Lahori chicken
The chicken is marinated twice here, before being cooked on a barbecue and served with a fresh yoghurt sauce.
Ingredients
For the yoghurt
- 1kg/2lb 4oz live cultured plain yoghurt
For the marinated chicken
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skin removed (150g/5½oz each)
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 3 tbsp ginger paste
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
For the lahori marinade
- 30g/1oz garam masala
- 10g garlic paste
- 20²µ/¾´Ç³ú ginger paste
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
- 250g/9oz strained yoghurt (from recipe above)
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú whipping cream
For the kebab masala
- 10g dried fenugreek leaves, lightly toasted
- 1g dried mint
- 2g black salt
- 9g chaat masala
- 2g green mango powder
- 2g kashmiri chilli powder
- 2g garam masala
- 200g/7oz salted butter, plus extra melted butter for basting (or ghee for basting)
For the yoghurt whey sauce
- 600g/1lb 5oz yoghurt whey (from the recipe above)
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú whipping cream
- 60²µ/2¼´Ç³ú cashew nuts, roasted until light golden
- 5 cardamom pods, crushed
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú fresh root ginger, peeled, finely chopped and crushed into a paste, plus 1 tsp finely chopped fresh root ginger
- 1 tsp finely chopped coriander stalks
- 1 tsp finely chopped green chillies
- salt
Method
To make the yoghurt, place a few layers of kitchen paper in a sieve, pour in the yoghurt and place over a bowl. Place in the fridge overnight. Once strained, set aside the strained yoghurt and the whey.
To make the marinated chicken, mix together all of the ingredients, except the chicken, in a bowl. Rub this mixture into the chicken, making sure it is evenly coated, and marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
To make the lahori marinade, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Rub onto the chicken, coating it evenly again. Leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
To make the kebab masala, grind the fenugreek, mint and black salt into a coarse powder. Mix in the remaining spices and set aside in an airtight container. Set aside the butter.
To make the yoghurt whey sauce, bring the yoghurt whey, cream, cashew nuts, cardamom and crushed ginger to a rapid boil in a saucepan. Cook until the cashew nuts are soft enough to mash – this should take around 5 minutes over a high heat. Remove the cardamom pods and transfer the remaining sauce to a blender. Blend for 5 minutes at the highest speed and adjust, if needed, with hot water until the texture is the consistency of double cream. Season with salt and set aside.
The chicken is best cooked on a barbecue so light the coals in good time. Once the coals are at temperature, skewer the chicken and place on the barbecue with the skin-side of the chicken facing up. Cook for 5–7 minutes, or until the marinade has charred to a speckled, deep brown colour. Turn the chicken over and baste with a little ghee or melted butter. Cook for a further 5–7 minutes. Alternatively, cook the chicken under a grill set to maximum until well charred, turning halfway through.
Test that the chicken is cooked by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast – it should read at least 70C to confirm it is cooked through. Remove from the heat, baste again with ghee or butter, and leave to rest in a warm place for a few minutes before carving each breast into three or four slices.
Heat up the yoghurt whey sauce and add the chopped ginger, coriander stalks and green chilli. Melt the butter in a separate saucepan, remove from the heat and add the kebab masala mixture. Place the chicken on warm plates. Pour over the yoghurt whey sauce and finish with a couple of generous tablespoons of the kebab masala butter. Serve immediately.
