Smoked White Chicken

I have been looking for a good brand of garam masala powder for so long and only last week this new Zafrani Shaan garam masala attracted my attention and when I checked the ingredients, I knew this is it!

I am not a fan of Shaan spices at all and I hate them all except for one or two as they are all the same. But this one has just the garam masala spices and not cumin or coriander or anything else like other brands, plus it has saffron too.

I used it today in the marinade for smoked white chicken. The garam masala enhanced the taste and the smoky flavour in the chicken was awsome. Everybody just loved it. In fact they were all duped into believing that I barbequed the chicken when I didn't.Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Chicken - one whole

Garlic paste - 1 tblspn

Dhania (coriander) powder - 1 tspn

White Chilly powder - 1 tspn

Shaan's Zafrani garam masala - 2 tspns

Yoghurt - 1/2 cup

Salt - 1/2 tspn

Lemon juice or red wine vinegar- 1 tblspn

Olive oil - 1 tblspn

Whipping cream - partially skimmed - 1-2 tblspns

Method:

1.Clean, wash and drain the chicken. Rub lemon juice or red wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar this time) and leave for 15 mins.

2. For the marinade mix together garlic paste, dhania powder, white chilly powder, salt and shaan's zafrani garam masala with the yoghurt. Add salt and olive oil.

3. Rub the chicken pieces with the marinade and set aside for a couple of hrs.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

5. Put the chicken in a roaster pan and cook in the oven for 40 mins.

6. After 40 mins brush the chicken generously with the whipping cream and leave for 10 more mins.

7. Now light up a coal placed in a tin foil shaped like a tiny bowl, drop a blob of ghee or butter on the burning coal and immediately keep it in the center of the roasting pan on top of the chicken.

8. Turn off the oven. Cover the roaster pan with the lid and place it in the hot oven for another 10 mins.

9. The smoked creamy white chicken is now ready. Serve hot with rumali rotis (these rotis are as thin as a ladies handkerchief and so the name) green yoghurt chutney & some cucumber or radish etc.

10. For the green chutney, blend together two stalks of mint, a handful of coriander, 1 inch piece of ginger, 1 green chilly, salt to taste and 1 tblspn of yoghurt. When everything is well blended add more (1/2 cup) yoghurt to it. The chutney is ready.

11. The rumali rotis as seen in the picture above are home made. You can try them at home if you have a gas stove. Check out their recipe on www.vahrehvah.com. He shows you how to make them on a flat skillet but I love to be traditional so I make mine on an inverted cast iron wok on the gas stove.

12. Enjoy the smoked white chicken with rice, rotis, parantas, dal and raitas of your choice.