken, fruit salt (chaat masala), lettuce, cilantro and drizzle a little spicy sauce on top. Fold the flatbread and secure with a toothpick. Serve with a salad or cucumbers and lemon wedges. 

Step-by-step process,

Make the Tandoori marinade according to the recipe.

For Tandoori chicken: Wash the chicken and mix in with the marinade and let it sit for 2-6 hours.When ready to cook, put them on a baking sheet and bake for 22 minutes at 400 degree F. Make sure you flip them half way through the baking. Now move the rack to the broil position and broil on maximum heat for 5 minutes till the tops brown. Let it cool a little and slice them at an angle.

For Caramalized onions: In a frying pan heat the Tbsp of oil and add the sliced onions to it. Let them cook on medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes and stir every now and then to distibute the heat and also for them to brown evenly.

For Spicy Sauce: Put 1 Cup Greek Yogurt, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds, Fresh coriander leaves, 1 Serrano pepper, Salt and pepper to tatse, 1/2 tsp Paprika, 2-3" piece of Cucumber and a tsp of olive oil in a blender into a coarse sauce.

Paparika

Assembly: Spray some oilve oil in a non stick pan and heat the flatbread till a little crisp. Now on the flatbread, layer the spicy sauce, caramalized onions, tandoori chicken, fruit salt (chaat masala), lettuce, cilantro and drizzle a little spicy sauce on top. Fold the flatbread and secure with a toothpick. Serve with a salad or cucumbers and lemon wedges. 

They were delicious with the tender and juicy chicken, the spicy sauce, sweet caramalized onions and the cruncy salad leaves. They had so much flavor but it was not overpowering. The flavors complimented each other very well and that is what I had expected from it. Enjoy making them and let me know how you and your family liked them. I can see this being a staple weekend meal in our household.

Malai Tikka (Chicken)

Malai, a South East Asian term used for cream. When you boil whole milk and let it cool down, the cream layer that sets on the top is called Malai. So when making these kebabs in India I would use the fresh cream.

Tikkas, It is traditionally small pieces of boneless chicken baked using skewers, in a clay-based oven called a tandoor, after marinating in spices and yogurt. These can be served as an appetizer with a salad or in the main course with other curry dishes.

Malai Tikka

RECIPE: Malai Tikkas
Ingredients
1 Lb Boneless Chicken Breast, cut in 1" pieces

Marinade #1
2 Tbsp Vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Ginger paste
1Tbsp Garlic Paste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinade #2
1/2 Cup Greek yogurt
1/4 Cup Part-skim Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg
1Tbsp Cornflour
2 Green Chillies, finely chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces
2. For Marinade #1: Put 6 cloves of garlic, a piece of ginger, 1 tsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp vinegar in a small blender and make a smooth paste. Marinate the chicken in it for 1/2 hour.
3. For Marinade #2: Mix together 1/2 Cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream, 2 Eggs, 1Tbsp Cornflour, 2 Green Chillies (chopped fine), 2 Tbsp Coriander leaves (chopped), salt and pepper to taste. After the chicken has been marinated with #1 for about 30 minutes. Add this to the bowl. Let it sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
4. When ready to cook, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Put the chicken pieces on bamboo skewers. Set them on a tray sprayed with some oil and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure that you turn them over haflway into the baking.
5. Now shift the oven rack to broil position and broil the chicken for about 5 more minutes till they brown a little. Don't let the Chicken overcook or it will get tough and chewy.
6. To serve, garnish with lemon wedges, pickled onion rings and chutney.

Step-by-step process,
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces

For Marinade #1: Put 6 cloves of garlic, a piece of ginger, 1 tsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp vinegar in a small blender and make a smooth paste. Marinate the chicken in it for 1/2 hour.

For Marinade #2: Mix together 1/2 Cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 Cup Ricotta Cheese , Egg, 1Tbsp Cornflour, 2 Green Chillies (chopped fine), 2 Tbsp Coriander leaves (chopped), salt and pepper to taste. After the chicken has been marinated with #1 for about 30 minutes. Add this to the bowl. Let it sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

When ready to cook, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Put the chicken pieces on bamboo skewers. Set them on a tray sprayed with some oil and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure that you turn them over haflway into the baking.

Now shift the oven rack to broil position and broil the chicken for about 5 more minutes till they brown a little. Don't let the Chicken overcook or it will get tough and chewy.

Browned after broiling

 To serve, garnish with lemon wedges, pickled onion rings and chutney.

They turned out really soft and succulent, hope you enjoy making them.

Tandoori Salmon

Hello to all my viewers in India, USA, UK, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Russia, Canada and the Middle East. I am overwhelmed with the response and thank you all for taking out the time to read my blog.
Hope 2012 brings you and your loved ones all the good health and happiness. I have been very blessed and fortunate in the past years and want to take this moment and thank each and everyone in my life for being there and making it so perfect. 

On that note, lets kick off this year with a heart healthy, simple yet delicious Salmon dish that is by far on the top of my favorites list.

You will not find this recipe on any website or cookbook. This is an original by yours truly!  After years of trial and error I have finally perfected it. It is super simple to make if you have the basic ingredients on hand. I have made this a lot for family and friends and it has gotten rave reviews each and every time. 

The key is to have fresh Salmon, I get mine from Costco. After trying all the fine, high-end fish selling places, Costco has proven to be by far the best on both price as well as taste. The other key ingredient is the Tandoori masala I use. Will have more details on it in the step-by-step process.

Salmon, as you all might know is very high in Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil). Its benefits include Cardiovascular health, reduce blood pressure, increase metabolism by better absorption of insulin and promote better eye, brain and nerve health (this is my extreme interest in nutrition kicking in). I love everything about this dish. You could serve it as an appetizer, or top off your salad with it or even serve it in main course with some Daal and Naan.

I apologize for not having the final picture, we were all so ready to eat that I actually forgot to take a picture. I will post it up soon I promise. 

Fresh Salmon from Costco

My all time favorite tandoori masala

NOTE: I have a separate coffee grinder just to grind my fresh roasted spices (my secret is out). This makes all the difference in a recipe, believe me and its not that much work. Its adds a couple more minutes to your overall cooking time and the flavor is a thousand times better.

Recipe: Tandoori Salmon
Ingredients
1 large Fillet of Salmon (about 1.5 lbs)
2 Tbsp Organic extra Virgin Olive oil
5 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Rajah Tandoori Masala (or any other tandoori masala you have)
1 Tbsp Cumin seed, pan roasted and finely ground
1 Tbsp Coriander seed, pan roasted and finely ground
Black pepper, fresh ground, to taste
salt to taste
few blades of Rosemary (dried or fresh)
3 Tbsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fage greek yogurt 0% or 2% (normal will do too, but its a little runny. I prefer greek yogurt)
Lemon wedges for garnish

Method

1. Take the Tbsp each of cumin and coriander seeds and dry roast them on low heat setting in a small non-stick pan. Once you smell the flavorful aroma and they start to brown a little, take it off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Grind them to a fine powder (I have set aside a coffee grinder just for spices).
2. Now in a small mixing bowl mix together the olive oil, minced garlic, fresh ground spice powders, Tandoori masala, salt, pepper, Rosemary and 2 Tbsp of the coriander leaves. Stir it all together till it well blended.
3. Take the 13 by 9 glass pan and smear the fish with the marinade. Make sure to get all the side, top and bottom nicely. If the fillet has skin, make sure you keep it skin side down to marinate.
4. Let it sit for 2-3 hours. 
5. Pre-heat your charcoal grill and set it on medium heat. Spray the grill with olive oil and set your fish on it skin side down. Let it cook till the fish flakes easily with the fork (about 15 minutes). The time will vary depending on your grill. You can bake it too at 450 degree F for about 12-15 minutes.
6. Put it on your serving platter and sprinkle with a little lemon juice and coriander leaves. Decorate the platter with a few lemon wedges.

NOTE: This dish pairs really well with Daal and tandoori roti or naan. You could also pair it with some grilled vegetables and rice pilaf.

Step-by-step process,

Take the Tbsp each of cumin and coriander seeds and dry roast them on low heat setting in a small non-stick pan. Once you smell the flavorful, woody aroma and they start to brown a little, take it off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Grind them to a fine powder (I have set aside a coffee grinder just for spices). Add some whole black peppercorns while you are grinding the roasted spices.

Now in a small mixing bowl mix together the Fage Greet Yogurt, Tandoori Masala, roasted and grinded spice powder, garlic, Coriander leaves, Rosemary blades and salt. Stir it all together till it well blended.

Take the 13 by 9 glass pan and smear the fish with the marinade. Make sure to get all the side, top and bottom nicely. If the fillet has skin, make sure you keep it skin side down to marinate for 2-3 hours.

Skin side

Apply marinade generously

Pre-heat your charcoal grill and set it on medium heat. Spray the grill with olive oil and set your fish on it skin side down. Let it cook till the fish flakes easily with the fork (about 15 minutes). The time will vary depending on your grill. You can bake it too at 450 degree F for about 12-15 minutes.

Put it on your serving platter and sprinkle with a little lemon juice and coriander leaves. Decorate the platter with a few lemon wedges. 

Again, my apologies for the missing final picture. Will upload it soon. Enjoy making and eating it as much as I did.