Chicken Tandoori and Broccoli Dal

Before I begin, let me first acknowledge the fact that the fonts on my blog are all kinds of messed up. I am having serious problems with formatting...

The first time I had Indian food was in college. I played violin in an ensemble called "Global Rhythms" and we performed a lot of Middle Eastern and Indian-inspired music, so the Indian Student Association would often make us dinner for after our concerts. There were things I loved and things I hated, but it didn't really help me in the future because I never knew what it was that I was eating!

Fast forward four years: Our new friend, Dinesh, who happens to be Indian has us over to his place for Indian food. It was great! But VERY spicy. So spicy that at times I had trouble speaking and had to devour spoonfuls of yogurt to attempt to break the heat.

My third Indian food experience occurred two weeks ago when I was over a friend's place and we ordered Indian take-out. This was delicious! And had the perfect amount of spice (for me). Suddenly I realized all that I had been missing!

In the last two weeks I have visited the local Indian Market twice and purchased most of the spices necessary to make some of my own basic Indian dishes. The two I tried out tonight have been my favorite so far! The chicken was good, but the dal was DELICIOUS! It was so flavorful and will definitely be repeated at our dinner table.



Tandoori Chicken
Recipe courtesy Tizzylish (Kristie)

Ingredients...

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts **I used boneless
  
• 1/2 C plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Directions...

Run garlic through a press, or finely mince. Grate ginger. Mix together yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and spices.

Make diagonal slashes in the chicken meat to allow marinade to penetrate better. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken parts.

Marinate for 4 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. If the chicken is placed in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature before cooking (approximately 1 hour). I recommend overnight to get full flavor!

Preheat broiler.

Brush grill or shallow baking pan with a little oil to keep chicken from sticking. Arrange chicken on the pan.

Broil chicken 2-3 inches away from the heat until cooked through, approximately 25 minutes, turning halfway through.

Notes: Sadly, I didn't have enough time to marinate the chicken for more than an hour, but don't let that deter you. It was still really quite flavorful. Also, so that the chicken would be easier to eat and cook a little bit faster, I cut it into small pieces before marinating.


Broccoli Dal Curry
Recipe courtesy evelyn/athens on Recipe Zaar

Ingredients...

• 4 tablespoons butter or ghee
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 cup red lentil
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 3 cups chicken broth **this wasn't enough - I ended up using 4 cups of chicken broth plus another 1/2 cup water
• 2 medium heads of broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried coconut (optional) **I didn't have any, so I left it out
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cashew, coarsely chopped **I didn't have any, but this would be a great addition next time!

Directions...

1. Heat butter in saucepan and saute onions until well browned.
2. Add chili powder, pepper, cumin, coriander and turmeric.
3. Stir and cook, 1 minute.
4. Add lentils, lemon juice, broth and coconut if using.
5. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45-55 minutes (if mixture is too thick, you may need to add a little hot water).
6. Steam broccoli for 7 minutes.
7. Plunge broccoli in cold water and set aside.
8. Remove 1/3 cup of liquid from the lentil mixture.
9. Add to flour to form a smooth paste.
10. Return to pan; add broccoli, salt and nuts if using.
11. Simmer for 5 minutes.
12. Serve over Basmati rice.