An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [44]
Preheat the broiler (45 minutes before serving if you are going to eat it hot). Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Spread the chicken (most of the marinade will cling to it) thinly on the tray. (You will need to do two batches unless you have an extra large broiler.)
When the broiler is well heated, put in the tray with the chicken. Broil for 10 minutes, turn the pieces over, and broil another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is lightly browned. Remove chicken pieces with a spatula and place in warm serving dish. Cover and keep in warm place. Do the second batch the same way. (I usually put the second batch in to broil and serve the first batch. As soon as people are ready for seconds, the next batch is almost ready.) Remember, this chicken will not have a uniformly dark-brown color; it should be dark only in spots.
To serve: Place on warm platter and serve with a rice dish, a lamb dish if you are entertaining, a yogurt dish, and at least one vegetable. Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks. Eat it cold at picnics, also with the aid of toothpicks.
Roast chicken stuffed with spiced rice
SERVES 4
If you are tired of your usual chicken roast, try this one. With the expenditure of just a wee bit more time and energy, you can create a sensational dish—spicy without being hot, simple without being dull!
I use precooked (usually leftover!) rice for the stuffing. Adjust the salt for the stuffing according to the saltiness of the precooked rice.
1 roasting chicken, 4 pounds (at room temperature)
MARINADE
2 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground garam masala
STUFFING
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, about 1-inch cube, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, drained, or 3 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 cups (well-packed) cooked rice
½ teaspoon salt (or as needed)
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Wipe chicken well with a cloth or paper towel so it is as dry as possible. Brush three-fourths of the marinade all over the chicken, inside and out. Let the chicken sit, unrefrigerated, for about 2 hours. Save rest of marinade.
Preheat oven to 450°.
Place the onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, coriander, and cumin in the container of an electric blender. Blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a 10–12-inch skillet over medium-high flame. When very hot, drop in the mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to rise and pop (15 to 30 seconds), add the paste from the blender, keeping face averted, as the mixture will bubble rapidly and splatter. Stirring, fry the paste on medium-high heat until it is browned. The oil should separate from the paste (this will take about 10 minutes). You will need to stir more frequently as the moisture evaporates.
Add the cooked rice, and the salt as and if you need it. Turn heat to low and mix the browned paste with the rice. Loosely stuff the chicken with the rice and truss it. Place it in an ovenproof baking dish, breast up, and put it in the preheated oven.
Let the chicken brown for about 20 minutes, basting it with the remaining marinade mixture every 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to 350°. Cook another hour or until the leg moves easily when pushed up and down at its socket. Baste every 10 minutes with the juices that will come out of the chicken.
To serve: Lift chicken gently and put on a warm platter. Let it sit for 15 minutes so juices will not flow out when carved. Serve simply with a green salad or, if you like, with any green bean, peas, or cauliflower dish. Sweet Tomato Chutney also tastes good